Notes on McFarland, D.

(2012) Organizational Analysis - Week 6 - Lecture 1 - Organizational Culture

The teacher describes an exercise he makes in class having his students improve a hypothetical school The students have several ideas on how to improve schools There is a problem: all their designs request the hypothetical teachers to work extra-hours What is an organizational culture and how do we study it Example: google and Kunda
Google's elements of culture Great perks (free food, free cars, etc), clear logo, Lava lamps and all other things with logo Endless commitment: Long hours, Great effort Kunda's example describes a somber culture: oppressive and high pressure

Organizational culture defined

Shared rules governing Cognitive aspects of membership in an organization Affective aspects of membership in an organization Means whereby they are shaped and expressed Traces Shared meanings, assumptions, norms and values governing work behavior Symbolic, textual and narrative structures in which they are encoded The structural causes and consequences of cultural forms and their relation to organizational effectiveness From a management point of view is a means of normative control Control experiences, Thoughts, Actions

Study by Martin and Meyerson

Cultural elements Practices o Formal policies: Job descriptions, Manuals, SOP o Informal customs: Style, How to speak, How to call the bosses Artifacts o Symbols: Tools, Rituals, Meetings, Presentations o Stories: Stories of founders and ventures, Stories of departments, Jargon o Architecture: Buildings, Cubicles, Colors Content Themes: Ideological, Ideational, External, Internal How do the elements interrelate? Paradigms of organizational culture o Integrated Members deny ambiguity Members share a common vision Example of analysis using integration view

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Notes on McFarland, D. (2012) Organizational Analysis - Week 6 - Lecture 1 - Organizational Culture

Differentiated Multiple subculture

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Notes on McFarland, D. (2012) Organizational Analysis - Week 6 - Lecture 1 - Organizational Culture

Ambiguous Contradictory meanings

Paradigm contrasts

o o Different paradigms would be more or less useful depending on the situation Some theories work better with some paradigms

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