Observable aspects of Corporate Culture Observable aspects of corporate culture include the stories, rites, rituals, and symbols that are shared by organization members. Organizations are rich with stories of winners, losers, successes, and failures. Perhaps one of the most imprint stories concerns the founding of the organization. The founding story often contains the lessons learned from the heroic efforts of an embattled entrepreneur, whose vision today still guide the firm. The story of the founding may be so embellished that it becomes a saga.
Saga is a heroic account of accomplishments.
Sagas are important because they are used to tell new members the real mission of the organization, how the organization operates, and how individuals can fit into the company. Rarely is the founding story totally accurate, and it often glosses over some of the more negative aspects of the founders. For example, Thomas Edison, the founder of General Electric Company, is a well known inventor of the light bulb. Therefore, GE uses Edison's of invention as company's culture it self. GE's foundation is thus based on the innovation.