The cultural web (Gerry Johnson, 1992, popularised by Johnson and Scholes) describes an organisation's culture through six linked elements: stories, rituals and routines, symbols, power structures, organisational structures and control systems. Together they reinforce the paradigm, the taken-for-granted assumptions at the centre.
The six elements and the paradigm
| Element | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Stories | What people tell newcomers and outsiders: heroes, villains, past successes and failures |
| Rituals and routines | The way things are done day to day; meetings, training, celebrations |
| Symbols | Logos, offices, job titles, company cars, dress, language |
| Power structures | Who really has influence, which may differ from the organisation chart |
| Organisational structures | Formal hierarchy and reporting lines; flat or tall, centralised or not |
| Control systems | What is measured and rewarded; budgets, KPIs, bonuses |
| Paradigm (centre) | The core assumptions: 'what this organisation is really about' |
ACCA's SBL technical article uses similar labels: symbols and titles, power relations, organisational structure, control systems, rituals and routines, myths and stories, and the organisational paradigm (ACCA: culture and configuration).
How to use the cultural web, step by step
- Map the current culture: describe each element from case evidence.
- Identify the paradigm: what assumptions tie the elements together?
- Map the culture the new strategy needs: draw a second web for the future.
- Find the gaps: which elements must change, and which will resist most?
- Plan the change: new symbols, routines, measures and stories, led with Kotter or Lewin.
Worked example
For Historic Places (March 2025 pre-seen): stories celebrate 120 years of conservation; rituals centre on site visits and committees; symbols include historic buildings and volunteer badges; power sits with trustees and long-serving site managers; structure is two-tier and committee-based; controls focus on conservation standards and compliance. The paradigm: "we preserve the past". A digital strategy needs a paradigm of "we make history accessible to everyone", with new stories (digital success), routines (online engagement metrics) and controls (digital income targets).
Cultural web vs McKinsey 7S
The cultural web looks deeply at culture. The McKinsey 7S looks at alignment across the whole organisation, with culture as "shared values". Use the cultural web when the case problem is cultural resistance; use 7S when it is broader misalignment. Both help explain strategic drift.
Advantages and limitations
Advantages
- Makes an abstract idea, culture, concrete
- Shows why strategies fail at implementation
- Compares current and required culture clearly
Limitations
- Subjective; depends on who is describing the culture
- Large organisations have several subcultures
- Describes culture but does not say how to change it
FAQs
What is the cultural web?
A model by Gerry Johnson (1992), popularised in Johnson and Scholes' Exploring Corporate Strategy, that describes an organisation's culture through six linked elements around a central paradigm.
What are the six elements of the cultural web?
Stories, rituals and routines, symbols, power structures, organisational structures and control systems.
What is the paradigm in the cultural web?
The set of taken-for-granted assumptions about the organisation and how it works. The six elements both express and reinforce it.
How is the cultural web used in ACCA SBL?
To analyse an organisation's current culture, compare it with the culture a new strategy needs, and identify what must change. ACCA's SBL technical article on culture and configuration covers it.