In the book Finding & Keeping Great Employees, co-authored by my friend, Dr. Joan Brannick (with Dr. Jim Harris), four core cultures are described:

1. A Culture of Customer Service—examples are Nordstrom, Home Depot, Ritz-Carlton and (the place where I learned about superior guest service) Walt Disney World.
2. A Culture of Innovation—examples include Intel, Cisco Systems and Netscape.  In this environment the underlying organizational purpose is to create and shape the future.
3. A Culture of Operational Excellence—examples include GE, McDonald’s and L.L. Bean—organizations that minimize costs while maximizing productivity and efficiency.
4. The Culture of Spirit—examples include ServiceMaster, Chick-fil-A, Southwest Airlines and AES Corporation.  These companies are obsessed with creating environments that unleash the limitless creativity, enthusiasm, and energy of people.

Which culture best describes your organization? What re you doing to support that culture on a daily basis?