There is more than one type of organizational culture in the corporate world. This doesn't mean strong versus weak, although those are certainly two general categories for organizational culture.

While different theorists and different companies even might have differing opinions on the types of organizational cultures out there, there is a general consensus on four different types of organizational culture. Most companies or corporations in their style or plan can fall into one of these four general types.

One type of organizational culture is the "tough-guy culture" or "macho culture." One of the most common aspects of the tough-guy or macho culture is the quick feedback and high rewards. The pace can be break neck at times, but the obvious reward of the action is seen very quickly. From a corporate stand point, this type of organizational culture will be most often associated with really fast financial activities, such as currency trading, and brokerage. This can also apply to organizations such as a police force, or an individual athlete on a sports team. If a receiver catches a touchdown pass, you see the impact right away. This tends to be a stressful type of organizational culture that requires a certain mentality to thrive and succeed.

Another type of organizational culture is the "work hard/play hard" organizational culture. This type of an organizational culture that doesn't take a lot of risks, but it does take a few, and all receive fast feedback. This is something most likely to be see in a very large company which is dependant on strong customer service. This type of organizational culture is often characterized by multiple team meetings, specialized jargon, and buzzwords.

A third type of organizational culture is the "bet your company culture." This is a type of company where huge decisions are made over high stakes endeavors. In this type of culture, the end results of these decisions may not be seen for months or even years. The most common type of company that would have this type of a culture is one that is involved in experimental projects or searches. Two great examples would be like prospecting for new oil fields and designing experimental military weapons.

A fourth type of organizational culture is the "process culture." A process culture is most often fold in organizations where there is actually no feedback. This is rarely a good culture. In this type of a organizational culture people are so obsessed with the process of how things are done that the focus is lost on what the goal is. Process organizational culture is a synonym for bureaucracy. These cultures are overly cautious, obsessed with the letter of the law as opposed to the idea of the law. The only positive argument for this culture is that the consistency of results makes it good for public services.

These are the four types of organizational culture. Most companies will fall into one of these categories. Knowing these organizational types will help in analyzing each company and the organizational culture appropriate for each one.