Chapter 15 - Organizational Culture and Change

Question 1

organizational culture

Answer 1

is the shared social knowledge within an organization regarding the rules common norms, and values that shape the attitudes and behaviors of its employees

Question 2

cultural components

Answer 2

There are three major components to an organization’s culture:
Observable Artifacts
Espoused Values
Basic Underlying Assumptions

Question 3

culture components

observable artifacts

Answer 3

are the aspects of an organization’s culture that employees and Outsiders can easily see or talk about
They supply the signals that employees interpret to gauge how they should act during the workday

Question 4

types of observable artifacts

Answer 4

symbols, physical structures, language, stories, rituals, ceremonies

Question 5

culture components

espoused values

Answer 5

are the beliefs, philosophies, and norms that a company explicitly states
Espoused values can range from published documents, such as a company’s Vision or mission statement on its website or annual report, to verbal statements made to employees by Executives and managers

Question 6

cultural components

basic underlying assumptions

Answer 6

are taken for granted beliefs and philosophies that are so ingrained that employees simply act on them rather than questioning the validity of their behavior in a given situation
They are also the aspects of an organizational culture that are most long-lasting and difficult to change

Question 7

culture types

solidarity

Answer 7

is the degree to which group members think and act alike

Question 8

general culture types

sociability

Answer 8

represents how friendly employees are to one another

Question 9

fragmented culture

Answer 9

which is is an organizational culture type in which employees are distant and disconnected from one another

Question 10

mercenary culture

Answer 10

is an organization which employs think alike but aren’t friendly to one another
These types of organizations are likely to be very political, “What’s in it for me” environments

Question 11

network culture

Answer 11

an organizational culture type in which employees are friendly to one another, but everyone thinks differently and does their own thing

Question 12

communal culture

Answer 12

is an organizational culture type in which employees are friendly to one another and all think alike

Question 13

organizations have a tendency to move through the culture types as they get larger

Answer 13

Small ones generally start out as communal cultures oriented around the owner and founder and as companies grow, they might move toward a networked culture because solidity is harder to foster when groups get really large

Question 14

customer service culture

Answer 14

focused on service quality
Organizations that have successfully created a service culture have been shown to change employee attitudes and behaviors toward customers
The figure below illustrates the process of creating a service culture and the effects it has on company results

Question 15

safety culture

Answer 15

is a specific culture type focused on the safety of employees
The payoff for these organizations is often an increased level of safety related awareness and behaviors and lower numbers of accidents

Question 16

diversity culture

Answer 16

is a specific culture type focus on fostering or taking advantage of a diverse group of employees

Question 17

sustainability culture

Answer 17

is a specific culture type focus on promoting sustainability both inside and outside of the organization

Question 18

creativity culture

Answer 18

specfific culture type focus on fostering a creative atosphere
affects both quantity and quality of creative ideas within an organzation

Question 19

culture strength

Answer 19

is the degree to which employees agree about how things should happen within the organization and behave accordingly

Question 20

strong cultures

Answer 20

take a long time to develop in are very difficult to change
individuals working within strong cultures are typically very aware of it however, this discussion brings us to an important point: “strong” cultures are not always “good” ones

Question 21

subcultures

Answer 21

that unite a smaller subset of the organization’s employees
These subgroups may be created because there is a strong leader in one area of the company that engenders different norms and values, or because different divisions in a company act independently and create their own cultures

Question 22

countercultures

Answer 22

are subcultures whose values do not match those of the organization
Although countercultures can sometimes serve as a useful purpose By challenging the values of the organization or signifying the need to change and extreme cases they can split the organization’s culture right down the middle resulting in a differential culture

Question 23

maintaining organizational structure

attraction-selection-attrition (ASA)

Answer 23

framework is a theory that states that employees will be drawn to organizations with cultures that match their personality, organizations will select employees on match, and employees will leave or be forced out when they are not a good fit

Question 24

attraction

Answer 24

an open employee may be drawn to an innovative organizational culture (while a conforming employee may not be)

Question 25

selection

Answer 25

an open employee may answer interview questions according to what the company is looking for and may be hired for a job (while a conforming employee may not be)

Question 26

attrition

Answer 26

conforming employees who are attracted to and selected by the organization may not like their jobs or may not be good at their jobs (and voluntary or involuntary turnover may occur)
(Might not be what I’m looking for)

Question 27

maintaining an organizational structure

socialization

Answer 27

is the primary process by which employees learn the social knowledge that enables them to understand and adapt to the organization’s culture
It’s a process that begins before an employee starts work and doesn’t end until the employee leaves the organization

Question 28

socialization stage 1: anticipatory

Answer 28

stage of socialization that begins as soon as a potential employee develops an image of what it would be like to work for a company
This stage happens prior to an employee spending even one second on the job

Question 29

socialization stage 2: encounter stage

Answer 29

stage of socialization beginning the day and employee starts work, during which the employee compares the information as an outsider to the information learned as an Insider

Reality shock is a mismatch of information that occurs when an employee finds the aspects of working at a company are not what they expected them to be

Question 30

socialization stage 3: understanding and adaption

Answer 30

is the final stage of socialization, during which newcomers come to learn the content areas of socialization and internalize the norms and expected behaviors of the organization

Question 31

resistance

Answer 31

is the deliberate act of opposing or withstanding change
Change almost introduces some level of uncertainty and, in some cases, feelings of anxiety and stress

resistance can be expressed through job performance, such as reduced task performance, lower levels of organizational citizenship behavior, elevated counterproductive behavior and withdrawal behaviour

Question 32

resistance stemming from properties of culture itself

Answer 32

People, especially in the presence of a strong culture, naturally feel pressure to conform to the rules common norms, and values that shape attitudes and behavior
Pressure to conform is strengthen by the fact that deviance from well-established social norms is often not tolerated well by other members, and can entail unwanted outcomes
To increase employees acceptances of and Readiness for change the best advice for leaders considering changes to involve members in the planning process, actively encourage participation, answer questions, explain why change is important for the organization

Question 33

change intervention

selection

Answer 33

is the process of choosing one or more new employees from a pool of applicants in the basis of job related criteria
Using selection as a mechanism to change culture requires that managers consider job skills and the extent to which employees exhibit the values, attitudes, and behaviors that fit the target culture

Question 34

change intervention

training

Answer 34

is an activity aimed at helping employees and managers acquire new knowledge, skills, and competencies needed to support a desired culture, and is often part of a company’s overall socialization effort
In fact, training and development has a long history as a change intervention that can be directed at individuals, groups, or the organization as a whole

Question 35

change intervention

performance management

Answer 35

t is the deliberate process of measuring and motivating job behaviors
Setting goals combined with feedback and managing reinforcement contingencies are potent ways of shaping, motivating, and strengthening not only job specific behaviors but also job General behaviors that everyone regardless of their specific job needs to exhibit to support culture change

Question 36

change intervention

changes in leadership

Answer 36

There’s perhaps no bigger potential driver of culture than the leaders and the top Executives of an organization
Just as the founders and Originators of organizations set the tone and develop the culture of a new company, subsequent CEOs and presents leave their mark on the culture

Question 37

changes intervention

mergers and aquisition

Answer 37

Merging two companies with distinct cultures is a surefire way to change the culture in an organization
Ideally, a new culture would be created as a compromise in which the best of both companies is represented it

Question 38

person-organization fit

Answer 38

is the degree to which a person’s personality and values match the culture of an organization
Employees judge fit by thinking about the values I prioritize the most, when judging whether the organization shares those values

Question 39

effects of person-organization fit on performance and commitment

Answer 39

Person organization fit has a weak positive effect on performance
Person organization fit has a strong positive effect on commitment

Question 40

realistic job preview

Answer 40

is the process of ensuring that a prospective employee understands both the positive and negative aspects of the job

Question 41

orientation programs

newcomer orientation

Answer 41

programs are a common form of training during which new hires learn more about the organization

Question 42

orientation programs

mentoring

Answer 42

is the process by which a junior level employee develops a deep and long-lasting relationship with a more senior level employee within the organization