Organisational Culture

What factors create organisational culture?

• The thoughts and values of new employees.

• The founders hire and keep only the employees who does not think and feel the same way they do.

• The founders do not indoctrinate and socialise these employees to their way of thinking and feeling.

• The founders’ own behaviour acts as a role model that encourages employees to identify with them and thereby internalise their beliefs, values and assumptions

Factors that sustain an organisational culture include:

• Employees: where employees help establish behavioural norms that are adopted by the organisation.

• Indoctrination: this is the process that helps existing employees adapt to the organisation’s culture.

• Socialisation: this is the process that helps existing managers adapt to the organisation’s culture.

• Selection: this is concerned with how well the candidates will fit into the organisation and provides information to candidates about the organisation.

Which statement is not true of national and organisational culture?

• National cultures all differ, and organisational cultures will often reflect national cultures.

• Organisational cultures, while strong, can’t ignore local culture.

• All global firms need to be more culturally sensitive.

• Managers do not need to be aware of national culture when working in global companies.

Culture defines the boundary between one organisation and others. It:

• Conveys a sense of identity for the organisation.

• Conveys a sense of identity for non-members.

• Facilitates the generation of commitment to self-interest only .

• Serves as a sense-making and control mechanism for fitting employees in the organisation.

Dysfunctional effects of organisational culture are:

• Institutionalisation: a condition that occurs when an organisation takes on a life of its own, apart from any of its members, and acquires immortality.

• Barriers to change, when a culture’s values are aligned with the values necessary for rapid change.

• Barriers to diversity, when weak cultures put considerable pressure on employees to conform, which may lead to institutionalised bias.

• Barriers to acquisitions and mergers, when compatible cultures can destroy an otherwise successful merger.

What factors create organisational culture?

• The thoughts and values of new employees.

• The founders hire and keep only the employees who does not think and feel the same way they do.

• The founders do not indoctrinate and socialise these employees to their way of thinking and feeling.

• The founders’ own behaviour acts as a role model that encourages employees to identify with them and thereby internalise their beliefs, values and assumptions

A positive organisational culture is one that:

• Increases barriers to diversity which may lead to institutionalised bias.

• Builds on employee weakness by emphasising and showing workers how they can capitalise on their strengths.

• Rewards more than it punishes by articulating praise and ‘catching employees doing something right'.

• Emphasises group vitality and growth by helping employees learn and grow in their jobs and careers.

Research suggests that managers can have an effect on the ethical behaviour of employees by adhering to which of the following principles:

• Provide protective clothing.

• Post ethical expectations through policies.

• Provide ethical training.

• Visibly reward unethical acts.

What is work spirituality?

• Recognises that people have an inner life that nourishes and is nourished by meaningful work in the context of community.

• Is about organised religious practices.

• Seeks to find meaning and purpose in their work, and desire to connect with work processes and be part of a community.

• Rational people do not need to organisation to support their inner life.

__________________ help turn routine activities into valuable, important actions:

• shared values

• ambiguous descriptions

• sagas/ stories

• culturally shared symbols