Organisational Culture

Question 1

What are they key elements of organisational culture?

Answer 1

• Set of norms and values that guide the behaviour within an organisation
• Shared beliefs and values

Question 2

What is the surface manifestations of culture?

Answer 2

• Edgar Scheins 2004 model which views organisational culture in terms of three levels
• First level is the surface manifestation of culture
• Second level is organisational views
• Basic assumptions

Question 3

What is involved in the first level of Edgar Scheins model?

Answer 3

• The physical objects and behavioural patterns that send a message to employees
• e.g furniture,clothing, physical layout and jokes which carry a message for behaviour expected

Question 4

What is involved in the second level of Edgar Scheins model?

Answer 4

• Organisational values such as the accumulated beliefs held about how work situations should be handled
• Often written in mission statements
  e. g Motorolos two values are ‘constant respect for people’ and uncompromising integrity’

Question 5

What is involved in the third level of Edgar Scheins model?

Answer 5

Basic Assumptions - Set of shared but unspoken assumptions about how things should be done which originally come from the founders.

E.g quality,profitabilty, relationship with the environment

Question 6

What stimulated the interest in culture?

Answer 6

• Japans industrial success during the 70s and 80s

- The assumption that organisational performance depended on employee values and company strategy being aligned

Question 7

What is corporate culture?

Answer 7

Refers to the beliefs and behaviours that determine how a companies employees and management interact outside business transactions
- Google is well known for having good corporate culture

Question 8

Characteristics of a strong culture?

Answer 8

• Deeply embedded into the way a business organisation does things
• Less adaptable to change as employees are used to core values

Question 9

Characteristics of a weak culture?

Answer 9

• Core values aren’t clearly defined, communicated or widely accepted
• Unorganised and inconsistent

Question 10

What are the 4 parts that make up Handys model of culture?

Answer 10

Power culture - A few people at the centre of the organisation who make all the decisions
Role culture- Individuals have a clear role in the organisation and know who to report to
Task culture - Individuals identify with the task they are working on
Person culture- Individuals are given there own space and parts of the organisation to make decisions on

Question 11

What was Hofstedes national culture based on?

Answer 11

• His research of employees at IMB where he wanted to see how cultures may differ around the world but in the same organisation

Question 12

What is meant by individualism vs collectivism?

Answer 12

Some societies value the team player and some value the individual

Question 13

Whats is meant by power distance?

Answer 13

Is the society clear ranked or is it more fluid where rank is earned?

Question 14

Whats is meant by short termism vs long termism?

Answer 14

either planning a few years ahead vs decades ahead

Question 15

Whats is meant by masculinity vs femininity?

Answer 15

refers to the decision making style;
Masculine = competitive
Fem= more relationship centred

Question 16

Whats is meant by uncertainty avoidance?

Answer 16

the extent to which individuals are uncomfortable with uncertainty