Chapter 15 - Organizational Culture and Change Flashcards
organizational culture
is the shared social knowledge within an organization regarding the rules common norms, and values that shape the attitudes and behaviors of its employees
cultural components
There are three major components to an organization’s culture:
Observable Artifacts
Espoused Values
Basic Underlying Assumptions
culture components
observable artifacts
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
types of observable artifacts
symbols, physical structures, language, stories, rituals, ceremonies
culture components
espoused values
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
cultural components
basic underlying assumptions
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
culture types
solidarity
is the degree to which group members think and act alike
general culture types
sociability
represents how friendly employees are to one another
fragmented culture
which is is an organizational culture type in which employees are distant and disconnected from one another
mercenary culture
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
network culture
an organizational culture type in which employees are friendly to one another, but everyone thinks differently and does their own thing
communal culture
is an organizational culture type in which employees are friendly to one another and all think alike
organizations have a tendency to move through the culture types as they get larger
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
customer service culture
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
safety culture
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
diversity culture
is a specific culture type focus on fostering or taking advantage of a diverse group of employees
sustainability culture
is a specific culture type focus on promoting sustainability both inside and outside of the organization
creativity culture
specfific culture type focus on fostering a creative atosphere
affects both quantity and quality of creative ideas within an organzation
culture strength
is the degree to which employees agree about how things should happen within the organization and behave accordingly
strong cultures
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
subcultures
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
countercultures
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
maintaining organizational structure
attraction-selection-attrition (ASA)
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
attraction
an open employee may be drawn to an innovative organizational culture (while a conforming employee may not be)
selection
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)
attrition
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)
maintaining an organizational structure
socialization
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
socialization stage 1: anticipatory
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
socialization stage 2: encounter stage
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
socialization stage 3: understanding and adaption
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
resistance
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
resistance stemming from properties of culture itself
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
change intervention
selection
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
change intervention
training
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
change intervention
performance management
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
change intervention
changes in leadership
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
changes intervention
mergers and aquisition
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
person-organization fit
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
effects of person-organization fit on performance and commitment
Person organization fit has a weak positive effect on performance
Person organization fit has a strong positive effect on commitment
realistic job preview
is the process of ensuring that a prospective employee understands both the positive and negative aspects of the job
orientation programs
newcomer orientation
programs are a common form of training during which new hires learn more about the organization
orientation programs
mentoring
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
