Organisational culture Flashcards
Culture influences
The cultural mix within an organisation depends on: History and ownership Size and structure Mission Business environment Management systems and style People: experiences of the members
Importance of culture
Influences every aspect of the organisation, including performance and the development of corporate strategy
Can affect motivation, morale and goodwill
Can determine how employees and other stakeholders will respond to change
Models of organisational culture
Power culture: Typically dominated by an entrepreneur founder Central source of power Trust/fear Empathy Personal conversation Selection of key individuals Judgment by results - competition
Role culture (bureaucracy): Typically large organisation not subjects to environmental change Logic and rationality Functional/specialist activities Defined roles Regulated communications Rules, procedures Coordination by management core
Task culture:
Tends to be found in medium and large organisations
Organisation is job or project oriented
Aim is to bring together teams with correct functional skills
Teams will change on completion of project
Person culture: Personality and charisma Individual is central point Structure less relevant to personality Leader/follower
Define and explain the different parts of The cultural web
The cultural web is a paradigm that highlights the key points of reference from the internal environment that combine to influence the formation of an organisational culture.
The paradigm: example serving as a model.
Stories: the recounting and telling of stories as anecdotes about previous attitudes, beliefs, values, routines, activities, individual characters, and performance acts as an important means of communication that links historical events to the formation of a dominant culture.
Symbols: act as a reference point to denote authority, rank, control, activities and duties, company and product logos, jargon and other linguistic or terminology characteristics that are commonly used in the organisation or industry.
Power structure: formal organisations invariably distribute power to chosen individuals or groups and this is another key factor in determining the formation of the dominant culture.
Organisational structure: formal organisations have formal structures that demarcate lines of authority, span of control. levels of power, types of activities and roles, and communication channels.
Control and reward systems: power distribution is one means of control system within an organisation. Others exist too, including the rewards of performance, means of measuring performance, work schedules, duty rosters, quality assurance methods, reporting systems, and accounting and financial control.
Rituals and routines: control systems are inextricably linked to rituals and routines evident within an organisation. Some are formal in character and are carried out by workers as a matter of course during their normal working duties.
Formation of organisational culture
Shared values and beliefs: refer to consensual, enduring and implicit assumptions held by groups within an organisation that influence behaviour and ways of doing things within the environment.
Norms: values and beliefs manifest themselves in many different ways but will merge around the formation of norms of behaviour and conduct.
Individual and group behaviour: the norms of behaviour inform and link into both individual and group behaviour.
Reinforcing outcomes: various reinforcing outcomes ensure that the dominant culture is maintained.
- Dominant culture: a culture that reflects the core values and beliefs that are shared by the majority of organisations workers.
Socialisation: the process of persuading individuals to behave in ways that are acceptable to a group or society
Features of organisational culture
Some aspects of culture are explicit (e.g. mission and policy statements, company rules)
Other aspects are implied in behaviour
Cultures differ between and within organisations
Cultures can be strong or weak
What does organisational culture consists of?
Consists of the (dominant) values, beliefs, opinions, attitudes and norms of the stakeholders of the organisation towards its operation - i.e. towards the way which:
- work should be organised
- authority exercised
- people rewarded
- people controlled
Define Organisational culture
The pattern of basic assumptions that a given group has invented, discovered or developed in learning to cope with its problems of external adaptation and internal integration, and that have worked well enough to be considered valid and therefore taught to new members as the correct way to perceive think and feel in relation to those problems.
