Organisational Culture Flashcards
Organisational Culture
“The collection of traditions, values, policies, beliefs and attitudes that constitute a pervasive context for everything we do and think in an organisation.”
-A McLean and J Marshall
Primary Characteristics of Organisational Culture
- Innovation and risk taking
- Attention to detail
- Outcome Orientation
- People Orientation
- Team Orientation
- Agressiveness/ Competitiveness
- Stability
Edgar Schein’s Culture Levels
Schein’s Culture Iceberg or triangle provides a framework for understanding the visible and unseen aspects of an organisations culture.
Layers of Schein’s Iceberg
- Artefacts or Surface Manifestations: the most visible aspects of organisational culture (ie. dresscode, observable behaviours, physical workspace)
- Espoused Values : the stated values, mission, and philosophies that the organization explicitly communicates. These are the values the company says are important (not readily observable)
- Basic Assumptions : represents the underlying, often unconscious, values, beliefs, and assumptions that shape how things get done within the organization. (invisible)
Chracteristics of Organisational culture
Culture is:
- Learnt
- Both an input and an output
- Partly Unconscious
- Historically Based
- Heterogeneous ( can vary according to groupings or departments)
Origin Points of Organisational Culture
- Founders of the company
- Experience with the environment
- Contact between groups/individuals in the organisation
Williams, Dobson & Walter (1989) Culture Types
- Hierarchical Culture: Strong focus on authority, rules, and bureaucracy. Decisions flow from the top down.
- Individualistic Culture: Values independence, achievement, and personal recognition. Employees compete for success.
- Integrative Culture: Harmony and teamwork are emphasized. Decisions are made collaboratively.
- Supportive Culture: Focuses on employee well-being and creating a positive work environment.
Charles Handy’s Culture Types
- Power Culture: Centralized leadership, decisive and results-oriented. Focuses on efficiency and dominating the market.
- Role Culture: Structured and bureaucratic. Clear roles, rules, and procedures guide behavior.
- Task Culture: Flexible and project-based. Teams form around specific tasks and disband when complete.
- Person Culture: Focuses on individual expertise and development. Loose structure with independent entrepreneurs working within the organization.
Wallach’s (1983) Culture Types
- Bureaucratic Culture: Focuses on following rules, procedures, and maintaining order. Decisions are made cautiously and slowly to avoid mistakes.
- Supportive Culture: Values employee well-being, cooperation, and creating a positive work environment. People are helpful and trusting.
- Innovative Culture: Encourages creativity, risk-taking, and new ideas. The environment is dynamic and fast-paced.
Graves’ (1970s) Culture Levels
Graves’ Spiral Dynamics is a complex model outlining levels of human development that can also be applied to organizational cultures.
- Ethnocentric (Tribal): Strong in-group loyalty and conformity to group norms.
- Egocentric (Egocentric): Focus on individual needs and power.
- Sociocentric (Collaborative): Values cooperation, teamwork, and meeting social needs.
Imporatance of Organisational Culture
- Aids effective organisational performance
- Reduces complexity and uncertainty
- Provides consistency in outlook and values
- Aids decision making, co-ordination and control
The Goffee and Jones contingency framework
Describes the two basic dimensions of how people relate to one another
1. SOCIABILITY - the degree of friendliness between members of a community or group
2. SOLIDARITY - the degree of collectiveness in the relationships between people
Pros and Cons of High Sociability
Pros:
* Strong sense of community and belonging
* Improved communication and collaboration
* Increased creativity and knowledge sharing
* Positive and supportive work environment
Cons:
* Difficulty making critical decisions due to groupthink
* Pressure to conform and avoid conflict
* Less focus on individual accountability
* Potential for social loafing (reduced individual effort)
Pros and Cons of High Solidarity
Pros:
* Strong sense of shared goals and commitment
* Increased trust and cooperation among team members
* Effective problem-solving through collective action
* High morale and motivation due to shared purpose
Cons:
* Limited openness to new ideas or perspectives
* Resistance to change or innovation
* Difficulty integrating diverse viewpoints
* Potential for groupthink and overlooking potential risks
The Double S Cube
A model for understanding the dimensions of the Goffee and Jones contingency framework. The Double S Cube helps identify the culture types based on combinations of high/low sociability and solidarity
