Organizational Analysis & Human Behavior at Work MODULE

ARTICLE I & II CASE STUDY

BY: Kamleshwar Roll no. 25 Kanika Jain Roll no.26 Karan Bangia Roll no.27 Khyati Bhardwaj Roll no.28

INDEX
S.NO TOPIC
ARTICLE I: Understanding and Adapting to a New Organizational Culture

PAGE NO. 3

ARTICLE II

7 9

Nokia's corporate culture challenge: A case study

ARTICLE I Understanding and Adapting to a New Organizational Culture

Feburary Issue, 2008, Vol 10

By Anita Attridge, The Five O'Clock Club

What is organizational culture, and why is it important? Simply defined, it is the set of written and unwritten rules by which people function to get their work done. If you choose to ignore organizational culture, you do so at your own peril. Joining a new company can be like moving to a foreign country. You will encounter new customs, dress, language, ideas, and rules, and you will need to learn about all of these in order to do well.

You will be expected to work and interact effectively in the organization. You will be accepted and you will fit into the organizationor not! You will be assessed for recognition, compensation, rewards and promotion, depending on how well you perform in the newand perhaps very differentculture.

What makes you successful in one company may not make you successful in another company. For example, at General Electric, the organizational culture is regimented and managers are expected to use the GE processes without question. At Xerox, the organizational culture is fastpaced, and continuously changing. Managers have considerable latitude in how they get the job done. At Merck, the organizational culture is consensus driven, with a strong emphasis on data analysis. Managers need a consensus to accomplish their goals. What kind of environment are you accustomed to? If your new employer expects people to work in a way that is different from that of your previous organization, you will be expected to adapt to the new culture. Organizational Culture Isnt Right or Wrong: It Just Is The unspoken rules, based on shared values and beliefs, become the reality of how the organization gets work done. Those who join the organization are expected to adapt and accomplish their work in accordance with the culture. Heres a checklist of questions to ask:

What its really like to work here? What are the realities of working our way? What behaviors and attitudes are expected?

How are coworkers expected to communicate and deal with each other? How are decisions made and problems solved? How are employees and customers expected to be treated?

The culture of an organization is commonly determined by the founders. It may evolve over time, but the processes and ways of working together become deeply embedded. These people exert an extraordinary influence on the company culture. Its their company and they determine:

The beliefs and values of the workplace The companys focus of attention The decision-making and problem resolution processes Conduct and achievements that will be rewarded

If the founder is no longer with the company, find out about the leaders who replaced those who were present at the beginning. Who succeeded to the leadership roles, who failed, and why? How has the company culture evolved over the years? There are usually many sources of information for your secondary research:

Read the latest annual report to learn what is important to the company. Review the company Website to learn about the companys history, the founder and the current CEO. A Website presents an idealized portrait of the company; however, it provides insights into how the company wants to position itself in the marketplace. Dig up as many articles as you can about the company in business publications. Youll likely find a variety of materials, some with information about how the company culture is viewed. In these days of blogs very little can be hidden! Look and listen to the marketing messages. Ads and slogans often convey underlying beliefs about the companys identity and views about its customers. If you start from Day One on your new job to quickly learn about the way things are done here, that will ease your transition. How well you fit in will be established in the first few weeks, so learning the cultureas it is, up close and personalis as important as learning policies and procedures. To be successful, comply with both formal and informal expectations.

Pay attention not only to what needs to be done but how it should be done. Every new employee knows he or she must figure out what must to be done, but you may not achieve desired results if you dont also figure out how it needs to be done. What needs to be done includes:

The objectives or goals I need to accomplish My work priorities Technologies and systems used The information I need to accomplish my job The resources available to me

How the job needs to be done relates to the culture:

How do people work: independently or collaboratively? How are decisions made? Who needs to be included in the decision-making process? What is important to senior management?

Observe:

Who talks to whom? Do people interact with others at all levels of the organization? Do people primarily interact only with their manager and peers? What language do people use when talking about their work? Do they use acronyms or terms specific to the organization? If so, learn these rapidly. Do they use more easily understood terms? What is the preferred means of communication? E-mail? Telephone? In person? What is the style of written communication, via memos and e-mail messages? Are they formal? Are they informal? Are the messages usually brief, or are they detailed? Who is copied on the communications? Are numerous people copied? Are only people directly involved copied? How are meetings conducted? Are they formal with agendas set prior to the meeting? Are they informal with agendas developed or shared in the meeting?

Learning from within: Networking Networking and building relationships will help you to understand the nuances of how work gets done in your new workplace. Be sure to network with:

Direct reports Coworkers Your boss Peers in other departments

Begin networking on your first day with the company, starting with coworkers and direct reports. They can help you to understand how work gets done in your areas, as well as in the company as a whole. If you dont like to network, do it anyway! And become good at it if you want to understand organizational culture and build relationships that can help your career in the long run. Your

networking meetings can and should be interesting. After all, youre learning about the culture when employees tell stories about people and events that have taken place in recent years or decades. And the company lore reveals a lot about what is distinct and unique about the organization. Listen to stories about:

The heroes and how they rose to the top of the organization Crises encountered and overcome Milestone events in the organizations history Anecdotes about senior management Managements reactions to blunders and mistakes The handling of firings and layoffs

Each story gives you additional insight into some aspect of the organizational culture. As you network, ask questions and listen carefully. Tell people that you are genuinely interested in finding out the insiders view of how the organization works. The answers to these questions will help you to master the subtleties of corporate culture and avoid pitfalls. Some of the questions you can ask:

What should I know about how to act? How is success defined here, and how does one succeed? What is the biggest mistake one could make? What are the sacred cows that I need to be aware of?

You will have many challenges when starting a new job: Understanding your job responsibilities, learning what your new boss is really like, figuring out how best to get along with new colleagues. Make sure that learning and mastering the corporate culture is a top priorityto achieve the fit you want.

ARTICLE - II
We spend 40 or 45 or 50 or more hours at work each week. Many of us spend more time with those we work with than we do our families. We want to be engaged in our work. We yearn for work that is enjoyable, meaningful and engaging. When we are engaged we are safer on the job, more productive and more willing and able to delight Customers. It is for these basic reasons that organizational culture matters. It is the right thing for an organization to do to think about the work environment, working relationships and how we do things here. Cultureship is the practice of researching an organisations culture and seeking its development via Community, Contribution & Recognition (CCR). We believe, quite simply, that people need to feel part of a productive community, they must to be able to play a full and active role in supporting and building that community and they should be acknowledged and rewarded in multiple ways. Cultures that can be a liability to an organization include those that create barriers to change, create barriers to diversity or barriers to mergers and acquisitions. Understanding the organizational culture can help you to understand why change does not take place, or why a project fails. It will also help you to determine where to strive to make changes to the culture. The process used for assessing the culture involved conducting group employee interviews and written staff surveys, followed by analysis of the information. Staff responded to a series of prompts and questions regarding organizational symbols, organizational-espoused values, and beliefs. These responses were analyzed, creating a pattern showing comparisons between belief/values (in the form of phrases or statements) with their associated symbols (both positive and negative), and related culture types (hierarchy, adhocracy, clan) and For a new leader or manager, understanding the organizational culture that is in place is essential for success in providing direction, especially when the direction is different from what has come before. Are staff willing and eager to take on new challenges and to follow a new direction, or will they provide passive or active resistance to any changes? What is important to people today, based on their view of where the organization is?

Every component of the corporate culture needs to underpin what is required from all stakeholders in order to realize the strategic goals. There must be a reinforcing stream of communications. All the actions in the organization need to translate into the cultural realities. A culture can be created or reinforced through the use of socialization. Avenues for socialization abound in functions like

selection, placement on the job, job mastery, the measurement and rewarding of performance, and recognition and promotion. Reinforcing a culture can emerge through the stories told and the folklore propagated and, most importantly, through the adherence to chosen important values. The key to the success of the above is to ensure that the culture you wish to socialize others into is an ideal one, necessary for breakthrough performance in your work area or organization. If it is not, then you need to involve everyone in the evaluation and creation of a more suitable culture.

Nokia's corporate culture challenge: A case study

By Fitzgerald, Marie E Publication: Journal of Property Management Date: Tuesday, May 1 2001

The creation of a truly global economy and increasing pressure on companies to find and retain top talent have caused changes in the real estate management arena to occur at breakneck speed. Increasingly, commercial tenants are using revamped, top-of-the-- line office space as an incentive to attract candidates and to improve overall productivity. Whether it's a foosball table and first-class catered lunches in a company cafeteria, an in-house workout facility and track, or a masseuse who occupies an office next to the mailroom, real estate managers are being asked more and more frequently to build and retrofit facilities to accommodate their tenants' newest recruiting tool. Tenants want to recreate their office space so that it's more than just a place to work. In fact, they want to build an environment where individuals are immersed in the corporate culture and can interact with the company and fellow employees on a variety of levels. As a world leader in mobile phone technology, Nokia was faced with a daunting task when the company decided to significantly expand its New England operations in Burlington, MA, in the fall of 1999. The rapid growth of the company, combined with Nokia's expanding investment in research and development, led to the plan for a new 135,000-square-- foot Northeast region headquarters building. Called Nokia House Boston, the new project presented an exciting opportunity to integrate as much of the Nokia cultural heritage as possible. It also called for cooperation and teamwork between designers, property management, and client to redesign an existing property to fit its new vision. Nokia wanted to combine Scandinavian and New England design elements with the corporations goal of providing open working spaces and an environment which promoted coworker contact and interaction. Cultivating Corporate Culture Nokia corporate culture is one of the company's strategic and competitive advantages. Even the company's catch phrase, `Connecting People', is symbolic of the culture, and helps define the purpose of its physical facilities. The company's buildings feature lots of natural wood, large

windows, warm colors and fabrics, open floor plans, pedestrian bridges, game/recreation areas, fitness centers and saunas. The physical beauty and climate of Finland was to be reflected in Nokia's new corporate facility through the use of natural wood materials for interior spaces, fountains, waterfalls and reflecting ponds, as well as the use of natural light. Of equal importance in the design of Nokia's buildings is a strong corporate image. Inside and out, the new Nokia House Boston needed to celebrate Nokia's ability to sustain high product style and demonstrate its achievements as a worldwide technology leader. The company prides itself on four core values and principles which it places at the heart of its corporate philosophy: customer satisfaction, respect for the individual, achievement and continuous learning. By creating opportunities for the fluid exchange of ideas and empowering employees, customers, suppliers and partners to develop and expand relationships, Nokia defined a model not only for business success, but also for managing the company's corporate real estate needs. Establishing Goals From the beginning, the challenge was to develop a distinctive, award-winning workspace, with a design that mirrored the corporate culture, values and vision of Nokia's fast-growing company. Because the Nokia House Boston property was a major R&D facility, it was crucial that the new floorplan be open and conducive to the creative process that the company required for its engineers and design groups. At the same time, it was imperative that the design not completely mimic that of its Scandinavian headquarters but incorporate New England's culture as well. The New England facility would be a four-story, technology-rich building for 425 employees. Nokia House Boston would host product research and development, hardware and software engineering, administrative services, and customer support. "We aimed high to create an enviable place to come to work, a great building that would help us recruit and retain the best qualified engineering and technology staff," said Catherine Mantia, Nokia's New England-based facilities manager. "Ordinary space just would not suffice." Nokia challenged the design team of Symmes Maini & McKee Associates, as well as shell and core developer/property manager The Gutierrez Companies, to reach beyond the standard image of a suburban office building. The architectural design for the building reflected the fast-moving, creative work taking place inside. Visible from nearby Route 95/128 (the Massachusetts Technology Highway), the exterior features large glass panels, clear anodized white aluminum frames, and corrugated white metal panels. The design took advantage of the large amounts of

natural light and gave the facility a sleek, lean look, while still allowing Nokia to enjoy lower energy costs. Inside, the team designed spaces to support and encourage a sense of community and collaboration. Nokia employees were surveyed to identify their needs and preferences, and all the information was collected and used to identify the areas that would be most influential to the facility's design. A Corporate Culture Retrofit Nokia transported its Scandinavian roots to New England in a variety of ways, utilizing both cultures to convey an image to employees and visitors alike. Interior finishes incorporate colors and materials from the client's Finland headquarters and blend them with vernacular New England elements. Furniture showcases a mixture of elegant high-tech and traditional materials. Sophisticated lighting design, especially in group spaces such as the lobby, cafeteria and meeting rooms, helps establish a warm, professional ambience. Other features include: Closed and open office areas throughout the building positioned to take full advantage of natural light. Natural wood millwork is used to form a curved and angled 'feature wall' on all four floors. A soothing water fountain occupies a prime lobby spot beneath an active pedestrian bridge. Eighteen hundred tulip bulbs planted in flower beds near the building entry. Nokia often assigns its executives overseas for 18 months to spearhead a project or join a team working on a new product. With its relative proximity to Europe, New England is a frequent destination for Nokia's Finnish-- born executives. One of these visitors, a vice president freshly arrived in Boston from Finland, was impressed most by the scotch pine trees lining the entrance area. "It was those Christmas trees that made me feel most at home," he commented to his hosts. Another important design characteristic, and an important business advantage for Nokia, is the new facility's flexible desk and office space system. A universal plan was created for the office workspaces, allowing the company to quickly change departmental layouts in response to

fastmoving business needs. Employees can be easily moved around in the building, without the headache of tearing down and rebuilding furniture and partitions. Visual and physical barriers are minimal, and the predominance of team areas for meetings and collaboration contributes to the sharing of ideas and information. Increased ceiling heights in the building provide flexibility to easily add additional mechanical and electrical equipment above to accommodate changing functions below. In the labs, mechanical equipment is easily accessible for any required care or upgrades. The Nokia company also requested other amenities and upgrades unique to a U.S. facility. "Living space," as it was termed by company executives, was needed to give employees a break from the grind of the workday. Stairs and other parts of the facility were revamped to allow for more open space. And the restrooms were completely redone. Drywall partitions were erected to separate toilets, and European- and New England-accented fixtures were installed as well. A New Management Model Recognizing the specialized needs of today's commercial tenants is an important function of the property manager's job. David Potenza, director of property management for The Gutierrez Companies, acknowledged that Nokia was a client that explained what it wanted, and then worked with the management company to achieve the desired results. "Nokia is very focused on the building and surrounding property's image," said Potenza. "They have a very high standard of quality, which coincides with our standards for the properties we manage. Our goal is to provide them with whatever they want. They're the tenant and we obviously want to make sure they are pleased with the environment and our relationship." In fact, the mantra of "listen to the client" is being uttered increasingly by today's property managers. Tenants, especially those involved in the high-tech and engineering fields, are looking to property managers to provide a variety of services, not just property management. "We don't allow any landscaping or ground services to be performed by our tenants," says Potenza. "We want to handle everything. Nokia wanted to put a dog on the property to eliminate geese from taking up nesting near the ponds on the site, a problem which the company discovered when it took up occupancy. So now we have a person on staff who goes out there with two dogs, Jake and Sage, and takes care of the geese."

The Gutierrez Companies also added other tenant-specific features, such as a day matron for fulltime cleaning and a full-time management professional who operates and manages the building's energy management and building systems. In addition to being responsible for these systems, the on-site supervisor also is in charge of HVAC and other systems that Nokia owns, as well as supervising any outside contractors brought in by Nokia to work on those respective systems. "Traditionally in property management, it's a 'you call us and we'll come out' mentality," says Potenza. "But in this case, we have a dedicated individual for this client. It's what they want, and we are happy to work with them. You have to be willing to work with the tenant to achieve what they need in a facility. That's our job." Connecting People Occupied in the spring of 2000, the new Nokia House is fulfilling its employee-friendly mission by providing a clear sense of place and purpose for its many users. The cultural and aesthetic elements in the building serve to reinforce a feeling for employees that they are working in a unique and comfortable setting. These elements also offer a tangible link to Nokia's worldwide collaborative mission. Among the most appreciated features: full sauna facilities for men and women, a fitness center with top-grade equipment and machines, a large game room adjacent to the cafeteria, and coffee bars where employees can sit and plug in their laptops while sipping a beverage. The large and inviting cafeteria is also used in the evenings to host business and professional groups, and serves as meeting and exhibit space for Finnish-American cultural and civic organizations. By implementing the company's goals and culture into the actual design and management of its facilities, Nokia has been able to connect indirectly with its employees while providing an environment that allows for a more productive and interactive workforce. As more companies look at redesigning their office facilities to highlight their corporate culture with such features as a fountain or a glass-paneled lobby, real estate professionals must be prepared to accommodate these changing needs in order to help ensure a healthy and profitable business relationship. "More and more of property management is moving towards a fully-integrated approach," says Potenza. "The more services you can obtain from one central source, the better it is for the tenant. The industry is going that way because more and more companies want that out of their property management company. It's almost like outsourcing without the title. By using your leads and developing relationships with local and regional companies, you will have a leg up on a company

that is locating into that area but which has no real contacts. That makes your company that much more attractive to manage and attract tenants." For Nokia, working with a management company that provides a variety of services and a willingness to work with them in designing facilities to their specifications proved to be a perfect fit. As companies continue to expand globally, property management companies will need to expand their services to increase and change with their tenant base. "This is not a trend that is going to go away," says Potenza. "I see this with all my high-tech clients. It's something that more and more tenants are requesting. They want the delivery on everything to be as good as it can be. As property managers, we are in a unique position to respond to a lot of different needs for a company that knows what it wants, but just isn't sure on how to get there."