Jaques First To Use “Culture” About Companies

In Britain, a book by Professor Elliot Jaques (1951) was titled The Changing Culture of a Factory — to my knowledge the first use of the word culture in the management literature. The book describes Jaques’s long-term involvement with the Glacier Metal Company, London.

Hofstede, Geert (2001). Culture’s consequences: comparing values, behaviors, institutions, and organizations across nations. Thousand Oaks: SAGE. P. 392

I hadn’t thought about it but I suppose this is true. It’s an interesting factoid considering how much we use the term these days. I got my degree in sociology back in the day — my days of being a draft editor for sociologists is past — so to me being the first to talk about corporate culture is a big deal.

Odd that it never gets mentioned when people point out that he coined the term “mid-life crisis”.

About the Author

Forrest Christian

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E. Forrest Christian is a consultant, coach, author, trainer and speaker at The Manasclerk Company who helps individuals and companies find insight and solutions to what seem like insolvable problems. Cited for his "unique ability and insight" by his clients, Forrest has worked with people from almost every background, from artists to programmers to executives to global consultants, both as individuals and as leaders of organizations at least as diverse. [contact]