L10: Current Developments Flashcards
(19 cards)
What was the impact of the pandemic & similar crises on the study of org culture?
pandemic has made it more important than ever for orgs to focus on their culture to respond effectively and successfully to challenges, conflicts, and changes
made the study of org culture focus on 3 aspects
- purpose: how do orgs maintain their sense of purpose during a crisis, and what is the impact of redefining or expanding it
- dignity: to what extent do orgs foster trust & safety for both in office & remote employees, and how does this impact them?
- agility: how does having a strong org culture influence the ability to adapt quickly during a crisis, and what roles do creativity and risk taking play in this process
what is the core insight on remote work & org culture?
Levy 2022
remote work isnt killing culture, but outdated strategies are
workers dont need physical proxoimity, they need emotional connection, meaningful work, and flexibility
cause work is increasingly more digital so instead of viewing hybrid work as a disruption to the cultural experience, leaders should see it as an opportunity to build culture differently
What are Levys 3 strategies for driving connectedness among hybrid workers?
- diffuse culture through work, not the workplace: help employees see that their value comes from their role and not their physical location (embed values & culture (like innovation) into daily tasks)
- connect through emotional proximity, not physical proximity: help to make interactions strongers & deeper (help them feel seen, feel that their work matters)
- shift from optimizing corporate culture to fostering microcultures: provide guidance, without prescribing norms & behaviours, focus on team level experiences
How can you build an org culture that supports mental health?
3 ways
cultivate an org culture that inspires outward & action oriented behaviours that improve mental health
1. encourage acts of kindness
2. promote physical exercise
3. make work meaningful
what are some current developments on analyzing culture?
- big data: new scientific approach to measure org culture (similiarity of linguistic style expressed in internal emails, content of messages among team members, how employees talk about their org on glassdoor etc). studies things like:
- cultural fit vs misfit, pros & cons of fitting in
- cognitive diversity
- effects of diversity on org performance
what is cultural fit vs misfit research?
- fit: easy collaboration, increased retention, individual benefits
- misfit: different viewpoints, challenging status quo,
- misfitting individual can adapt & contribute depending on stage of the project (so cog diversity not always good) = adaptability
what is org cultural fit vs misfit research ?
- fit: easy collaboration, increased retention, individual benefits
- misfit: different viewpoints, challenging status quo
- the misfitting individual can adapt & contribute depending on stage of the project (for ex cog diversity not always good) = adaptability
what is the practical use of cultural fit research?
- hire based on sufficient fit & ability to adapt, dont overlook misfits
- manage diversity in projects
- foster diversity in norms and beliefs, but guard a coherent set of shared beliefs
how has the term org climate changed over time?
- pre 1971: first psych lens (eg social climate, managerial climate), individual perceptions, first multidimensional measure of climate
- 1971-1985: ‘psych climate” vs “org climate”, only when perceptions are shared is there higher level climate, focused climate “for something” (like safety)
- 1986-1999: leadership as antecedent of climate, research also focused on outcomes of climate, first research on process climate
how has the term org culture changed over time?
- pre 1971: org culture not much addressed in org science literature
- 1971-1985: 1st edition of scheins book on org culture & leadership, qualitative approach, broader understanding
- 1985-1999: mainly qualitative, first attempts to integrate culture-climate, first measures
how has research on climate & culture been since 2000?
- dea to integrate climate & culture to further progress
- cross level & multi level become norm
- antecedent-climate-outcome studies
- leadership as antecedent receives lots attention
- quantitative analysis of culture, CVF deveelops
- last 15 year of climate research advanced understanding of how collective perceptions of the shared work environment drive key team & org outcomes
- practical applications for policies, practices, and behaviours that make up the climate/culture and shape important outcomes
- BUT, limited understadning of climate and culture changes over time, how and when they emerge, and how to bridge them to gain a more holistic understanding of orgs
what are the 5 basic assumptions in external adaptation?
- mission
- goals
- means
- measurement
- correction & repair
what are the 6 basic assumptions in internal integration?
- common language & categories of thought
- identity & boundaries
- power, authority, and status
- trust and openness, code of conduct
- rewards & punishments
- explain the unexplainable
what are the 6 primary embedding mechanisms?
- systematic attention (consistency, emotions)
- handling of incidents/crises
- allocation of resources
- modeling & active coaching
- remuneration & rewards allocation
- selectrion, recruitment, promotion, excommunication system
what are the 6 secondary embedding mechanisms?
- org design & structure
- systems & procedures
- ceremonies & rituals
- physical environment
- stories & legends
- formal philosophy, published vission, mission, and values
what are the 4 main contingency factors?
closed system approach, open system approach
- closed: size, tech, internal or org culture
- open: national culture
what are the key takeaways from chipotels journey?
- Culture isn’t just a slogan — it’s leadership in action.
- A strong founding culture can be a massive asset — until it isn’t. Arrogance and lack of risk management can erode trust.
- Cultural turnaround is possible but requires:
New leadership
Listening at scale
Realign values with behavior
Transparency and daily execution
what are the main finds of big data analysis?
- adaptability > fit: ppl who adapt to cultures over time perform better than those who fit at the start
- cultural misfits arent useless, they can drive innovation if they have strong internal social ties & bridge commmunication between teams (if not they are doomed)
- cog diversity helps & hurts depending on timing
- org wide culture: diversity is not chaos. interpersonal diversity (disagreements among people) is bad for efficiency, intrapersonal diversity (inds w rich, diverse views) -/ great for innovation & market value)
what is the main message from Nicols paper on the CEO of chipotels turnaround of the company?
dont reinvent your brand, refine what made people love it in the first place
- chipotel ceo re emphasized the “food w integrity” value, launched transparency campaigns & training staff to think like chefs
+ digitalized a lot of the sales
+ operational fixes
+ marketing reset
basically do what you do well even better
use culture as a lever
digital is core
