How changes in leadership, goals and objectives can impact an organisation’s culture: A case study of a company operating in the SaaS industry

The title of this research paper is ‘How changes in leadership, goals and objectives can impact an organisation’s culture: A case study of a company operating in the SaaS industry’. Despite the vast amount of research and literature available on organisational leadership, change and culture, the author would suggest that there is a gap with regards to individual case studies of Irish organisations operating in the SaaS (Software as a Service) industry. At the time of writing, the chosen company for the case study was going through a rigorous process of organisational change. The company had recently been acquired by a private equity firm and seen copious changes in leadership at C-level and middle management. These factors made it an ideal candidate to develop a case study for this research paper. The purpose of this paper is to address the role of leadership in cultivating organisational culture during periods of change and to measure the impact organisational culture has on members during periods of organisational change. The paper uses the ‘cultural web’ (Johnson et al, 1998) as an academic framework to develop an overall image of the organisational culture. The framework analyses and draws links between the political, symbolic and structural aspects of an organisation. The author then conducted interviews using questions based on the six elements of the ‘cultural web’. This allowed the author to construct an overall image of the existing culture within the organisation. The findings have highlighted the importance of leadership in cultivating a healthy organisational culture. It also showed the vital role strong leadership plays during periods of organisational change. The culture within an organisation dictates the norms and behaviours of members. Therefore if leadership implements change it is crucial that the existing culture encourages members to facilitate and embrace change. The findings also highlight and discuss the importance of C-level management when implementing change