This book investigates the complex challenges and frequent failures associated with attempts to intentionally modify organizational culture. Authors Mats Alvesson and Stefan Sveningsson, both established scholars in management and organizational studies, utilize a critical perspective to examine why top-down cultural change programs often fall short of their stated objectives. They argue that culture is not a static variable that can be easily manipulated by management, but rather a deeply embedded, social phenomenon that resists simplistic intervention strategies.

Experts in the field of organizational studies frequently cite this text for its skeptical and nuanced approach to management fads. Readers often note the academic density of the prose, which provides a rigorous alternative to more prescriptive, practitioner-oriented business literature.