Culture, diversity, emotions and justice

Organisational culture is the shared system of meanings — values, beliefs, assumptions and norms — that distinguishes one organisation from another and guides how people behave when nobody is watching. Climate is different: it is how employees currently perceive their workplace (supportive, tense, fair), and it can change faster than culture. Worked example: two firms both claim 'customer first' as a value, but in one, staff are rewarded for resolving complaints generously, while in the other they are punished for refunds. The reward system, not the slogan, is the real culture — culture is what gets rewarded, tolerated and punished.