The case of HCSS demonstrates how there are often a number of 'cultures' that co-exist in large organizations and that these interact and influence each other in shaping a more general 'culture' of the organization. We refer to these as subcultures and in this case, as these are also influenced by external professional affiliation of the various groups that constitute HCS, we refer to them as professional subcultures. HCS usefully illustrates how the element of professional culture is central to understanding why certain subculture can sustain themselves in potentially alien cultural environments. At its simplest, professional subcultures are often stronger than other groupings within an organization in the sense of having extra-organizational associations and purrs to aid them in shaping new cultures and codes of conduct, and resisting the imposition of other cultural values and practices, In other words. Professional cultures that reside outside of organizations are central to sustaining professional subcultures within organizations. Thus whilst professional subcultures conflict, coincide and interlock with each other, they each