In many organisations there is a multi-pronged pursuit of the often talked about but rarely seen ‘perfect’ organisational culture. If it can be found, the perfect culture promises unimaginable benefits for employee engagement, performance and productivity. However, the quest seems to have no end, much gold and effort has been spent in the pursuit but the longed for benefits seem just as unattainable. What if our quest is based on a false assumption? It may be time to take a different view.