Caution, it may be presumptive to tell Virgin what their culture is, particularly if it came from the views of employees; an alternative could be to state how you or you believe the industry perceive their culture.
A quote reportedly originating from a Virgin CEO:
“Are we safe? How safe? Show me the data”.
Cultural "types" in terms of the thinking styles they promote.
1. A Humanistic - Helpful culture characterizes organizations that are managed in a participative and person-cantered way. Members are expected to be supportive, constructive and open to influence in their dealings with one another. A humanistic culture leads to effective organisational performance by providing for the growth and active involvement of members.
2. An Affinitive culture characterizes organizations that place a high priority on constructive interpersonal relationships. Members are expected to be friendly, open and sensitive to the satisfaction of their work group. An affinitive culture can enhance organisational performance by promoting open communication, good co-operation and team loyalty.
3. An Approval culture describes organisations in which conflicts are avoided and interpersonal relationships are pleasant - at least superficially. Members feel that they must agree with, gain the approval of, and be liked by others.
Though possibly benign, this type of work environment can limit organisational effectiveness by minimising constructive "differing" and the expression of ideas and opinions.
4. A Conventional culture is descriptive of organisations that are conservative, traditional and bureaucratically controlled. Members are expected to conform, follow the rules and make a good impression. Too conventional a culture can interfere with effectiveness by suppressing innovation and preventing the organisation from adapting to changes in its environment.
5. A Dependant culture is descriptive of organisations that are hierarchically controlled and non-participative. Centralised decision making in such organisations leads members to do only what they are told and to clear all decisions with superiors. Poor performance results from the lack of individual initiative, spontaneity, flexibility and timely decision making.
6. An Avoidance culture characterises organisations that fail to reward success but nevertheless punish mistakes. This negative reward system leads members to shift responsibilities to others and to avoid any possibility of being blamed for a mistake. The survival of this type of organisation is in question since members are unwilling to make decisions, take action or accept risks.
7. An Oppositional culture describes organisations in which confrontation prevails and negativism is rewarded. Members gain status and influence by being critical and thus are reinforced to oppose the ideas of others and to make safe (but ineffectual) decisions. While some questioning is functional, a highly oppositional culture can lead to unnecessary conflict, poor group problem solving and "watered down" solutions to problems.
8. A Power culture is descriptive of non-participative organisations structured on the basis of the authority inherent in members' positions. Members believe they will be rewarded for taking charge and controlling subordinates (and being responsive to demands of superiors). Power-oriented organisations are less effective than their members might think; subordinates resist this type of control. hold back information, and reduce their contributions to the minimal acceptable level.
9. A Competitive culture is one in which winning is valued and members re rewarded for out-performing one another. People in such organisations operative in a "win-lose'' framework and believe they must work against (rather than with) their peers to be noticed. An overly competitive culture can inhibit effectiveness by reducing co-operation and promoting unrealistic standards of performance (either too high or too low).
10. A Perfectionistic culture characterises organisations in which perfectionism, persistence and hard work are valued. Members feel they must avoid all mistakes, keep track of everything and work long hours to attain narrowly-defined objectives. While some amount of this orientation might be useful, too much emphasis on perfectionism can lead members to lose sight of the goal, get lost in details, and develop symptoms of strain.
11. An Achievement culture characterises organisations that do things well and value members who set and accomplish their own goals. Members of these organisations set challenging but realistic goals, establish plans to reach these goals, and pursue them with enthusiasm. Achievement organisations are effective; problems are solved appropriately, clients and customers are served well, and the orientation of members (as well as the organisation itself) is healthy.
12. A Self-Actualising culture characterises organisations that value creativity, quality over quantity, and both task accomplishment and individual growth.
Members of these organisations are encouraged to gain enjoyment from their work, develop themselves, and take on new and interesting activities. While self-actualising organisation can be somewhat difficult to understand and control, the tend to be highly innovative, offer high-quality products and/or services and attract and develop outstanding employees.
Several downloadable papers
here.
Safety Culture and its measurement in Aviation
PM for more.
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