2.5 Organizational (corporate) culture

Question 1

Organizational culture

Answer 1

the achievements, arts, attitudes, customs, norms, and values of a particular organization

Question 2

Charles Handy

Answer 2

1. power culture
2. role culture
3. task culture
4. personal culture

Question 3

Power culture

Answer 3

individuals retain essential power in an organization, few rules and procedures, decision making is swift
centralised, quick decisions, risk-taking

Question 4

Role culture

Answer 4

employees have clearly defined roles operating in a highly controlled and precise organizational structure, usually hierarchical bureaucracies, risk avoidance

Question 5

Task culture

Answer 5

focused on specific poblems, power shifts from person to person as different people are suited to different tasks or issues, matrix structure, project-based work

Question 6

Person culture

Answer 6

individuals believe themselves to be superior to the organization, difficult to manage, people “go” to work, expertise, laissez-faire

Question 7

Edgar schein

Answer 7

1. organizational attributes
2. professional culture
3. organizational assumptions

Question 8

Organizational attributes (artefacts)

Answer 8

superficial aspects, easily seen but hard to understand. history, facilities, buildings, dress code, how people interact

Question 9

Professed culture (norms and values)

Answer 9

principles that the company expects the staff to be committed to. mission, brand, slogans

Question 10

Organizational (underlying) assumptions

Answer 10

whats taken for the granted, how things really work, invisible beliefs demonstrated through behaviour, what drives the company

Question 11

Cultural clashes

Answer 11

two different cultures coming into a conflict, when an organization has to work with another one
reasons:
1. different comfort levels with diversity
2. different degrees of formality
3. different languages
4. different leadership styles
5. different orientations to tasks/people
6. different practices
7. different senses of time

Question 12

Consequences of cultural clashes

Answer 12

early:
1. lack of focus
2. preoccupation with the merger
3. sense of division
4. sense of isolation
5. unresponsive management
late:
6. lower productivity
7. higher labout turnover
8. conflicts in workplace
9. decreased profitability
10. bankruptcy or failure

Question 13

Organization culture and individuals

Answer 13

the business’ energy can be “felt”, high priority, individuals can influence organizational culture