lect 6 Flashcards
(20 cards)
- Define organizational culture
Organisational culture is the accumulated shared learning of a group as it solves problems of external adaptation and internal integration, which has worked well enough to be considered valid and therefore to be taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think, feel and behave in relation to those problems. The accumulated leading is a pattern or system of beliefs, values, behavioural norms that come to be taken for granted as basic assumptions and eventually drop out of awareness
- The core characteristics of organisational culture
Stability (culture defines the group; it is a stabilizing force )
depth (culture is unconscious, taken-for-granted “truths”)
breadth (culture covers all aspects of an organisation)
patterning (or integration, culture, ties, rituals, values and behaviour)
- Explain the phases of group development to organizations
The phases are forming, storming, norming and performing
Forming (orientation phase) People come together to fulfill a task and/or reach a goals. Focus is on the ‘self’: inclusion, influence, acceptance and identity.
Storming (power or conflict phase) People in the group ‘test each other, who has influence, they are emotional about tasks and ways of working. Resistance against group identity, conflicts arise and are resolved.
Norming (affection phase) Cohesion increases, differences between group members are understood, accepted and valued. Roles and norms are determined, shared mental models are developed, task conflicts are avoided.
Performing Functional personal relations exist, effective work processes and optimal use of the various resources each brings to the group
- Analyze the role of the founder in shaping an organization
Leaders shape organisational culture by embedding their beliefs, values, and assumptions through six key mechanisms: what they focus on, how they allocate resources, how they model behaviour, respond to crises, and manage hiring and rewards. These daily actions send strong cultural signals, even if leaders aren’t fully aware of them.
In contrast, six secondary mechanisms, such as structure, routines, rituals, space, stories, and formal statements, are less powerful but can reinforce the culture if aligned with primary behaviours.
Evaluate problems of external adaptation and internal integration;
Culture forms through how organisations solve two key problems: external adaptation (survival) and internal integration (managing people).
- What is external adaptation
To survive, organisations must achieve consensus on several fundamental questions:
Mission - Groups must agree on their core mission, primary task, and manifest and latent functions. These understandings become cultural bedrocks that guide behaviour and decision-making.
Goals- These are derived from the mission and must be agreed upon to ensure coherent action. Lack of goal alignment creates conflict between subunits.
Means- The organization must agree on how to achieve its goals, through its structure, division of labor, reward systems, and authority system. These operational systems become culturally embedded routines and expectations.
Measurement - Organizations must develop shared criteria for measuring performance. Correction and Repair Strategies - Developing consensus on the appropriate remedial or repair strategies to be used if goals are not being met What is internal adaptation
- Internal adaptation
Organizations must solve six issues to manage internal human dynamics:
Language: Creating a common language and conceptual categories
Identity and boundaries: Defining group boundaries and criteria for inclusion
Authority: Reaching consensus on the distributing power, authority, and status
Trust and openness: Developing norms of relating to each other
Rewards and punishments: Defining and allocating rewards and punishments
The unexplainable: Developing concepts to explain the unexplainable
Evaluate mechanisms for shaping and developing structure and culture;
Primary embedding mechanisms - Shape culture, tools for leaders - Work simultaneously, not sequentially
Systematic attention - Consistency (not intensity!), Emotions
Handling of incidents/crises
Allocation of resources - Only (part of) available resources or also ‘borrowing, who determines targets
Modelling and active coaching
Remuneration and rewards allocation
Selection, recruitment, promotion, and excommunication system
Secondary embedding mechanisms - Must be consistent with primary mechanisms! - Reinforce and stabilise the culture of what is informally learned, or may be obstacles for change for leaders or a source of internal conflict
Second embedding mechanisms: The “indirect” tools
Organisational design and structure
Systems and procedures
Ceremonies and rituals
Physical environment
Stories and legends
Formal philosophy, published vision, mission and values
- Understand the development of thinking about Organisational structure over the past 150 years
Craft Form (Pre-19th century): Skilled artisans, informal coordination.
Industrial Revolution (Late 19th century): Shift to large-scale production.
Scientific Management / Taylorism (Early 20th century): Focus on efficiency; workers seen as lazy and motivated only by money.
Classical Theories (Fayol, Weber): Emphasis on formal hierarchy, bureaucracy, and rules.
Human Relations Movement (1920s–30s): Recognition of social and psychological factors (e.g., Hawthorne studies).
Contingency Theory (Mid-20th century): No one-size-fits-all; best structure depends on specific internal and external factors.
Modern Approaches (Late 20th century): Concepts like holacracy and flatter structures respond to technological and social changes.
- Evaluate dimensions of organisational structure
Three Dimensions of Formal Structure
Complexity:
Horizontal: Specialization across departments or roles.
Vertical: Layers of hierarchy.
Spatial: Physical or geographical spread of operations.
Formalization:
Degree to which rules, procedures, and job descriptions are written and enforced.
Involves codification (documentation) and compliance (adherence).
Centralization:
The degree to which decision-making authority is concentrated at the top.
Affects how strategic or day-to-day decisions are made and who is empowered to act.
- Contingency factors of organisational structure
closed-systems approach, which focuses on internal organisational elements
Size Effect
– Assumes that the internal structure of an organization (e.g., bureaucracy, hierarchy) is primarily determined by its size, without considering external pressures.
Technology Effect
– Suggests that the type of technology used (e.g., routine vs. non-routine tasks) strictly determines the organization’s structure and processes, independent of environmental context.
an open-systems approach, which emphasizes external environmental factors
Social pressure from the environment, Institutional Theory → formal structures can get ‘halo’, External demands (e.g. government regulations), Environmental issues
National culture (and industry/professional culture)
T or F
External adaptation refers to solving problems that refer to adjustments on how member collaborate with one another.
f
T or F
Primary embedding mechanisms are tools that leaders have to directly shape and embed culture.
T
T or F
Formalization – Codification refers to sticking to something, whereas compliance refers to the whether rules and processes are written down.
F
T or F
Contingency factors of organizational structure are the things that influence how an organization should be set up or structured.
T
A small startup team with a shared vision to create
the most ethical AI colleagues is currently
experiencing tensions about the definition of
“ethical.”
According to Tuckman’s model of group development,
which stage is this team most likely in?
abc
Given: Tolbert and Hall (2015) provide an overview of how organizational structure has been viewed over time. An important development in the field of theorizing about organizational structure is contingency theory.
Question: Which of the following principles is an example of the tenets of contingency theory regarding organizational structure?
a The principle that there is no universally applicable ideal organizational structure.
b The principle that a clear and established hierarchy is necessary in an organization.
c The principle that employees should be selected on the basis of their qualities.
a This is more or less the definition of contingency theory in relation to organizational structure. Contingency theory holds that what the most effective structure is for an organization will depend on several organizational and/or environmental factors.
abc
Given: The organizational structure of Grow B.V. is characterized by a high degree of horizontal complexity and decentralization.
Question: What problems can Grow expect, based on the advantages and disadvantages of structure dimensions as described in Tolbert and Hall (2015)?
a Increased role ambiguity and role conflict
b Reduced efficiency and less innovation
c Control and coordination problems
c High horizontal complexity means that employees have highly specialized tasks, Decentralization means that relatively important decisions are made by various people in the organization. This can make it harder to ensure that activities are well coordinated and it can make it harder to control outcomes.
abc
Given: One of the founding fathers in the field of theorizing about organizational structure is Max Weber (Tolbert & Hall, 2015).
Question: Who of the following leaders seems MOST inspired by Weber’s ideas about optimal organizational structure?
a Polly Brown is general manager of a medium-sized family business. She is retiring soon, and wants her eldest daughter to succeed her as general manager.
b Paul Green is a manager of a bakery company. When he started as manager, he ensured that all tasks and procedures in the company were recorded in detailed job descriptions.
c Pete White owns 5 different companies. He has set up a separate organizational structure for each of his companies that best suits the product and market of the company in question.
b Max Weber’s 5 principles are: Division of labor - Hierarchy of authority - Written rules/documents - Separation home and office - Appointment on qualifications
Paul clearly feels that Max Weber is right that written rules and documents contribute to organizational performance.
abc
Given: Schein and Schein (2017) argue that organizational culture relates to shared assumptions in the area of internal integration and in that of external adaptation.
Question: Which description compares the cultures of the two organizations with respect to assumptions primarily in the area of internal integration?
a Electronics company A and Electronics company B both produce consumer electronics. Both companies are in the middle of an organizational change process. Company A is reformulating its mission, whereas Company B is revising its short- and long-term plans.
b Beer producer A and Beer producer B have launched a new type of white beer, but neither proves to be a success. Therefore, in company A the responsible manager is replaced internally, while in company B the marketing strategy is adjusted.
c University A and University B are the same size and are active in the same fields. At University A, employees who have been working there the longest are the most influential, but at University B, employees with the most scientific publications are the most influential.
c
