Organizational Culture and Change

Question 1

Organizational culture:

Answer 1

The shared social knowledge within an organization regarding the rules, norms, and values that shape the attitudes and behaviours of its employees.

Question 2

what are the 3 cultural components

Answer 2

Observable artifacts

Espoused values

Basic underlying assumptions

Question 3

what are the 6 observable artifacts?

Answer 3

symbols
physical structure 
ceremonies
rituals
language 
stories

Question 4

Symbols: (observable artifacts)

Answer 4

The images that organizations use that convey messages

• Apple’s logo
• Nike swoosh

Question 5

Physical structures: (observable artifacts)

Answer 5

The organization’s building and internal office designs

- Open concept vs closed concept office spaces.

Question 6

Language: (observable artifacts)

Answer 6

Jargon, slang, and slogans used within an organization

Question 7

Language: (observable artifacts)

Answer 7

Jargon, slang, and slogans used within an organization

Question 8

Stories: (observable artifacts)

Answer 8

Anecdotes, legends, and myths passed down within an organization.
- The story of Walt Disney walking around Disneyland to observe his guests.

Question 9

Rituals: (observable artifacts)

Answer 9

Daily or weekly planned routines that occurs in an organization
- Purple Fridays at western

Question 10

Ceremonies: (observable artifacts)

Answer 10

Formal events, generally, performed in front of an audience of organizational members.
- Organization wide ceremony for a vehicle launch at an automotive manufacturer.

Question 11

Espoused values:

Answer 11

The beliefs, philosophies, and norms that a company explicitly states
- Ex. a company values integrity and respect.
There is a difference between espoused values and enacted values.

Question 12

Basic underlying assumptions:

Answer 12

Ingrained beliefs and philosophies of employees
- Ex. one should act in the best interest of the patient in the medical profession.

The deepest and last observable part of a culture.

Question 13

what is meant by solidarity?

Answer 13

degree to which group members think alike

Question 14

what is meant by sociability?

Answer 14

represents how friendly employees are to one another

Question 15

Fragmented culture:

Answer 15

An organizational culture type in which employees are distant and disconnected from one another.

Low on solidarity
Low on sociability

Question 16

Mercenary culture:

Answer 16

An organizational culture type in which employees think alike but are not friendly to one another

High on solidarity
Low on sociability
Very political, “what’s in it for me?” environments.

Question 17

Networked culture:

Answer 17

An organizational culture type in which employees are friendly to one another, but everyone thinks differently and does his or her own thing.

Low on solidarity
High on sociability.
Many highly creative organizations have such a culture.

Question 18

Communal culture:

Answer 18

An organizational culture type in which employees are friendly to one another and all think alike.

High on solidarity
High on sociability.

Question 19

Culture strength:

Answer 19

The degree to which employees agree about how things should happen within the organization and behave accordingly.

Question 20

subcultures

Answer 20

Cultures created within small subsets of the organization’s employees.

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 interdependently and create their own cultures.

Question 21

Countercultures

Answer 21

Subcultures whose values do not match those of the organization.

Question 22

ASA framework:

Answer 22

A theory (attraction–selection–attrition) that states that employees will be drawn to organizations with cultures that match their personality, organizations will select employees that match, and employees will leave or be forced out when they are not a good fit.

*Attrition: voluntary or involuntary turnover.

Question 23

Socialization

Answer 23

The primary process by which employees learn the social knowledge that enables them to understand and adapt to the organization’s culture

Question 24

Anticipatory stage of socialization

Answer 24

Ex. what it must be like to work for a certain company

Question 25

Encounter stage of socialization

Answer 25

First day on the job

New employees compare their experience to what they expected.

Reality shock happens when reality does not match their expectation.

Question 26

Understanding and adaptation.

Answer 26

When an employee embraces the culture and becomes part of it.

Never truly ends

Question 27

how can socialization process be sped up?

Answer 27

realistic job previews

newcomer orientation

mentoring

Question 28

the unfreezing change freezing process:

Answer 28

Unfreezing:
Recognition that the current state is not satisfactory
- Ex. increase in customer complaints, low employee morale

Change:
Implementation of a program to move the organization to a more satisfactory state
- Ex. skills training, empower workforce.

Refreezing:
Condition when new behavior or attributes become part of the organization
- Ex. new attitudes exist in the organization.

Question 29

The day to day change process:

Answer 29

A more recent approach to change emphasizes 4 activities:

• Analysis and diagnosis
• Understanding and managing resistance
• Change interventions
• Evaluating the change process.

Question 30

Analysis and diagnosis: (the day to day change process)

Answer 30

• Is there a need to change?
• Consider the current state of the culture and where the culture should be
• 3 methods to gather information from the organization: interviews, focus groups, structured approaches.

Question 31

Understanding and managing resistance: (the day to day change process)

Answer 31

• Involve members in the panning process
• Encourage participation
• Answer questions
• Provide information to reduce feelings of uncertainty
• Explain why change is important

Question 32

Change interventions: (the day to day change process)

Answer 32

Selection
Training
Performance management