Organizational Culture: Chapter 13 Flashcards
organizational culture
- consistent, shared, observable patterns of behaviour that distinguish between groups
- describes the expectations and perceptions that affect decisions and behaviours
- defines which behaviours are appropriate and expected
culture
includes:
- the norms
- values
- customs
- traditions
- habits
- skills
- knowledge
-beliefs
function of culture
- shapes behaviour
- provides a sense of identity
- provides stability and predictability
- provides direction in times of need
- feelings of belonging to a community
categories of norms
- proscreptive (what not to do)
- prescriptive (what to do)
components of organizational culture
- structural system
- expressive and affective systems
- individuals
components of organizational culture: structural systems
- formal structures, policies, strategies, and management processes
- formal goals and objectives
- authority and power structure
- reward mechanisms
- recruitment and training operations
components of organizational culture: expressive and effective systems
- defines how organizations assign and share meanings and values
- unifies and legitimizes member beliefs
- provides standards for organizational behaviours
- shaped by:
1. society
2. history of the organization
3. environment in which the organization operates
components of organizational culture: individuals
- influenced by external environment
- group with similar characteristics, who interact frequently, will likely develop an internal identity reflecting consistent set of values.
- people within an organization become contributors and fabricators of organizational meaning and values
organizations & culture: fitting in
- influences
alignment of individual and organization’s values
good predictor of:
- job satisfaction and organizational commitment
- coworker satisfaction
- trust in managers
- indicators of strain
- intention to quit
dominant culture
overarching core values shared by most members of the organization
subculture
- microculture created within a subset unit of the organization
- can increase stress and conflict
- can change the status quo and make the organization adapt
counterculture
subcultures with values that oppose the dominant culture
advantages of organizational culture
- increase organization’s marketability
- improve productivity, decrease conflict, increase employee satisfaction, and provide stability
- encourage creativity, problem solving, and innovation
- reinforce punctuality and adherence to policy and schedules
- powerful tool for directing and focusing members and increasing organizational productivity
- provides cues on how to act
disadvantages of organizational culture
- org. culture is not always solution to org. problems
- too-weak + too strong cultures = instability
- can become misaligned with the values of the org
- unethical culture
levels of organizational culture
- artifacts
- values
- assumptions
levels of organizational culture: artifacts
visible and obvious
- behaviour
- ceremonies and rituals
- stories
- symbols
- enacted values
levels of organizational culture: values
not directly visible, but observable through interations
- organizational standards
- right vs wrong
- good vs bad
- espoused values
levels of organizational culture: assumptions
invisible, unobsersable
- unconscious beliefs
- taken for granted understanding about why things are the way they are
artifacts: behaviour
consistent pattern of behaviour within the organization
artifacts: ceremonies, rites and rituals
- elaborate sets of activities that are enacted on important occasions
- rites are unspoken
artifacts: stories
- Stories about how the company started
- Stories about a particular instance of great customer satisfaction
- Stories about the boss
- Stories about getting fired
- Stories about whether lower-level employees can rise to the top
- Stories about how the company deals with crisis situations
- Stories about what happens when rules are broken