The Field Guide › Paper
The paper that introduced Schein's three-level model of organisational culture: artefacts (visible structures and processes), espoused values (strategies and goals), and basic underlying assumptions (unconscious, taken-for-granted beliefs). Argues that culture cannot be changed by addressing artefacts or espoused values alone — the underlying assumptions that shape perception and behaviour must be surfaced and examined. Foundational for understanding why PS interventions that don't address basic assumptions often fail.