Abstract

In a cross-sectional study of companies in the area surrounding the World Trade Center, a defensive organizational culture was associated with worker reports of high-strain jobs and a 34% higher likelihood of reporting a cough 2-years post 9/11. The authors do not offer a plausible explanation for how cultural processes within an organization might produce physical health symptoms in their members. Despite the interesting questions being considered by these researchers, the study itself is not adequately designed to answer their questions.