To understand the essence of corporate culture, Edgar H. Schein – Emeritus Professor of Management Science at MIT University – has deepened the conceptions of corporate culture, which, according to him, can be divided Corporate culture into three different levels, only the tangibles of corporate value.
Level 1️⃣: Tangible corporate values
Only things that are easy to see but difficult to explain. Usually this is the product of the business, what we see or feel such as the office, the way we behave in the company, the creativity in aesthetics, working style, costumes, etc. This level is formed mainly due to the nature of the job, can be easily seen, shows the leader's point of view, but the elements in level 1 are easy to change and do not clearly show the true value of the business.
Level 2️⃣: Beliefs and values
Include the goals, vision, mission and strategy of the business. Almost every business has its own principles, regulations and goals to operate, and the values at this level are publicized. But the values in level 2 are abstract values so it is easy to misunderstand, or take the wrong way. Therefore, it is necessary to help employees understand, do it right to improve labor productivity, doing it right from the beginning will help businesses save time and costs.
Level 3️⃣: General concepts
Thoughts, perceptions, things that are implicitly recognized in the business. Whether in corporate culture or social culture, there will be a common concept that is recognized by everyone, difficult to change and deeply ingrained in everyone's subconscious. It is not easy to form common ideas, having done this means that the members have a connection, share and act on that common point of view.