Organizational Culture

In the past 25 years, the concept of organizational culture has gained wide acceptance as a
way to understand human systems. From an "open-sytems" perspective, each aspect of
organizational culture can be seen as an important environmental condition affecting the
system and its subsystems. The examination of organizational culture is also a valuable
analytical tool in its own right.

This way of looking at organizations borrows heavily from anthropology and sociology and
uses many of the same terms to define the building blocks of culture. Edgar Schein, one of
the most prominent theorists of organizational culture, gave the following very general
definition:

The culture of a group can now be defined as: A pattern of shared basic assumptions that
the group learned as it solved its problems of external adaptation and internal integration,
that has worked well enough to be considered valid and therefore, to be taught to new
members as the correct way to perceive, think, and feel in relation to those problems.
(Schein 373-374)

In other words, as groups evolve over time, they face two basic challenges: integrating
individuals into an effective whole, and adapting effectively to the external environment in
order to survive. As groups find solutions to these problems over time, they engage in a
kind of collective learning that creates the set of shared assumptions and beliefs we call
"culture."

Gareth Morgan describes culture as "an active living phenomenon through which people
jointly create and recreate the worlds in which they live." For Morgan, the three basic
questions for cultural analysts are:

• What are the shared frames of reference that make organization possible?
• Where do they come from?
• How are they created, communicated, and sustained? (Morgan 141)

Elements of organizational culture may include:

• Stated and unstated values.

• Overt and implicit expectations for member behavior.
• Customs and rituals.
• Stories and myths about the history of the group.
• Shop talk—typical language used in and about the group.
• Climate—the feelings evoked by the way members interact with each other, with
outsiders, and with their environment, including the physical space they occupy.
• Metaphors and symbols—may be unconscious but can be found embodied in other
cultural elements.

Morgan proposes four essential strengths of the organizational culture approach:

• It focuses attention on the human side of organizational life, and finds significance
and learning in even its most mundane aspects (for example, the setup in an empty
meeting room).
 • It makes clear the importance of creating appropriate systems of shared meaning to
help people work together toward desired outcomes.
• It requires members—especially leaders—to acknowledge the impact of their
behavior on the organization’s culture. Morgan proposes that people should ask
themselves: "What impact am I having on the social construction of reality in my
organization?" "What can I do to have a different and more positive impact?"
• It encourages the view that the perceived relationship between an organization and
its environment is also affected by the organization’s basic assumptions. Morgan
says:

We choose and operate in environmental domains according to how we construct

conceptions of who we are and what we are trying to do. . . . And we act in relation
to those domains through the definitions we impose on them. . . . The beliefs and
ideas that organizations hold about who they are, what they are trying to do, and
what their environment is like have a much greater tendency to realize themselves
than is usually believed. (Morgan 149)

According to Edgar Schein, cultural analysis is especially valuable for dealing with aspects of
organizations that seem irrational, frustrating, and intractable. He writes, "The bottom line
for leaders is that if they do not become conscious of the cultures in which they are
embedded, those cultures will manage them." (Schein 375) It is significant that Schein uses
the plural "cultures." Using open-systems concepts, we know that members of a group
culture may also belong to subcultures within an organization. Since organizations do have
a shared history, there will normally be at least a few values or assumptions common to the
system as a whole. But sometimes, as in many orchestra organizations, the subcultures
have had different experiences over time, and their group learning has produced very
different sets of basic assumptions.

Organization members interpret the behavior and language of others through their own
cultural biases. Each member’s (or subsystem’s) set of beliefs, values, and assumptions
becomes their unquestioned "reality"; they then perceive behavior inconsistent with their
own biases as irrational, or even malevolent. The organizational culture model suggests
reinterpreting such conflict as a product of different sets of experiences. Instead of looking
at conflict as "right" versus "wrong," this approach suggests that subsystems examine the
assumptions underlying their behavior, honor the experiences and learning that led to those
assumptions, and then investigate whether those assumptions still work well in the present.

This is an exemplary application of "double-loop" learning, a term coined by Chris Argyris of

National Training Laboratories in Washington, D.C., and now in general use among
organizational theorists. In contrast with "single-loop" learning, or the process of solving
problems based on an existing set of assumptions, double-loop learning also involves
becoming aware of a group’s underlying assumption set and continually inquiring whether it
is still useful for the task at hand.

Because culture is so deeply rooted in an organization’s history and collective experience,

working to change it requires a major investment of time and resources. Help from a
change agent outside the system is often advisable. Without such help, it is difficult for
insiders to view their "reality" as something they’ve constructed, and to see meaning in
things they normally take for granted. Next time, we will take a look at ways some
organization change practitioners have taken on the challenge of culture change in the
corporate world, as well as in the orchestra field. Stay tuned!
Organizational culture is a concept developed by researchers to explain the values, psychology,
attitudes, beliefs and experiences of an organization. Generally speaking, it is viewed as the
shared norms and values of individuals and groups within an organization. Through this set of
mutual understandings, organizational culture controls the way individuals interact with each
other within the organization as well as with customers, suppliers and other stakeholders existing
outside the boundaries of the organization.

The topic of organizational culture has been studied by researchers from diverse fields. Purely
academic fields such as sociology and anthropology as well as applied disciples such as
management science and organizational behavior have offered their perspectives on what it is.
Although it might not be possible for one definition to suit all fields, there is general agreement
among researchers on various aspects of organizational culture.

The managers and executives within an organization have a significant impact on the culture
because of their role in making decisions, but they are not the only members of the work
community. In reality, all employees contribute to the culture. Culture, in the environment of the
workplace, is the result of the weaknesses, strengths, life experiences and education of everyone
who is part of the organization’s workforce.

The culture of an organization also is molded by its mission. For example, a university’s
culture is different from that of the military, a hospital or a for-profit company. Understanding
the culture of a specific enterprise is made more difficult by the fact that there is no single
culture. Instead, complex organizations also reflect the culture of the sub-groups within them.
Individuals might adhere to the core values and beliefs of the organization, but they also belong
to sub-groups or cultures that form along the lines of occupational duties, professional skills, age,
union membership, etc.

Organizational culture is both formal and informal. A flow chart indicating authority lines or a
human resources manual might define the formal culture. Informal culture, though, is revealed in
such things as bulletin board content, decorations in individual work areas, the arrangement of
furniture, newsletters, clothing worn, how employees interact in meetings or collaborate and the
workplace stories that are repeated.

The hiring of new employees is another area in which the culture of the organization plays a role.
In the interviewing process, questions often are directed to explore whether or not the candidate
would be a good fit in the organization's culture. Organizational culture is a powerful element
that shapes all facets of work.

Organizational culture, sometimes also referred to as corporate culture, is a general term that
outlines the collective attitudes, beliefs, common experiences, procedures, and values that are
prevalent in an organization and others similar to it.
Organizational culture is the phrase much more likely to be used within the corporate world
itself, as it also affects shareholders, who may or may not be directly involved beyond ownership
of x number of shares of company stock.

This philosophy also includes the beliefs and ideas of what the goals should be. The point here
is to have individuals think about the collective larger good of the company, since the
prospering of the company is going to come around to benefit the individuals who work for it,
as well!

Because of this, a general standard of behavior is expected, so every worker knows to some
extent what is expected out of them before even the first day. This helps to create unity and
increase general worker efficiency. Organizational culture helps to establish the expected
guidelines, expectations, and rules that will help the company achieve their goals.

Organizational culture tends to be the larger shared goals and vision for a company, but that
doesn't make it the end all, be all. Within the larger organizational culture will be many smaller
sub-cultures that are still dedicated to the larger picture, but have their own system of operating
and working to be more efficient in their task, and their part of the larger picture.

A classic example of this would be computer tech people. Because of the extremely specialized
nature of their expertise, computer technicians are likely to have their own odd behaviors,
working conditions, and strategies to getting the job done. Computer language leads to a whole
series of terminologies or technologies that many non computer people won't have a clue about--
but their organizational sub culture affects the larger organizational culture as a whole, for the
better or worse of the company, but hopefully for the better!

There are different measures of this as well. A company or corporation that has a staff which
responds strongly to organizational values and can successfully pass that on to the workers at
every level are considered to be part of a "strong culture." Inversely, if the opposite is true where
overly restrictive rules, procedures, and bureaucracy are necessary to enforce the company's
vision, then that is definitely considered "weak culture."

Weak organizational culture is a detriment to a company for obvious reasons. The extra
supervision, rules, and bureaucracy cause the company to be less efficient and less effective. In
addition, having these extra layers also tends to be much more expensive, which will obviously
show on the bottom line. Weak cultures can not take advantage of an opportunity that demands
quick, decisive action.

Strong organizational culture tends to be a good thing, but there are also some dangers that have
to be watched. For one, if everyone is completely in line with the organizational culture of a
company, and hold the same centralized beliefs on how the goals should be accomplished, then
there is a danger of "group think." This is where an entire group thinks in such similar terms that
they lose the ability to become innovative or take a unique approach to a problem. To put it
another way, they lose their ability to "think outside the box."
Organizational culture is still necessary for any company of size, and a strong organizational
culture combined with an openness to new creative ideas and problem solving can be the
building blocks to something amazing.

Types of Organizational Culture

Many of us do not know 'what is organizational culture?'. Organizational culture has
brought about a radical change in the functioning of different organizations. It is
basically the study of organizational management and studies, which includes the
description of attitude, psychology, belief, experience, personal and cultural values
of an organization. Like varied personalities, there are different types of
organizational cultures that function, by following a method of working, that is best
suited to their core business.

Following are the main types of organization structures found today:

Normative Culture In a normative organization, the organization stresses on

implementing the organizational procedures in a correct way, and according to the
norms and rules defined. This kind of culture is perceived to portray, a high
standard of business ethics.

Pragmatic Culture In contrast to normative cultures, stress is laid on satisfying

the wish of their clients. In this type of organizational structure, no norms are set by
the company, and utmost importance is given to the needs of the client.

Academy Culture In this kind of culture, employees are highly skilled, and the
organization provides an environment for the development and honing of employee
skills. Examples of this kind of culture are hospitals, universities, large corporations,
etc. Employees tend to stay with the organization and grow within it.

Baseball Team Culture In this kind of culture, the employees are "free agents"
and are highly prized. These employees find employment easily in any organization
and are very much in demand. There is, however, a considerable amount of risk
that is attached to this culture, as it is also fast paced. Examples of this kind of
culture are advertising, investment banking, etc.

Club Culture Usually the employees stay with the organization for a long time and
get promoted to a senior post or level. These employees are hand picked, and it is
imperative that they possess the specific skills required and desired, by the
organization. Examples of this kind of organization are law firms, the military, etc.
Fortress Culture Employees are not sure if the will be laid off or not by the
organization. Very often, this organization undergoes massive changes. Few
examples of this type of culture are loans and savings, large car companies, etc.

Tough-Guy Culture or Macho Culture The most important aspect of this kind of
culture is big rewards and quick feedback. This kind of culture is mostly associated
with quick financial activities like brokerage and currency trading. It can also be
related with activities, like a sports team or branding of an athlete, and also the
police team. This kind of culture is considered to carry along, a high amount of
stress, and people working within the organization are expected to possess a strong
mentality, for survival in the organization.

Work Hard/Play Hard This type of organization does not involve much risk, as the
organizations already consist of a firm base along with a strong client relationship.
This kind of culture is mostly opted by large organizations which have strong
customer service. The organization with this kind of culture is equipped with
specialized jargons and is qualified with multiple team meetings.

Bet Your Company Culture In this kind of culture, the company makes big and
important decisions over high stakes endeavors. It takes time to see the
consequence of these decisions. Companies that postulate experimental projects
and researches as their core business, adopt this kind of culture. This kind of culture
can be adopted by a company designing experimental military weapons for
example.

Process Culture This type of culture does not include the process of feedback. In
this kind of culture, the organization is extremely cautious about the adherence to
laws and prefer to abide by them. This culture provides consistency to the
organization and is good for public services.

One of the most difficult tasks to undertake in an organization, is to change its work
culture. An organizational culture change requires an organization to make
amendments to its policies, its workplace ethics and its management system. It
needs to start right from its base functions which includes support functions,
operations and the production floor, which finally affects the overall output of the
organization. It requires a complete overhaul of the entire system, and not many
organizations prefer it as the process is a long and tedious one, which requires
patience and endurance. However, when an organization succeeds in making a
change on such a massive level, the results are almost always positive and fruitful.
The different types of organizational cultures mentioned above must have surely
helped you to understand them. You can also adopt one of them for your own
organization, however, persistence and patience is ultimately of the essence.