Organizational Culture

Aggressive Cultures

Figure 15.5 Microsoft, the company that Bill Gates cofounded, has been described as having an aggressive culture.

Companies with aggressive cultures value competitiveness and outperforming competitors: By emphasizing this, they may fall short in the area of corporate social responsibility. For example, Microsoft Corporation is often identified as a company with an aggressive culture. The company has faced a number of antitrust lawsuits and disputes with competitors over the years. In aggressive companies, people may use language such as "We will kill our competition". In the past, Microsoft executives often made statements such as "We are going to cut off Netscape's air supply.…Everything they are selling, we are going to give away". Its aggressive culture is cited as a reason for getting into new legal troubles before old ones are resolved. Recently, Microsoft founder Bill Gates established the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation and is planning to devote his time to reducing poverty around the world. It will be interesting to see whether he will bring the same competitive approach to the world of philanthropy.