Culture and image in international strategy: engineering myth and metal-bashing

‘Metal-bashing’ is a derogatory term, implaying unsophisticated engineering. Few modem engineering firms covet a metal-bashing image and probably none would encourage a metal-bashing culture. However, changing an image and expunging a culture present problems for the organization when both are reinforced by beliefs that transcend organizational boundaries. Engineering itself has a metal-bashing image—part of an engineering myth which also includes characteristics which the modern engineering firm would wish to ratain. This paper is concerned with the images of two large engineering firms. In both cases, the firm's image had reflection of the firm's businesses and in neither case was the image deliberately cultivated. However, in one case, senior mangement deemed the metal-bashng image to be so incompatible with global aspiration: that it was deliberately expunged. In the other firm, the same image was seen as less damaging to international aspirations and no specific efforts were made to change it. This p...