Management Concepts & Organisational Behaviour - Organisational Structure, Climate And Culture

Organizational Culture

   Posted On :  19.05.2018 10:00 pm

Organizational culture is the set of assumptions, beliefs, values and norms that are shared by the members of an organization.

Organizational Culture
 
Organizational culture is the set of assumptions, beliefs, values and norms that are shared by the members of an organization. It may be consciously created by its key members, or it may have simply evolved over time. It represents a key element of the work environment in which employees perform their jobs. A culture may exist across an entire organization, or it may refer to the environment within a single division, branch, plant, or department. The idea of organizational culture is somewhat intangible, for we cannot see it or touch it, but it is present and pervasive. Like the air in a room, it surrounds and affects everything that happens in an organization. Because it is a dynamic systems concept, culture is also affected by almost everything that occurs within an organization. They give an organizational identity to employees – a defining vision of what the organization represents. They are also an important source of stability and continuity to the organization which provides a sense of security to its members.
 

Characteristics of Cultures

 
Each organization has its own history, patterns of communication, systems and procedures, mission statements and visions, stories and myths which, in their totality, constitute its distinctive culture. Cultures are also relatively stable in nature. Most organizational cultures have historically been rather implicit rather than explicit. A defining characteristic of most culture is that they are seen as symbolic representations of underlying beliefs and values.
 

Measuring Organizational Culture

 
Systematic measurement and comparison of cultures is difficult. Most of the early attempts by researchers relied on examination of stories, symbols, rituals, and ceremonies to obtain clues. Others have used interviews and open ended questionnaires in an attempt to assess employee values and beliefs. In some cases, examination of corporate philosophy statements has provided insights into the espoused cultures (the beliefs and values that the organizations state publicly). Another approach is to survey employees directly and seek their perceptions of the organization’s culture. Another interesting method is to become a member of the organization and engage in participant observation.
 

Characteristics of organizational cultures

 
--    Distinctive
 
--    Stable
 
--    Implicit
 
--    Symbolic
 
--   Integrated
 
--    Accepted
 
--    A reflection of top management
 

Communicating Culture

 
If organizations are to consciously create and manage their cultures, they must be able to communicate them to employees, especially the newly hired ones. Individuals are generally more willing to adapt when they want to please others, gain approval, and learn about their new work environment. These cultural communication acts may be lumped under the umbrella of organizational socialization, which is the continuous process of transmitting key elements of an organization’s culture to its employees. Individualization occurs when employees successfully exert influence on the social system around them at work by challenging the culture or deviating from it.

 

Tags : Management Concepts & Organisational Behaviour - Organisational Structure, Climate And Culture
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