ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE

What Is Organizational Culture?

Organizational Culture
A common perception held by the organizations members; a system of shared meaning. Characteristics:
1. Innovation and risk taking 2. Attention to detail 3. Outcome orientation 4. People orientation 5. Team orientation 6. Aggressiveness

7. Stability

Do Organizations Have Uniform Cultures?

Dominant Culture Expresses the core values that are shared by a majority of the organizations members.

Subcultures Minicultures within an organization, typically defined by department designations and geographical separation.

Do Organizations Have Uniform Cultures? (contd)

Core Values The primary or dominant values that are accepted throughout the organization.

Strong Culture A culture in which the core values are intensely held and widely shared.

What Do Cultures Do?

Cultures Functions:
1. Defines the boundary between one organization and others. 2. Conveys a sense of identity for its members. 3. Facilitates the generation of commitment to something larger than self-interest.

4. Enhances the stability of the social system.

5. Serves as a sense-making and control mechanism for fitting employees in the organization.

Culture As A Liability

Culture as a Liability:
1. Barrier to change. 2. Barrier to diversity

3. Barrier to acquisitions and mergers

Barriers To Change
When the shared or core values are not aligned with the organizations future objectives. Rapid environment change would be happening but culture followed by the organization does not support it.

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Barriers To Diversity
When new employees are from different race, age gender and culture, a paradox is created.

Management wants them to get adapted at the same time they want to acknowledge the differences that they make in the work place.

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How Employees Learn Culture

Stories

Rituals
Material Symbols Language

Creating An Ethical Organizational Culture

Characteristics of Organizations that Develop High Ethical Standards
High tolerance for risk Low to moderate in aggressiveness Focus on means as well as outcomes

Managerial Practices Promoting an Ethical Culture

Being a visible role model. Communicating ethical expectations. Providing ethical training. Rewarding ethical acts and punishing unethical ones. Providing protective mechanisms.

Creating a Customer-Responsive Culture

Key Variables Shaping Customer-Responsive Cultures
1. The types of employees hired by the organization. 2. Low formalization: the freedom to meet customer service requirements. 3. Empowering employees with decision-making discretion to please the customer. 4. Good listening skills to understand customer messages. 5. Role clarity that allows service employees to act as boundary spanners. 6. Employees who engage in organizational citizenship behaviors.

Creating a Customer-Responsive Culture (contd)

Managerial Actions :

Select new employees with personality and attitudes consistent with high service orientation.
Train and socialize current employees to be more customer focused. Change organizational structure to give employees more control.

Empower employees to make decision about their jobs.

Spirituality and Organizational Culture

Workplace Spirituality The recognition that people have an inner life that nourishes and is nourished by meaningful work that takes place in the context of the community. Characteristics:
Strong sense of purpose Focus on individual development Trust and openness Employee empowerment Toleration of employee expression

Characteristic of spiritual origination

1.Strong sense of purpose. Build their cultures around a meaningful purpose.

People want to be inspired by a purpose they believe is important & worthwhile.

2.Trust & respect.

Spiritual orgn.. are characterized by mutual trust honesty, & openness.

We are specific & honest about quality & suitability of the product for customers needs even if we know they might not be able to detect any problem.

Cont..
3.Humanistic work practices. These practices embraced by spiritual organization include flexible work schedules . Group and organization-based reward narrowing of pay & status differentials guarantees of Individual worker rights employee empowerment & job security. 4.Toleration of employee expression . They dont stifle employee emotions They allow people to be themselves to express their moods and feelings without guilt or fear of reprimand.

Reasons for the Growing Interest in Spirituality

As a counterbalance to the pressures and stress of a turbulent pace of life and the lack of community many people feel and their increased need for involvement and connection. Formalized religion hasnt worked for many people. Job demands have made the workplace dominant in many peoples lives, yet they continue to question the meaning of work. The desire to integrate personal life values with ones professional life. An increasing number of people are finding that the pursuit of more material acquisitions leaves them unfulfilled.

GLOBAL IMPLICATIONS.
Show how national culture may affect the way organizational culture is transported to a different country. The management of ethical behavior is one area where national culture can rub up against corporate culture. Organizational cultures often reflect national cultures .the culture at Air Asia a Malaysia-based airline, emphasizes informal dressing so as not to create status differences. Ex:1)India is quickly emerging as a dominant force in business. company's such as Infosys, Tata steel, Wipro ,Tcs and etc

How Organizational Cultures Have an Impact on Performance and Satisfaction