Your Corporate
Culture's ‘ ‘ Artifacts’
What Would Indiana Jones Say?
36
by Dennis Snow
A
Archaeologists live for artifacts. As they unearth fragments
of the past – a shred of fabric, a silver pot, a crumbling wall, an
ancient writing – they slowly begin, piece by piece, to build their
understanding of a culture long gone.
These artifacts are keys to the past. Without them, we know
little – or nothing at all – of the people who preceded us. With arti-
facts, however, we come to understand the beliefs, values, customs
and behaviors of these people. In short, we come to understand
their culture.