Chapter 2: The Environment And Corporate Culture Flashcards
(34 cards)
Adaptability culture
Emerges in an environment that requires fast response and high risk decision making. Managers encourage values that support the company’s ability to rapidly detect, interpret, and translate signals from the environment into new behaviors.
Achievement culture
Suited to organizations concerned with serving specific customers in the external environment, but without the intense need for flexibility and rapid change. Values competitiveness, aggressiveness, personal initiative, cost cutting and willingness to work long and hard to achieve results
Boundary-Spanning Roles
Link to and coordinate the organization with key elements in the external environment.
Serves two purposes: they detect and process information about changes in the environment, and they represent the organizations interests to the environment.
Business intelligence
Results from using sophisticated software to search through large amounts of internal and external data to spot patterns, trends, and relationships that might be significant.
Ceremonies
Planned activities at special events, to reinforce company values.
Competitive intelligence
Activities designed to get as much information as possible about ones rivals.
Competitors
Organizations in the same industry or type of business that provide goods or services to the same set of customers.
Consistency culture
Uses an internal focus and a consistency orientation for a stable environment. Following the rules and being thrifty are valued, and the culture supports and rewards a methodical, rational, orderly way of doing things
Cultural leader
Defines and uses signals and symbols to influence corporate culture.
Culture
The set of key values, beliefs, understandings, and the norms shared by members of an organization.
Customers
Those people and organizations in the environment that acquire goods or services from the organization.
Economic dimension
Represents the general economic health of the country or region in which the organization operates. Consumer purchasing power, the unemployment rate, and interest rates are part of an organizations economic environment.
Environmental uncertainty
Means that managers do not have sufficient information about environmental factors to understand and predict environmental needs and changes.
General environment
Affects organizations indirectly. It includes social, economic, legal-political, international, natural, and technological factors that influence all organizations about equally.
Greenfield venture
The most risky type of direct investment, in which a company builds a subsidiary in a foreign country.
Hero
A figure who exemplifies the deeds, character, and attributes of a strong culture. They are role models for employees to follow.
Internal environment
The elements within the organizations boundaries. Composed of current employees, management, and especially corporate culture, which defines employee behavior and how well the organization will adapt in the external environment.
International dimension
Part of the external environment, includes events originating in foreign countries, as well as new opportunities for US companies in other countries.
Interorganizational partnerships
Reduce boundaries and increase collaboration with other organizations.
Involvement culture
Emphasizes an internal focus on the involvement and participation of employees to adapt rapidly to changing needs from the environment. This culture places high value on meeting the needs of employees, and the organization may be characterized by a caring, family-like atmosphere.
Labor market
Represents people in the environment who can be hired to work for the organization.
Legal-political dimension
Includes government regulations at the local, state, and federal levels, as well as political activities designed to influence company behavior.
Merger
Occurs when two or more organizations combine to become one.
Natural dimension
Includes all elements that occur naturally on earth, including plants, animals, rocks, and resources such as air, water, and climate