The phrase, organizational culture gained prominence in the 1980s when Japan’s manufacturing successes became legendary. Those successes gave credence to organizational behavior and U.S. companies paid attention. Culture in the workplace captured the imagination and competition forced corporations to include the concept into their operations.
Definitions
Using the idea of culture, management authors, Edgar H. Schein, Gareth Morgan, and Charles Handy proffered that organizational culture is the way in which a group of employees behave. The authors’ definitions were similar. They each emphasized that the term reflected a group’s unique way of getting things done.
Schein, author of Organizational culture and leadership defined organizational culture as the natural artifacts, espoused values and basic assumptions by which organizations function. He indicated that new recruits become members when they are indoctrinated with the organization’s ideas of how to behave.
Gareth Morgan, the author of Images of organizations suggested that organizational culture is the beliefs, values, and norms, together with symbols, events and personalities unique to a group’s behaviors. Morgan described norms as traditions, structure of authority, or routines. He stated that the organization instills their beliefs into the group before the group can truly be successful.
Charles Handy’s explanation went further than the other authors. His text, Gods of Management offered four typologies of culture for recognizing organizational practices.
Four Typologies
Handy defined the four cultural typologies as, Power, Role, Task, and Person. He postulated that the typologies reflect the organization’s needs and constraints for its operations.
The Power culture typology depicts that power radiates from the center like a web and engulfs the organization’s as a whole instead of multiple single pieces. Handy indicated that the Power culture represents a family business or other businesses where power is concentrated within a small circle of individuals.
The Role culture suggests authority is dictated by hierarchy. Specifically defined job descriptions are handed down from the top where decisions are made and the defined descriptions control the organization’s activities. Personal initiative is not an attribute in the Role culture.
The Tasks culture is about expertise where expert power is revered. Examples are research and development organizations. These organizations’ tasks are technically challenging, they work cross-functionally and the work generates dynamic interaction and intellect among the departments’ experts.
The Person culture is typical of self-help groups or partnerships. In this type of culture the group sees themselves as having the expertise for managing the organization. They reject formal hierarchies of management control or reporting structures. Members in the Person culture usually worked to sufficiently meet the goals and needs of their other members.
Understanding Organizations
The authors, Schein, Morgan, and Handy provide a fundamental base of information for individuals to assess the culture of their distinctive organizations. What are the organization’s core values and are they in accordance with the individual’s.
Furthermore, organizational culture is more profound than just, “This is the way things are done here”. The culture of the organization is its core value of beliefs and what it holds dear. For example, a culture that makes decisions by divine decree will be fundamentally difference from one that depends on technical information, science, or a set of predetermined facts.
For organizational success it is critical that members understand the organization’s nature and values. To know and understand those values require careful observation and specific questions.
Observe how information is disseminated. Is the organization a rumor hill, or is it a gossip house? Do the rumors eventually become official? Is the gossip harmful or is it ignored? What is the diversity considering age, ethnicity, gender, or nationality? Is it family friendly? Is it health friendly, is education encouraged, and how are pay and promotions handled? While it may be difficult to fully discern an organization’s nature these are example questions to help employees assess the value of the group where they are members.
If the organization’s culture does not fit the employee’s core values, navigation will be difficult. Of course, some cultures will be puzzling. However, what an individual can observe and analyze they can affect. Whether new members or long term professionals, the analysis will provide clearer insights into the organization’s values. The new perspective will highlight the individual’s organizational status and help them evaluate if it is a good fit for their future benefits.
Sources:
- Ethnic Diversity. (2010). Corporate Culture and Diversity. Retrieved August 27, 2010
- Ghobadian, A. & O’Regan, N. (2002). The link between culture, strategy and performance in manufacturing SMEs (small-to-medium enterprises). Journal of General Management, 28(1), 16.
- Gill, R. (2003). Change management –or change leadership? Journal of Change Management, 3(4), 307.
- Handy, C. (1995). Gods of Management: The changing work of organizations. Oxford University Press, US
- Morgan, G. (1998). Images of organization: The executive edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications Inc.
- Schein, E. H. (1996). Three cultures of management: The key to organizational learning. Sloan Management Review, 38(1), 9.
- Schein, E. H. (2004). Organizational culture and leadership 3rd ed. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers
- ten Bos, R. & Willmott, H. (2001). Towards a post-dualistic business ethics: Interweaving reason and emotion in working life. Journal of Management Studies, 38(6), 769-793.
Euston Henry - Euston Michael Henry is a management consultant for small and medium businesses; he is an avid reader and freelance writer with interest ...
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