Organizational Culture refers to a system of shared meaning held by members that distinguishes the organization

from other organizations. In every organization, there are patterns of beliefs, symbols, rituals, myths and practices
that have evolved over time. These, in turn, create common understandings among members as to what the
organization is and how its member should behave.

The dimensions of the Organizational Culture are as follows:

1. Dominant Culture: It expresses the core values that are shared by a majority of the organization's member. When
we talk about an organization's culture, we are referring to its dominant culture. It is this macroview of culture that
gives an organization its distinct personality.

2. Subculture: It tends to develop in large organizations to reflect common problems, situations, or experiences that
members face. These subcultures can form vertically or horizontally. When one product division of a conglomerate
has a culture unique from that of others divisions of a organization, a vertical subculture exists. When a specific set of
functional specialists - such as accountants or purchasing personnel - have a set of common shared understandings, a
horizontal subculture is formed. Subcultures can tend to be defined by geographical separation or departmental
designations. The purchasing department, for example, can have a subculture that is uniquely shared by members of
that department. It will include the core values of the dominant culture plus additional values unique to the members
of the purchasing department. Similarly, an office unit or unit of the organization that is physically separated from
the organization's main operations may take on a different personality.

3. Strong versus Weak Culture: It is characterized by the organization's core values being intensely held, clearly
ordered and widely shared. The more members who accept the core values and the greater their commitments, the
stronger the culture and the greater its influence on member behaviour, because the high degree of sharedness and
intensity creates a climate of high behaviour control. For Example, TATA employees know what is expected of them
when an ethical situation faces them, and theses expectations go a long way in shaping their behaviours. TATA Steel
has a strong ethical culture compared to some of its competitors in the steel manufacturing industries. A Strong
culture reduces employee turnovers because it demonstrates high agreement (cohesiveness, loyalty and
commitments) about what the organization represents. Organizations that are young or have constant turnover
among their employees, will have a weak culture because the members will not have shared enough experiences to
create common meanings.