Chapter 3 Flashcards
Define organisational culture and discuss its three layers.
- Organisational culture represents the shared assumptions that a group holds. It influences employees’ perceptions and behaviour at work.
- The three layers of organisational culture: observable artifacts, espoused values, and basic assumptions.
- Artefacts are the physical manifestations of an organisation’s culture.
- Espoused values represent the explicitly stated values and norms that are preferred by an organisations
- Basic underlying assumptions are unobservable and represent the core of organisational culture.
Discuss the difference between espoused and enacted values.
- Espoused values represent the explicitly stated values and norms that are preferred by an organisation.
- Enacted values reflect values and norms that actually are exhibited or converted into employee behaviour.
Describe the four functions of organisational culture.
- Organisational identity
- Collective commitment
- Social system stability
- Sense-making device
Discuss the four types of organisational culture associated with the competing values framework.
The competing values framework identifies four different types of organisational culture:
- A clan culture has an internal focus and values flexibility rather than stability and control
- An adhocracy culture has an external focus and values flexibility.
- A market culture has a strong external focus and values stability and control
- A hierarchy culture has internal focus and values stability and control over flexibility.
Summarise the conclusions derived from research about the outcomes associated with organisational culture.
- Organisational culture is related to measures of organisational effectiveness.
- Employees are more satisfied and committed to organisations with clan cultures
- An organisation’s financial performance is not very strongly related to organisational culture.
- Innovation and quality can be increased by building characteristics associated with clan, adhocracy, and market cultures into the organisation.
- Culture is not strongly related to financial performance, and companies with market culture tend to have more positive organisational outcomes
What are the four caveats about culture change?
- Managing organisational culture is one of the most important functions of leadership
- The process of culture change begins by targeting one of the three layers of organisational culture
- It is important to consider the extent to which the current culture is aligned with the organisation’s vision and strategic plans before attempting to change any aspect of organisational culture
- It is important to use a structured approach when implementing culture change
Summarise the methods used by organisations to change organisational culture
- Teaching employees about the organisation’s preferred values, beliefs, expectations and behaviours
- This is accomplished by using one or more of the following mechanisms:
1. formal statements of organisational philosophy, mission, vision, values, and materials used for recruiting, selection and socialisation
2. the design of the physical space, work environments and buildings
3. slogans, language, acronyms, sayings
4. deliberate role modeling, training programs, teaching and coaching by managers and supervisors
5. explicit rewards, status symbols, and promotion criteria
6. stories, legends, and myths about key people
7. leader reactions to critical incidents
8. etc.
Describe the three phases in Feldman’s model of organisational socialisation.
- Anticipatory socialisation, encouter, and change and acquisition
- Anticipatory socialisation: begins before an individual actually joins the organisation
- The encouter phase begins when the contract has been signed
- Phase three involves the period in which employees master important tasks and resolve any role conflicts
Discuss the various socialisation tactics used to socialise employees
Six key socialisation tactics:
- Collective vs. individual (grouping of newcomers or individual)
- Formal vs. informal (separating the new comer as being new, vs. not distinguishing new comer from more experienced employees)
- Sequential vs. random (certain steps that HAVE to be followed to get in a certain position; like doctors)
- Fixed vs. variable (timetable)
- Serial vs. disjunctive (serial= socialised by an experienced member)
- Investiture vs. divestiture (divestiture = when you strip someone down from all of their traits they had before they joined the organisation; like with the police)
Each tactic provides organisations with two opposing options for the socialisation process.
Explain the four developmental networks associated with mentoring.
- The four developmental networks are based on integrating the diversity and strength of an individual’s developmental relationships.
- The four are: receptive, traditional, entrepreneurial, and opportunistic.
- Receptive network: weak ties from one social system
- Traditional: having a few strong ties with developers from one social system
- Entrepreneurial network: strong ties among several developers
- Opportunistic: associated with having weak ties from different social systems
What does PE fit mean?
Extent to which personal characteristics match those from a work environment
What is organisational socialisation?
The process by which a person learns the norms, values, and required behaviours which permit him to participate as a member of the organisation
What is onboarding?
Programs aimed at helping employees integrate , assimilate, and transition into the new job
What is the diversity of developmental relationships?
The variety of people in a network used for developmental assistance.
- Two subcomponents:
1. The number of different people the person is networked with
2. The various social systems from which the networked relationships stem (employer, school, family, community, etc.)
