Until class last week, I never gave much thought to an organization’s culture, or to what cultures I belonged. One organization came to mind – Oglebay Park, a recreation and tourism organization continually present in my life for a long time. I worked part-time at Oglebay Park for seven years. Through those seven years, I worked in many departments and met a wide range of people. Now that I learned about Organizational Culture, I can analyze Oblebay Park and apply a few proper terms to describe this culture. Some applicable terms include: observable artifacts, espoused and enacted values, and competing values framework, each from the text for our class.
The first observable artifact that comes to my mind – probably the one that comes to mind for all who work at Oglebay Park – the dark green golf shirt that all personnel outside the Golf and Lodge Department have to wear. These shirts can be seen from a mile away and have the familiar Oglebay Park logo on the right breast. These shirts get the job done in distinguishing an individual as an employee of the park. The Golden Pickle award, which the Park has recently started, can be used as another example of an observable artifact. The Golden Pickle can be interpreted for exactly what it sounds like – a little metal golden pickle pin that an employee puts on their green golf shirt. The Golden Pickle award comes from a customer services training in which all employees participate. An Oglebay Park employee receives a golden pickle for exceptional customer service. Customers or managers nominate employees to win the award. In addition to receiving a golden pickle, the company reports the employee’s name, and the reason for their nomination, in the company newsletter.
The next terms include espoused values and enacted values. Organizations declare espoused values and favor those values highly. As a reader can see from the