LOC 9 Flashcards
(5 cards)
Current and Future State of Organizational Culture Research
Culture is no longer seen as purely shared values imposed from the top down.
Two main perspectives:
Collective Meaning – culture as shared understanding that provides structure.
Toolkit – culture as a flexible set of resources individuals use strategically.
Future research integrates both: culture is dynamic, shaped through interactions and digital tools.
Emphasis is shifting toward how culture evolves in digital contexts (e.g., platform-based work, AI systems).
Understand the theoretical perspective of digital organizational cultures
The Collective Meaning Perspective
Culture is seen as shared values, assumptions, and norms that guide behavior.
Emphasizes stability, consistency, and integration within organizations.
Culture shapes employee perceptions and actions by providing a common frame of reference.
It’s often linked to top-down cultural transmission.
The Toolkit Perspective
Culture is understood as a set of resources (e.g., symbols, norms, practices) that individuals draw on strategically.
Emphasizes agency and variation—different groups and individuals use culture differently.
Focuses on practice rather than shared meaning.
More suitable for analyzing fragmented and fluid cultures, especially relevant in digital work.
The Integrated Perspective (Slide 12)
Combines both previous views:
Recognizes that culture can provide shared meanings and still be used flexibly.
Suggests culture can constrain and enable behavior at the same time.
Especially relevant in digital contexts where culture is shaped both by shared digital infrastructures and individual usage practices.
Useful for analyzing how organizational culture evolves with digital technologies, balancing structure and flexibility.
Four Digital Cultural Archetypes + Cultural Resources
Digital Clan – Collaborate, mentor, shared learning (e.g., coaching platforms).
Digital Adhocracy – Create, innovate, risk-take (e.g., idea-sharing tools).
Digital Market – Compete, achieve goals (e.g., analytics dashboards).
Digital Hierarchy – Control, structure, efficiency (e.g., ERP systems).
Use matching digital resources to reinforce each archetype’s values.
Evaluate the psychological impact of robot implementation at work
Robot exposure increases perceived job insecurity—even without direct job loss.
This insecurity leads to maladaptive behaviors like knowledge hiding and lower cooperation.
Effects were shown across U.S., Singapore, and India (Yam et al., 2023).
Psychological interventions like self-affirmation reduce insecurity by reinforcing self-worth.
Organizations must support psychological safety alongside technological change.
Compare the opportunities and challenges of AI-driven changes on organizational cultures and understand how organizations can move forward
Opportunities: increased productivity, real-time data insights, personalized services, new innovation models.
Challenges: resistance to change, ethical concerns, unclear communication, talent gaps.
AI affects not just tasks but norms, identities, and values—requires cultural alignment.
Moving forward: combine transparency, skill development, participatory leadership, and culture transformation efforts (Murire et al., 2024).
