Abstract

From an insider's viewpoint, the author describes the major steps in the American Telephone and Telegraph Company's attempt to identify, measure, and modify its culture during its recent divestiture, perhaps the richest example of cultural transition of any American company. He examines the process that led up to the divestiture and its impact on one of the largest and most complex corporate cultures in American business. A post-divestiture survey detailing the personal responses of the management and employees at AT&T paints a revealing portrait of adjustment and adaptation to cultural change and transformation.