A snapshot of corporate culture at work

Corporate culture has been defined as the values, norms, policies, and practices of an organization that underlie its management system and guiding principles (Denison, 2004). More than ever, a strong sense of corporate culture is critical for organizational longevity, employee unification, and workforce retention. Although corporate culture has been a topic of growing interest, not much attention has been paid to disability issues and factors that facilitate and hinder the employment of people with disabilities.

For this proposal, findings from a case study involving a large non-profit organization will be presented. Using a structured instrument, this study surveyed 350 employees, of whom 5.7% reported having a disability. Survey items tapped:

(1) diversity outcomes as reflected in the disability diversity of the organization and across management;

(2) inclusive policies and practices including effective accommodations and sense of

corporate culture;

(3) attitudinal and behavioral indicators of inclusive environments from multiple perspectives; and

(4) “bottom line” outcomes such as job satisfaction, tenure, and turnover.

Findings from the overall sample and from those with and without disabilities will be discussed, along with their implications for practice.