Org Culture

ORGANIZATIONAL
CULTURE
ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE
• A common perception held by the organization’s
members; a system of shared meaning
• Seven primary characteristics

1. Innovation and risk taking
2. Attention to detail
3. Outcome orientation
4. People orientation
5. Team orientation
6. Aggressiveness
7. Stability
DO ORGANIZATIONS HAVE
UNIFORM CULTURES
Culture is a descriptive term: it may act as a substitute for
formalization
• Dominant Culture
• Expresses the core values that are shared by a majority
of the organization’s members
• Subcultures
• Mini cultures within an organization, typically defined by
department designations and geographical separation
WHAT DO CULTURES DO
• Culture’s Functions
1. Defines the boundary between one
organization and others
2. Conveys a sense of identity for its
members
3. Facilitates the generation of commitment
to something larger than self-interest
4. Enhances the stability of the social
system
5. Serves as a sense-making and control
mechanism for fitting employees in the
organization
HOW CULTURE BEGINS
Stems from the actions of the founders:
• Founders hire and keep only employees who think and
feel the same way they do
• Founders socialize these employees to their way of thinking
and feeling
• The founders’ own behavior acts as a role model that
encourages employees to identify with them and thereby
internalize their beliefs, values, and assumptions
SUMMARY: HOW ORGANIZATIONAL
CULTURES FORM
• Organizational cultures are derived from the founder

• They are sustained through the selection process, managerial
action, and socialization methods
KEEPING A CULTURE ALIVE
Three forces play a particularly important role in sustaining a
culture:
• Selection
• Identify and select individuals who are high performers
and whose values are consistent with at least a good
portion of the organization’s values
• Top Management
• Through words and behaviors, senior executives establish
norms that filter through the organization
• Socialization
• The process that helps new employees adapt to the
prevailing organizational culture
STAGES IN THE
SOCIALIZATION PROCESS
• Pre-arrival
• The period of learning prior to a new employee joining the
organization
• Encounter
• The stage at which the new employee sees what the
organization is really like and confronts the possibility that
expectations and reality may diverge
• Metamorphosis
• The stage at which the new employee changes and adjusts to
the work, work group, and organization
HOW EMPLOYEES LEARN CULTURE
• Stories
• Anchor the present into the past and provide explanations
and legitimacy for current practices
• Rituals
• Repetitive sequences of activities that express and
reinforce the key values of the organization
• Material Symbols
• Acceptable attire, office size, luxury of the office
furnishings, and executive perks that convey to employees
who are important in the organization
• Language
• Jargon and special ways of expressing one’s self to
indicate membership in the organization
CREATING AN ETHICAL
• Managerial Practices Promoting an Ethical Culture
• Being a visible role model

• Communicating ethical expectations
• Providing ethical training
• Visibly rewarding ethical acts and punishing unethical ones
• Providing protective mechanisms
CREATING A POSITIVE
Positive Organizational Culture
• A culture that:
• Builds on employee strengths
• Focus is on discovering, sharing, and building on the
strengths of individual employees
• Rewards more than it punishes
• Articulating praise and “catching employees doing
something right”
• Emphasizes individual strength and growth
• Helping employees learn and grow in their jobs and
careers
• Limits of Positive Culture:
• May not work for all organizations or everyone within them
SUMMARY AND MANAGERIAL
IMPLICATIONS
• Strong cultures are difficult for managers to change
• Strong cultures tend to be stable over time
• Selecting new hires that fit well in the organizational culture is

critical for motivation, job satisfaction, commitment, and a low
turnover
• Socialization into the corporate culture is important
• As a manager, your actions as a role model help create the

cultural values of ethics, spirituality, and a positive culture

Org Culture

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Org Culture

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Org Culture

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

ORGANIZATIONAL

• Seven primary characteristics

• Organizational cultures are derived from the founder

• Managerial Practices Promoting an Ethical Culture

• Being a visible role model

• Selecting new hires that fit well in the organizational culture is

• Socialization into the corporate culture is important

• As a manager, your actions as a role model help create the

You might also like