of identity and solidarity beyond existing efforts at 'teambuilding'. Clearly, the resentment created by exclusivity is inconsistent with efforts to foster 'shared values'. Research into organizational totemism as an integrative mechanism or a way of reproducing culture should eschew the unitarist approaches found in related areas such as commitment and culture.The sacred-profane dichotomy suggests the need to explore further the existence of religious or spiritual aspects in organizational reality. Likening visits to IPI to 'going on a pilgrimage' and the suggestion of having attained 'special knowledge' akin to 'spiritual enlightenment' suggests that there is further scope to explore the effect of religious images and metaphors on organizational action. This will hopefully lead to a more incisive analysis of the political and ideological underpinnings of managerial attempts to cultivate symbolism and spirituality. The Weberian historical--sociological tradition is instructive in this regard (e.g. Weber 1930). In closing, we note that, ultimately, MTD and the transmission of culture serve not merely to create and disseminate international expertise and corporate culture, but also to affirm and reaffirm ideologically-loaded organizational values and to legitimize the power structures that have institutionalized the creation of a privileged cadre of high-achievers.Ken KamocheKen Kamoche is an Associate Professor at City University of Hong Kong. He received his D.Phil. from Oxford University. His research interests include strategic and international HRM, management in developing nations and organizational improvization. His work has been published in journals such as the Journal of Management Studies, Human Relations, International Business Review, International Journal of Human Resource Management and International Journal of Management Reviews. His book Sociological Paradigms and Organizational Analysis will be published by Ashgate in...
