Organisational culture is widely recognised as a key factor influencing organisational effectiveness, employee behaviour, and institutional development. This paper reviews the major definitions, theoretical foundations, and empirical studies related to organisational culture. It first examines influential perspectives proposed by Schein (1985, 2010), Hofstede (1991), Cameron and Quinn (1999), Denison (1990), and Ouchi (1981), highlighting the evolution of the concept from shared assumptions and values to multidimensional and performance-oriented frameworks. The paper then discusses Harrison and Stokes’s (1992) Organisational Culture Theory and its alignment with the five dimensions of the Organisational Culture Scale developed by Huang and Teo (2019): Goal Orientation, Participative Decision Making, Formal Relationships, Innovation Orientation, and Shared Vision. In addition, empirical studies conducted in international higher education settings, across China, and specifically in Inner Mongolia are reviewed to identify major research trends and gaps. The review indicates that although organisational culture has been extensively studied, limited attention has been paid to ethnic minority regions, multi-level cultural influences, and the mechanisms through which culture affects important psychological and organisational outcomes. The paper concludes by highlighting directions for future research and the practical importance of fostering a supportive organisational culture in higher education institutions.
Alvesson, M. (2012). Understanding organisational culture (2nd ed.). Sage Publications. https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/understanding-organizational-culture/book235134
Ahmed, S., Shibani, A., Al-Jumeily, D., & Alhazmi, M. (2016). Organisational learning and quality management: A literature review. International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications, 7(2), 221–228. https://doi.org/10.14569/IJACSA.2016.070231
Bryk, A. S., Gomez, L. M., Grunow, A., & LeMahieu, P. G. (2024). Learning to improve: How America's schools can get better at getting better (Updated ed.). Harvard Education Press. https://www.hepg.org/hep-home/books/learning-to-improve
Cameron, K. S., & Quinn, R. E. (1999). Diagnosing and changing organisational culture: Based on the competing values framework. Addison-Wesley. https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Diagnosing+and+Changing+Organizational+Culture-p-9781118215613
Cameron, K. S., & Quinn, R. E. (2011). Diagnosing and changing organisational culture: Based on the competing values framework (3rd ed.). Jossey-Bass. https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Diagnosing+and+Changing+Organizational+Culture-p-9781118007409
Denison, D. R. (1990). Corporate culture and organisational effectiveness. John Wiley & Sons. https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Corporate+Culture+and+Organizational+Effectiveness-p-9780471807640
Handy, C. B. (1976). Understanding organisations. Penguin Books. https://archive.org/details/understandingorg00hand
Harrison, R., & Stokes, H. (1992). Diagnosing organisational culture. Pfeiffer & Company. https://books.google.com/books?id=JxJHAAAAMAAJ
Hartnell, C. A., & Kinicki, A. J. (2011). Organisational culture and organisational effectiveness: A meta-analytic investigation of the competing values framework's theoretical suppositions. Journal of Applied Psychology, 96(4), 677–694. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0021987
Hofstede, G. (1991). Cultures and organisations: Software of the mind. McGraw-Hill. https://doi.org/10.1037/10545-000
Huang, Q., & Teo, T. (2019). Organisational culture and teachers' technology acceptance: A study in educational settings. Educational Technology Research and Development, 67(6), 1483–1505. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-019-09677-5
Han, M. (2024). The mediating role of psychological capital between organisational culture and affective commitment: Evidence from the aviation industry. Sustainability, 16(6), 2658. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16062658
Kezar, A., & Holcombe, E. (2025). Shared leadership in higher education: Important lessons from research and practice. American Council on Education. https://www.acenet.edu
Lycke, K. H., & Tano, M. (2017). Quality culture in higher education: Developing quality enhancement through action research. Quality in Higher Education, 23(3), 221–235. https://doi.org/10.1080/13538322.2017.1395231
Liu, L. (2021). The influence of organisational culture on the innovation performance of university scientific research teams. Modern Business, 4, 86–88. https://kns.cnki.net/kcms/detail/11.1794.G4.20210322.0935.006.html
Marginson, S. (2006). Dynamics of national and global competition in higher education. Higher Education, 52(1), 1–39. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-004-7649-x
McNeish, D. (2018). Thanks coefficient alpha, we'll take it from here. Psychological Methods, 23(3), 412–433. https://doi.org/10.1037/met0000144
Ouchi, W. G. (1981). Theory Z: How American business can meet the Japanese challenge. Addison-Wesley. https://archive.org/details/theoryzhowameric00ouch
Rytioja, A., & Raisanen, T. (2024). Organisational culture and governance adaptation in higher education institutions. Higher Education Policy, 37(1), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41307-023-00339-2
Schein, E. H. (1985). Organisational culture and leadership. Jossey-Bass. https://archive.org/details/organizationalcu00sche
Schein, E. H. (2010). Organisational culture and leadership (4th ed.). Jossey-Bass. https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Organizational+Culture+and+Leadership%2C+4th+Edition-p-9780470190609
Smart, J. C., & John, E. P. S. (1996). Organisational culture and effectiveness in higher education: A test of the “culture type” and “strong culture” hypotheses. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 18(3), 219–241. https://doi.org/10.3102/01623737018003219
Suddaby, R., Foster, W. M., & Trank, C. Q. (2020). Rhetorical history as a source of competitive advantage. Advances in Strategic Management, 43, 147–173. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0742-332220200000043009
Tierney, W. G. (1988). Organisational culture in higher education: Defining the essentials. Journal of Higher Education, 59(1), 2–21. https://doi.org/10.2307/1981868
Wen, Z., & Ye, B. (2011). Analyses of mediating effects: The development of methods and models. Advances in Psychological Science, 19(8), 1200–1208. https://doi.org/10.3724/SP.J.1042.2011.01200
Wang, H., & Li, D. (2018). Organisational culture and psychological capital: Evidence from Chinese enterprises. Social Behaviour and Personality: An International Journal, 46(2), 253–266. https://doi.org/10.2224/sbp.6683
Yang, R. (2020). Political culture and higher education governance in Chinese societies: Some reflections. Frontiers of Education in China, 15(2), 187–221. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11516-020-0010-z
Zhou, Z. (2021). The cultural bases of university governance: Value clarification and action orientation. Tsinghua Journal of Education, 42(6), 1–20. https://tje.ioe.tsinghua.edu.cn/oa/DArticle.aspx?id=20210601&type=view
Wang, Y., Tai, M. K., & Jain, J. (2026). Understanding Organisational Culture: A Review of Definitions, Theoretical Frameworks, and Empirical Studies. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 16(10), 363–374.
Copyright: © 2026 The Author(s)
Published by Knowledge Words Publications (www.kwpublications.com)
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode
