The use of the term culture, in the context of health care organizations, has become commonplace in a wide range of literature, however, the exact meaning intended when this word is used is not always clear. This paper questions the current widespread recourse to the concept of organizational culture as a way of explaining all ‘soft’ organizational issues and suggests a greater degree of clarity is necessary if the concept is to retain its explanatory utility. Using three components of the concept as an organizing framework to guide the analysis, its application to health care organizations, and nursing in particular, is examined. This demonstrates how the concept can be effectively utilized without losing an appreciation of its inherent complexity. The dimensions of the concept identified for this purpose are: instrumental; cognitive; and interpretive. It is argued that, when clearly defined and appropriately applied, culture can be a useful concept for nurse managers in that it increases understanding of, and thereby contributes to, the effective management of complex health care organizati