The concept of organizational culture has drawn attention to the long-neglected, subjective side of organizational life. However, many aspects of organizational culture have not received much attention. Emphasis has been placed primarily on the practical interests of culture. Culture is then treated as an instrument designed by top management to shape the behavior of the employees in purposeful ways.

This is in many ways understandable, but there are two major problems following from this emphasis. One is that many aspects of organizational culture, such as economic growth, technology, or rewards, are simply disregarded. The values and ideas to which organizational culture research pays attention are primarily connected with the means and operations employed to achieve pre-defined and unquestioned goals. This also reduces the potential of culture to aid managerial action.

Simplifications and the promise of quick fixes often lead to problems; superficial organizational change projects, for example, involve not just failures but often lead to frustration, low trust and cynicism. Organizational culture calls for a break with the idea that a particular input leads to a predictable effect.