Citation (IEEE): E. H. Schein, “Uncovering the Levels of Culture,” in Organizational Culture and Leadership, 2nd ed. San Francisco, CA, USA: Jossey-Bass, 1997, pp. 16–27.
What it argues
Schein defines culture as the pattern of shared basic assumptions a group learns while solving problems of external adaptation and internal integration, which it then teaches to newcomers. He argues that much confusion about culture comes from failing to distinguish its levels: visible artifacts, espoused values and beliefs, and the unconscious basic assumptions that are the real source of behavior. Deciphering a culture means reaching the deepest level.