Handy’s cultural types

Handy’s cultural typology describes power, role, task and person cultures. Power culture centres influence on key individuals; role culture emphasises formal positions, rules and procedures; task culture brings expertise together to complete work or projects; person culture gives priority to the autonomy and interests of individual members. The categories are analytical patterns, and organisations can contain mixtures or different subcultures. The framework helps explain how influence and coordination operate, rather than proving that one culture is always best.