Types of Singapore Corporate Culture

Abstract

The study, an update of a study made in 2005, begins by defining values, and through literature survey highlights that corporate leaders– through their own values held– play a large part, if not a key role in molding their organizations and establishing their organizations’ core values. Using Low’s (2009, 2002) study/thesis as a foundational resource and data where twelve key Singaporean values were uncovered, this further research study, by means of questionnaire survey-cum-interviews, examines the core values held by Singapore’s corporate leaders when running their Singapore companies. A framework with local analogies or metaphors, are then drawn. The results indicate that a pattern can be extrapolated to portray the various Singapore corporate cultures in existence, and implications of findings for corporate leaders are also discussed.

Keywords: corporate culture, values, Singaporean values, Singapore, bumboat culture, modernizing culture, Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) culture, school teacher culture, national culture