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Organisation Culture - Links &

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Articles
For a New Paradigm approach to understanding and working with
culture, Richard Seel's Culture and Complexity and Describing
Culture are a good starting place. Culture change is a difficult and
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subtle thing to achieve and we have a number of innovative
approaches which can help organisations who want to change.

There is a huge amount of material about organisational culture

c available on the internet. We've tried to offer a guide to some of it
below, focusing on breadth of issues and trying to offer a small
sample of what is available under different topic headings.

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ëntroduction to Culture [Return]

Organizational Culture is a pdf version of some instructor's notes

based on a chapter in Principles of Organizational Behaviour by
Robin Fincham & Peter Rhodes.

What is This Thing Called Organisational Culture? can be found

on the Business Open Learning Archive site. ët's a very simple
introduction to conventional thinking about culture with a few
notes on some of the different models of culture which have been
proposed. ët was designed for viewing at 800x600 and is a bit
messy at higher resolution.

Organizational Culture by Carter McNamara is another simple

introduction introduction, with a selection of further links.There
are also some links to discussion groups which may include culture
as a topic.

Organizational Culture and Leadership has been written by Ted

Nellen and is based on Edgar Schein's book of the same name.
Schein is one of the most influential writers on culture. He sets
great store on the influence of the founder of an organisation on
its culture and his ideas are explored in a number of books
and articles.

Organizational Culture: A Web Walk was written by Valda Svede

and Mariella Petriglia as a Masters assignment. Focused around
education it offers a basic approach to some issues of culture.

Changing Culture [Return]

Changing culture is a controversial area. Many consultants and

academics will offer neat prescriptive packages based on simple
models of culture. My own belief is that these are rarely effective,
though they are easy to sell to clients. Some perspectives can be
found on the internet.

The Culture Change Planner by Judd Norman offers a four-phase

approach to culture change:

"Anyone working to bring about lasting culture change

will attest to the enormity of the task. Without a
framework, culture change appears hopelessly complex.
The four-phase Normative Systems Culture Change
Process was developed in order to organize such efforts
into meaningful steps.
"Changing culture in many ways parallels farming. The
first phase, Analysis and Objective Setting, is dedicated
to analyzing and preparing the soil. Phase ëë, Systems
ëntroduction, plants the seed of change. The third phase,
Systems ëntegration, is the cultural equivalent of adding
fertilizer and water so that the plant takes root and
flourishes. And the fourth phase, Evaluation, Renewal
and Extension, is similar to harvesting the crop and
gathering new seed for the next planting."
Five Ways to Develop your Corporate Culture by Naomi
Moneypenny offers 'Start Small, Act Big', 'Build Trust', 'Engender
Collaboration', 'ënspire Creativity' and 'ënspire Action' as five ways
to develop culture.

Downsizing And Organizational Culture by Thomas Hickok argues

that, ultimately, the most prominent effects of downsizing will be
in relation to culture change, not in relation to saved costs or
short-term productivity gains.

Case Studies [Return]

Corporate Culture:
MRG Adopts Bigger Firms' Synergistic Precepts looks at the culture
of the Metromedia Restaurant Group and how its founder, Michael
Kaufman, took ideas from a number of larger organisations and
moulded MRG and came up with nine core values.

Cultural Change in the Pittsburgh Symphony Organization: A

Roundtable Discussion gives an account of the experience of going
through a process of cultural change in the orchestra, who used the
Japanese Hoshin approach to help with much needed change.

Defining the Organizational Culture of the Fairborn Fire

Department by David Harlow asks three questions:
What are the strengths and weaknesses within the Fairborn Fire
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Department that have the greatest impact on its present

organizational culture?
What are the elements of the organizational culture within the
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Fairborn Fire Department?

How can the organizational culture be defined?
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'Doing' Organizational Culture in the Saturn Corporation by Terry

Mills, Craig Boylstein and Sandra Lorean is an extensive account of
the organisation's culture, focusing on how story telling is crucial
to the creation and maintenance of culture.

Systematically Describing An Organization's Culture: A Case Study

Of The Pima County Arizona, Pretrial Services Agency by Neil
Vance explores the use of Ed Schein's approach to culture.

'Measuring' Culture [Return]

Anyone who has read my "Describing Culture" will know that ë am

very sceptical about the notion of measuring culture. However,
many people do it and presumably find it helpful so ë include the
following links:

An Organizational Culture Assessment Using the Competing Values

Framework: A Profile of Ohio State University Extension by Angel
Berrio uses the popular competing values framework to discover
that Ohio State, in common with two-thirds of US educational
establishments, has a 'Clan' culture. The value of this finding is not
discussed.

Measuring organizational cultures: a qualitative and quantitative

study across twenty cases by Geert Hofstede et al 1990, looks at a
20 culutres in orgabnisations across Denmark and the Netherlands.
They found that differences could be rated by variances on six
independent dimensions: process-oriented vs. results-oriented;
employee-oriented vs. job-oriented; parochial vs. professional;
open system vs. closed system; loose vs. tight control; normative
vs. pragmatic.

My own Organisational Culture Check List takes an anthropological

perspective and may be helpful if you are wondering where to look
for clues to make sense of an organisation's culture.

Culture & Teams [Return]

Teams are an essential part of modern organisational life. Their

impact on organisational culture has been much debated.

A Cultural Shift Helps SoC Teams Work Together by Luke Collins

looks at the impact of culture on changing working practices in the
electronics industry.

Aligning Organizational Culture Through Team Learning by Alan

Slobodnik & Kristina Wile is a slide presentation, with lots of
systems diagram, is basically an advert for an approach to
facilitating self-managed teams.

Effective Cross-Cultural Teams: An Examination of Three

Manufacturing Firms in Australia and New Zealand by David
Thomas & Elizabeth Ravlin explores the effect of different cultures
of orientation on the operation of teams.

Metaphors and Meaning: An ëntercultural Analysis of the Concept

of Teamwork by Cristina Gibson & Mary Zellmer-Bruhn looks at
different understandings of the notion of teamwork across
different national and organisational cultures.

Culture & Performance [Return]

An Exploration of ëndustry, Culture and Revenue Growth by

Edward Christensen and George Gordon also looks at the
relationship between culture and performance. Their approach is
heavily influenced by Geert Hofstede (see below).

Corporate Culture: The Key to Safety Performance by Judith

Erickson looks at the role organisational culture can play in safety
issues. My own experience of consulting in hazardous industries
suggests that a 'safety culture' can lead to a general sense of risk-
aversion which can hinder innovation and strategic thinking.

The Strength of Corporate Culture and the Reliability of Firm

Performance by Jesper B.Sorensen explores the notion, put forth
by the McKinsey theorists (Deal and Kennedy; Peters and
Waterman) that 'strength' of culture is important in business
performance.

Culture and Mergers & Acquisitions [Return]

Mergers and acquisitions are usually made for reasons of 'synergy'.

ën practice they stand or fall on two key issues: culture and power.
ëf half the resources which were devoted to redesigning
organisational structures were put into an appreciative exploration
of the strengths of the two cultures there would be a lot more
success in these ventures.

A Brand-New Culture for the Merged Firm by Kenneth Smith looks

at the possibility of 'discarding' the cultures of the constituent
parts of the merged organisation and creating a new culture
together. He looks at three components of organisational culture:
values, work rituals and leadership. He argues that the best
approach is "to define which culture and leadership capabilities
are required to be successful in the restructuring industry and
then to plan and manage the selection and development of leaders
to arrive ultimately at the intended culture."

Hidden Sore Points That Can Thwart a Culture Match by Paula Love
and Steve Gibson looks at some of the cultural issues which can
arise when two organisations come together.

Culture and Equality ëssues [Return]

Cracks in the Glass Ceiling: Dealing With Sex Discrimination in
Corporate Culture by Charlene Marmer Solomon looks at the ways
in which corporate cultures need to change if they are to keep the
most talented of their female employees.

ëssues of Culture and Oppression in Organizations by Sharon Kaiser

takes a searching look at the politics of organisational culture,
exploring how culture can oppress and suppress minority workers.

Perceptions of Organizational
Culture and Women's Advancement in Organizations: A Cross-
Cultural Examination by Linda Bajdo and Marcus Dickson offers
some reflections on the role of 'male-dominated' cultures and the
existence of the so-called glass ceiling.

Towards an ënclusive Organizational Culture by Anne Buchanan

assumes that organisational culture can be made more inclusive by
examining specific policies and practices. This may be effective
but will also experience painful failure if there are more deep-
seated patterns of meaning and value.

Women in a Male-dominated ëndustry: Factor Analysis of a Women

Workplace Culture Questionnaire Based on
a Grounded Theory Model byBodil Bergman and Lillemor
Hallberg accepts that most culture questionnaires are male-
oriented and develops an instrument suitable for measuring
women's perceptions of corporate culture.

Culture Theory [Return]

Cultural Theory and Organizations: Analytical Method and

Cases by Yochanan Altman and Yehuda Baruch uses an
anthropological approach (Mary Douglas' Grid and Group theory as
outlined in Natural Symbols) to try to understand some of the
issues in organisational culture.

Masking the Need for Cultural Change: the Effects of Emotion

Structuration by Jamie L. Callahan looks at the importance of
addressing the issues of emotion in organisational life.

Symbols in Organizational Culture by Anat Rafaeli and Monica

Worline explores the importance of symbols in organisational life.
"We refer to symbols as visible, physical manifestations of
organizations and indicators of organizational life." They argue
that symbols both reflect organisational culture and trigger
internalised values and norms. They also provide a frame for
conversations about experience as well as integrators of
organisational systems of meaning.

The Use of Organizational Culture and Structure to Guide Strategic

Behavior: An ënformation Processing Perspective by John O'Neill,
Laura Beauvais & Richard Scholl, "presents a descriptive model
explaining the roles and relationships of organizational culture and
organizational structure in guiding employee behavior toward
strategic objectives. Using an information-processing view, we
propose that organizational culture and structure direct the
behavior of employees through the reduction of uncertainty and
equivocality. Furthermore, we propose that differing levels of
both cultural and structural influences are implemented in
different organizational types based on the level of skill,
originality, and training required of the tasks being performed by
members of the organization, and based on the geographical
dispersion of the employees themselves. We present the concept
of the ´cosmopolis,µ which is an organization rich in both cultural
and structural elements. ëmplications for both research and
managerial practice are discussed."

Culture & Marketing [Return]

An Empirical ënvestigation ënto the ëmpact of Organizational

Culture and Marketing Strategy on Firm Performance by Thomas
baker & Jon Hawes, "presents a conceptual discussion of the fit
between organizational culture and marketing strategy and a study
undertaken to determine the type of culture and strategy which
should befit together in order to achieve optimal organizational
performance."

The ëntegration of ënternal Marketing ënto the Organizational

Culture of Service Firms by Tracy Suter notes that, "The purpose
of this paper is to show how internal marketing can impact the
culture of an organization. The role of internal marketing is to
develop an organizational culture based on quality customer
service at every level of the organization."

Culture & the ëndividual [Return]

Culture is created by the interactions between individuals.

ëndividuals are affected by the culture. The relationship between
the two needs careful study.

Personality Traits and Workplace Culture by Mark Mallinger and Ileana

Rizescu offers some thoughts on the relationship between the individual
and organisational culture. The describe the Integrated Cultural
Framework, which contains six dimensions.

ëndividual Personality And Organizational Culture Or "Let's Change

This Place So ë Feel More Comfortable" by Gerald Barkdoll explores
the hypothesis that individuals (particularly organizational leaders)
attempt to change the culture of their organizations to fit their
own personality preferences.

ënternational Culture ëssues [Return]

Differing national cultures can have a big effect on international

mergers or joint ventures.

Reinventing Organizational Culture Across ënternational

Boundaries by Wellford Wilms, Deone Zell & Dennis Cuneo looks at
a successful joint venture between General Motors and Toyota.

Culture & History [Return]

Organizational Culture and Business History by Michael Rowlinson

& Stephen Proctor offers a critique of different approaches to
culture and looks at the role of of view of history in writings on
the subject.

Going further afield: [Return]

Unrelated to organisational life is Richard Seel's Birth Rite, an

article which suggests some links between common ritual practices
and a form of depression.

One culture-related topic which is quite well represented on the

web is memetics - the study of 'memes', a term coined by Richard
Dawkins to denote the 'gene of culture', that is the hypothetical
building blocks of culture which may behave analogously to genes
in biology.

Because we see the notion of paradigm as important to the

understanding of culture, we've included a little about the idea.

A select bibliography on organisational culture [Return]

Cameron, Kim S. & Quinn, Robert E. 1999, Diagnosing and

Changing Organizational Culture: Based on the Competing Values
ñramework. Reading, Mass: Addison Wesley.

Cray, David & Mallory, Geoffrey R. 1998, Making Sense of

Managing Culture. London: ënternational Thompson Business Press.

Cronk, Lee 1999, That Complex Whole: Culture and the Evolution
of Human Behaviour. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.

Deal, Terrence & Kennedy, Allan 1999, The New Corporate

Cultures: Revitalizing the Workplace After Downsizing, Mergers
and Reengineering, Perseus.

Dunbar, Robin, Knight, Chris & Power, Camilla1999, The Evolution

of Culture: An Interdisciplinary View. Edinburgh: University Press.

Frost, Peter J. et al. 1991, Reframing Organizational

Culture. Newbury Park: Sage.

Goffee, Rob & Jones, Gareth 2000, The Character of a

Corporation: How Your Company's Culture Can Make or Break
Your Business. London: HarperCollins Business.

Handy, Charles 1991, (3rd ed) Gods of Management: The Changing

Work of Organisations. London: Arrow.

Hofstede, Geert 1994, Cultures and Organizations: Intercultural

Cooperation and its Importance for Survival. London:
HarperCollins.

Hofstede, Geert 1984, Culture's Consequences: International

Differences in Work-Related Values (Abridged Edition). Beverley
Hills: Sage.

Kotter, John P. & Heskett, James L. 1992, Corporate Culture and

Performance. New York: Free Press.

Price, ëf & Shaw, Ray 1998, Shifting the Patterns: Breaching the
Memetic Codes of Corporate Performance. Chalford, Gloucs:
Management Books 2000.

Schein, Edgar H.1992, (2nd ed) Organizational Culture and

Leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Schein, Edgar H. 1999, The Corporate Culture Survival Guide:

Sense and Nonsense About Culture Change. San Francisco: Jossey-
 Bass.

Schneider, William 1994, The Reengineering Alternative: A Plan

for Making Your Current Culture Work. New York: ërwin/Mcgraw-
Hill.

Scott-Morgan, Peter 1994, The Unwritten Rules of the Game. New

York: McGraw-Hill.

Sentell, Gerald 1998, Creating Change-Capable Cultures. Alcoa,

TN: Pressmark ënternational.

Sherriton, Jacalyn & Stern, James L. 1997, Corporate Culture,

Team Culture: Removing the Hidden Barriers to Team Success.
New York: American Management Association.

Sperber, Dan 1996, Explaining Culture: A Naturalistic Approach.

London: Blackwell.

Trice, Harrison & Beyer, Janice M. 1993, The Cultures of Work

Organizations. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

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Last modified: 12th January 2008
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