Chapter 16 Organizational Culture

Question 1

Define organizational culture （組織文化）

List seven primary characteristics of organizational culture

Answer 1

A system of shared meaning held by members that distinguishes the organization from other organizations.

経営されている組織において、構成員の間で共有されている行動原理や思考様式などのことを言う。

Seven primary characteristics seem to capture the essence of an organization’s culture:

IAOPTASイアオプタスw

1. Innovation and risk taking. The degree to which employees are encouraged to be innovative and take risks.
2. Attention to detail. The degree to which employees are expected to exhibit precision, analysis, and attention to detail.
3. Outcome orientation. The degree to which management focuses on results or outcomes rather than on the techniques and processes used to achieve them.
4. People orientation. The degree to which management decisions take into consideration the effect of outcomes on people within the organization.
5. Team orientation. The degree to which work activities are organized around teams rather than individuals.
6. Aggressiveness. The degree to which people are aggressive and competitive rather than easygoing.
7. Stability. The degree to which organizational activities emphasize maintaining the status quo(現状） in contrast to growth.

Question 2

Define dominant culture, core values, and subcultures

Answer 2

dominant culture A culture that expresses the core values that are shared by a majority of the organization’s members.

core values The primary or dominant values that are accepted throughout the organization.

subcultures Minicultures within an organization, typically defined by department designations and geographical separation.

If organizations were composed only of numerous subcultures, organizational culture as an independent variable would be significantly less powerful. It is the “shared meaning” aspect of culture that makes it such a potent device for guiding and shaping behavior.

Question 3

Strong versus Weak Cultures

Answer 3

If most employees (responding to management surveys) have the same opinions about the organization’s mission and values, the culture is strong; if opinions vary widely, the culture is weak.

A strong culture should reduce employee turnover because it demonstrates high agreement about what the organization represents. Such unanimity of purpose builds cohesiveness, loyalty, and organizational commitment. These qualities, in turn, lessen employees’ propensity to leave.

Question 4

Culture’s function

Answer 4

First, culture has a boundary-defining role: it creates distinctions between one organization and others.組織に個性を生み出す

Second, it conveys a sense of identity for organization members. 社員がIdentityを得る

Third, culture facilitates commitment to something larger than individual self-interest.

Fourth, it enhances the stability of the social system. Culture is the social glue that helps hold the organization together by providing standards for what employees should say and do.

Finally, it is a sense-making and control mechanism that guides and shapes employees’ attitudes and behavior. This last function is of particular interest to us. Culture defines the rules of the game.

Question 5

Define organizational climate. How does culture creates climate?

Answer 5

organizational climate The shared perceptions organizational members have about their organization and work environment.

やる気のある人/ない人に感化されたり

Question 6

Define institutionalization

Answer 6

A condition that occurs when an organization takes on a life of its own, apart from any of its members, and acquires immortality.制度化

マクドが一生ファストフードという固定観念が付くような事。

Question 7

Socialization process

Identify the three stages

Answer 7

prearrival stage The period of learning in the socialization process that occurs before a new employee joins the organization.

encounter stage The stage in the socialization process in which a new employee sees what the organization is really like and confronts the possibility that expectations and reality may diverge.

metamorphosis stage The stage in the socialization process in which a new employee changes and adjusts to the job, work group, and organization.

Question 8

4 Show how culture is transmitted to employees.

The 4 most major ways culture is transmitted to employees.

Answer 8

Culture is transmitted to employees in a number of forms, the most potent being stories, rituals, material symbols, and language.

rituals Repetitive sequences of activities that express and reinforce the key values of the organization, which goals are most important, which people are important, and which are expendable.

material symbols What conveys to employees who is important, the degree of egalitarianism平等主義 top management desires, and the kinds of behavior that are appropriate.

Question 9

5 Demonstrate how an ethical culture can be created.

Answer 9

● Be a visible role model. Employees will look to the actions of top management as a benchmark for appropriate behavior. Send a positive message.
● Communicate ethical expectations. Minimize ethical ambiguities by sharing an organizational code of ethics that states the organization’s primary values and ethical rules employees must follow.
● Provide ethical training. Set up seminars, workshops, and training programs to reinforce the organization’s standards of conduct, clarify what practices are permissible, and address potential ethical dilemmas.
● Visibly reward ethical acts and punish unethical ones. Appraise managers on how their decisions measure up against the organization’s code of ethics. Review the means as well as the ends. Visibly reward those who act ethically and conspicuously punish those who don’t.
● Provide protective mechanisms. Provide formal mechanisms so employees can discuss ethical dilemmas and report unethical behavior without fear of reprimand. These might include ethical counselors, ombudsmen, or ethical officers.

Question 10

6 Describe a positive organizational culture.

Answer 10

positive organizational culture A culture that emphasizes building on employee strengths, rewards more than punishes, and emphasizes individual vitality and growth.

Question 11

What Is Spirituality?

Answer 11

信仰

Workplace spirituality recognizes that people have an inner life that nourishes and is nourished by meaningful work in the context of community. Organizations that promote a spiritual culture recognize that people seek to find meaning and purpose in their work and desire to connect with other human beings as part of a community.

Question 12

7 Identify characteristics of a spiritual culture.

What really is workplace spirituality? Is it just a new management buzzword? Second, are spiritual organizations legitimate? Specifically, do organizations have the right to impose spiritual values on their employees? Third is the question of economics: are spirituality and profits compatible?

Answer 12

First, as you might imagine, there is comparatively little research on workplace spirituality. We don’t know whether the concept will have staying power. Do the cultural characteristics we just identified really separate spiritual organizations? Spirituality has been defined so broadly in some sources that practices from job rotation to corporate retreats at meditation centers have been identified as spiritual. Questions need to be answered before the concept gains full credibility.

On the second point, an emphasis on spirituality can clearly make some employees uneasy. Critics have argued that secular institutions, especially business firms, have no business imposing spiritual values on employees.65 This criticism is undoubtedly valid when spirituality is defined as bringing religion and God into the workplace. However, it seems less stinging when the goal is limited to helping employees find meaning and purpose in their work lives. If the concerns listed in Exhibit 16-5 truly characterize a large segment of the workforce, then perhaps organizations can do so.

Finally, whether spirituality and profits are compatible objectives is certainly relevant for managers and investors in business. The evidence, although limited, indicates they are. Organizations that provided their employees with opportunities for spiritual development have outperformed those that didn’t.66 Other studies a report that spirituality in organizations was positively related to creativity, employee satisfaction, job involvement, and organizational commitment.67

Question 13

8 Show how national culture may affect the way organizational culture is transported to a different country.

Answer 13

One of the primary things U.S. managers can do is to be culturally sensitive. The United States is a dominant force in business and in culture—and with that influence comes a reputation. “We are broadly seen throughout the world as arrogant people, totally self-absorbed and loud,” says one U.S. executive. Companies such as American Airlines, Lowe’s, Novell, ExxonMobil, and Microsoft have implemented training programs to sensitize their managers to cultural differences. Some ways in which U.S. managers can be culturally sensitive include talking in a low tone of voice, speaking slowly, listening more, and avoiding discussions of religion and politics.

Question 14

1) Manuel is a manager for a manufacturing company in which managers are expected to fully document all decisions, and it is important to provide detailed data to support any recommendations. Also, out-of-the-box thinking is dissuaded. Which characteristic of organizational culture describes this aspect of Manuel’s job?
a) low team orientation
b) high aggressiveness
c) low risk taking
d) low outcome orientation
e) high people orientation

Answer 14

C

Question 15

4) Culture is most likely to be a liability when ________.
a) the employees of the organization are highly skilled
b) the organization’s environment is dynamic
c) the organization’s management is highly efficient
d) the organization is highly centralized
e) the organization scores low on the degree of formalization
Answer:

Answer 15

B

Question 16

5) Top management has a major impact on the organization’s culture by ________.
a) establishing norms that filter down through the organization
b) ensuring a proper match of personal and organizational values
c) socializing new applicants in the pre-hiring phase
d) providing a framework for metamorphosis of new hires
e) properly rewarding employees’ initiatives
Answer:

Answer 16

A

Question 17

7) When you start to accept the differences between your expectations and the reality of the organization, you move into the ________ stage of socialization.
a) prearrival
b) post-arrival
c) acceptance
d) metamorphosis
e) post-encounter
Answer:

Answer 17

D

Question 18

9) Larry has an employee who is amazing at clearly seeing rules and enforcing them. He has recently promoted her to the lead position in quality assurance. Which method of creating a positive organizational culture is Larry utilizing?
a) rewarding more than punishing
b) building on organization strengths
c) using standardized practices
d) building on employee strengths
e) transmitting organizational culture through rituals
Answer:

Answer 18

A

Question 19

Two banks h ave just merged, and Stepehn is in charge of combining the back-office functions. Stephen knows he must take a new approach in his leadership role. From the choices below, select the ways Stephen can redesign his leadership approach. Chose all that apply.

Initiative should be encouraged
Don't take risks
Put more people in management positions
Put your focus on short-term objectives
Clear priorities need to be established

Answer 19

Initiative should be encouraged
Put your focus on short-term objectives
Clear priorities need to be established