Spontaneity

I feel like the “blogging” has been a little light lately on my part, as I have been reading a great deal and beginning my own cultural analysis.  Also, of course with the colder temps comes my annual 2 week long cold, with a touch of strep throat to make it all SOOOO interesting!  The few chapters of Schein I have read in preparation for Thursday’s class were very interesting, especially since it focused on the creation of culture through leaders.  The examples used were great…and showcased how the initial creator of the company left deep impressions in the company culture…long after he was gone.  This has always been a subject of interest for me – how these large companies with such strong cultures were formed.  Take my own culture for instance…over 50 years ago Alfred Dreyfus had a vision…and wanted to create a learning atmosphere in the technical niche.  He gathered others who held similar visions…and a culture was born.  Today, his focus on the student and their overall success is still the overall goal of this educational institution.  From the main campus, new branches developed…and new leaders emerged.  The great thing about our college is that we all hold beliefs similar to those of Alfred Dreyfus, but each campus operates in its own unique way…and it has worked very well over the years…and will continue to do so!  Alfred had a strong vision, was a strong leader, and was not scared of the unknown.  He made the necessary proposals so that solutions could be developed.  The culture today has morphed into a great learning atmosphere for a very diverse group of students  – young and old.  You can still see his (Alfred Dreyfus) vision within our own campus motif: embrace…strengthen…succeed – one student at a time.  We might do things a little differently today (new curriculum, new standards, new cultures), but a majority of today’s assumptions can be traced back to the beliefs and values of Alfred Dreyfus – OUR founder.

I would definitely like to research this idea more with some of the “best companies” to work for in the US (they always have those lists each year)…see how the company was formed and the culture along with it…and whether or not the assumptions of today can be traced back to the original beliefs/values of the founder.  Not sure how much I could find, but it would still be interesting the current success can be raced back to the initial culture!