CULTURE: THE INTANGIBLE ASSETS the soul of the company is its personality, its culture, the values ​​on which it is based; Derived from a company's core beliefs, this intangible asset determines the effectiveness of strategies and the ability to achieve authenticity. Culture consists of the group's norms of behavior and the underlying shared values ​​that help keep those norms in place (Nelson, 2013). Defining and implementing desired norms of behavior requires wisdom, time, intellectual curiosity, and emotional investment to understand what motivates employees to perform consistently well, even beyond expectations (Kotter, 2012). “Every company and team has its own identity: a soul waiting to be discovered and used to unlock human energy and unleash new economic value” (Lapin, 2012). While one culture doesn't work for every company, successful companies determine the desired culture, design it, implement it, and cultivate it. Leaders need to revisit their mission and answer pertinent questions: Why are we in this industry and why is our company here? What is the higher purpose for which our organization was born? The existence of the company is not a coincidence; it is here to do something that no other organization can do (Lapin, 2012). Every company has a culture (Moberly, 2014). In today's generation, archaic mission statements filled with lofty sounding declarations resonate more like a press release than a passion-filled vision inspired by a higher corporate purpose. Generation Y's needs for altruism require a corporate DNA that promotes group cohesion by aiming for the common good (HBR IdeaCast, 2009). “The culture of a company is a bit like a garden, that is, a culture will develop regardless of whether the business le...... middle of paper ......national-culture/Lapin, D. (2012). Driven by Greatness: How Character Can Fuel Your Success. David Lapin Publisher: Avoda Books. Moberly, M. (2014). Blog about corporate intellectual property and intangible assets. Corporate culture and reputation. Retrieved from http://kpstrat.com/blog/?cat=1052Nelson, D. & Quick, J. (2013). Organizational behavior: Science, the real world, and you. Mason, Ohio Andover: South-Western distributor Cengage Learning. Rao, H., Sutton, R. & Webb, A. (2008). McKinsey & Company. Innovation lessons from Pixar: interview with Oscar-winning director Brad Bird. Retrieved from http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/innovation/innovation_lessons_from_pixar_an_interview_with_oscar-thinking_director_brad_birdReh, F. (2014). Money management. Corporate culture: what it is and how to change it. Retrieved from http://management.about.com/cs/generalmanagement/a/companyculture.htm