How does an organization’s culture affect its ability to handle change?

Answer 1

I would say that a business's culture has a lot to do with how well it will handle change.

The culture being the attitudes of management. If business conditions require the business to change it's MO, the management needs to be able to respond. And respond quickly. If the managment deems it a waste of time to change, they may not make the necessary moves and the could result in a)less profits b)no profits c)negative profits

The organizations that are most likely to handle change in a progressive way are usually, flexible, diverse, and open to new ideas.

Answer 2

The company I work for is very hierarchical and authoritarian in its management style, and doesn't even change its brand of coffee without 17 committee meetings on the subject.

More democratic, loosely organized companies probably react to changing climates faster (I think of ad agencies as fitting this description). However the advantage of a company like the one I work for is the stability of knowing where it stands on certain issues (family leave is a big thing that's really supported at my company) and you can rely on that.

Hope this helps!