...Running head: ASSESSING ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE 1 Assessing Organizational Culture Aaron L. Bedingfield Southern Nazarene University - T-51 Master in Business Administration T 51 BADM 6123 Organizational Communications Professor, Rebecca Marks-Jimerson (Ruth) ASSESSING ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE Assessing Organizational Culture In the life of any healthy organization there are always times that the culture must be examined and pronounced healthy, or correctly diagnosed for change. Typically the first 2 assessment a potential employee goes through is the general culture check, to see if they are a fit for the culture of the organization. Most often where this can go awry is when the organizational culture is unclear, incorrectly defined, or has no real stability. These types of cultures tend to morph constantly based on moods or fads. What most organizations do is attempt to capture the culture and describe it in written details. Organizations do this by distilling their beliefs and ideals into corporate policies and procedure manuals, which are commonly referred to as employee handbooks. The “Employee Handbook” now becomes the main purveyor of the company culture to the new employee, and the mentoring and journeyman apprenticing roles that once dominated our workforces has all but disappeared. Transfer of the culture really only happens when humans interact with one another. Yes, it is good to have some written guidelines and informational understanding, but the real...
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...ASSESSING CORPORATE CULTURE 1. Scheins approach to assessing organizational culture a. Strengths of scheins approach to assessing organizational culture Schein defines and describes culture as any one of many elements of organizational culture. The culture of an organization can be viewed and treated like other structures within an organization. Certain organizations such as by-laws, committees, and chain of command flow charts, may serve to answer basic questions such as “how do we interact with the external environment?” and “how do we order ourselves internally?” As an organization responds to these questions, the responses become core assumptions. These core assumptions become the frames through which the organization interprets the world round it. In place of questionnaire or instrument that utilizes typologies, Schein prefers clinical research model of assessing organizational culture. In this model of organizational culture investigation, the researcher gets much more directly involved within the organization by acting as participant observer or ethnographer. He suggests that members of the organization will more openly respond to the researcher and the investigation because the members of the organization think they have something to gain by collaborating with the researcher. Schein believes that valid data on the culture of the organization will only be collected when the researcher is perceived as the consultant who is seeking to help the organization and...
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...1. Define organizational culture and discuss its three layers. Organizational culture represents the shared assumptions that a group holds. It influences employees' perceptions and behavior at work. The three layers of organizational culture include observable artifacts, espoused values, and basic assumptions. Artifacts are the physical manifestations of an organization's culture. Espoused values represent the explicitly stated values and norms that are preferred by an organization. Basic underlying assumptions are unobservable and represent the core of organizational culture. 2. Discuss the difference between espoused and enacted values. Espoused values represent the explicitly stated values and norms that are preferred by an organization. Enacted values, in contrast, reflect the values and norms that actually are exhibited or converted into employee behavior. Employees become cynical when management espouses one set of values and norms and then behaves in an inconsistent fashion. Chapter Scan Corporate cultures provide identifying characteristics and values for organizational members to appreciate and learn. Cultures are distinguished by artifacts, values, and basic assumptions. The socialization process is the entry stage in an organization that provides clues about its culture. Cultures are difficult to change, yet change is necessary in some instances for survival. Organizations need an adaptive culture in order to respond effectively to the...
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...including motivating and rewarding employees; communicating and making effective decisions; evaluating group and team behavior; assessing their organizational structure and determining its effectiveness, assessing its leadership and determining its effectiveness; and evaluating alternative methods to managing change in the newly designed organization. Successful managers must learn the importance of creating functional and effective structures, processes, and understanding and managing the human side of the organization as this will enable people to effectively work together to achieve agreed upon goals. Therefore, this integrated term-long case is designed to give you an opportunity to design an effective organization. After reading and responding to the case questions, students should be able to: * Assess an organization’s mission statement and tie said mission to the organization’s goals. * Evaluate an organization’s culture and suggest a culture that promotes creativity. * Identify the factors responsible for creating and transmitting organizational culture and for getting it to change. * Identify and suggest effective techniques for motivating employees. * Suggest and describe some of the steps needed to manage diversity in the workforce and their effectiveness. * Explain the basic characteristics of organizational structure (i.e. hierarchy of authority, division of labor, span of control, line versus staff, and decentralization). * Evaluate...
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...study or Model of Cultural Dimensions is “how values in the workplace are influenced by culture.” From 1967 to 1973 Prof. Hofstede collected and analyzed data base of employees value scores. Actually this data was collected by IBM from more than 70 countries. The total number of countries was divided into 3 parts to make the analysis easy. In first part they considered largest 40 countries to analyze data. Then he extended the analysis to remaining 40 countries and 3 regions. Based on IBM study replications and extensions, international population and cultural factors includes 74 countries for Prof. Geert Hofstede’s ranking scores from 2001. The four primary Dimensions of Hofstede’s Model to assist in differentiating cultures are: Power Distance – PDI, Individualism – IDV, Masculinity – MAS, and Uncertainty Avoidance – UAI Additional fifth Dimension developed after study with Chinese employees and managers and applied for 23 countries- Based on Confucian dynamism (Long-Term Orientation – LTO) The dimensions are related to the other country, cultural, and religious paradigms. About Hofstede (Small Biography) Name: Gerard Hendrik Hofstede Dutch organizational sociologist Studied: the interactions between national cultures and organizational cultures Date of Birth: 3 October 1928 Place of Birth: Haarlem Work: Author of several books including Culture’s Consequences and Cultures and Organizations, Software of the Mind, co-authored with his son Gert Jan Hofstede Hofstede’s...
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...ANALYSIS OF THE CULTURE OF AN ORGANIZATION The Student’s Name The Name of the Class Professor The Name of the University The city and State where it is Located The Date Contents 1.0 Background to the Organization...........................................................................................4 2.0 Theoretical Framework.........................................................................................................5 3.0 Discussion of Central Topic..................................................................................................8 4.0 Conclusions and Recommendations.....................................................................................13 References..................................................................................................................................14 List of Figures Fig: 2.0 Diagrammatic representations of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions...............................7 AN ANALYSIS OF THE CULTURE OF AN ORGANIZATION 1.0 Background to the Organization Organization culture is a predominant aspect of an organization’s internal environment Azhar (2003). Culture, to some extent, influences performance and efficiency in an organization Rousseau (2000). Every organization has its unique culture that differs from that of other corporate Schein (2004). For purposes of this report I chose IKEA group, I will conduct an in-depth analysis of its culture using the appropriate...
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...extraordinary workplace is "organizational culture." We define organizational culture as the set of shared beliefs, truths, assumptions, and values that operate in organizations. Organizational culture has been described as "How people behave when no one is looking." We spend more than 8 hours at work each day. Most of us spend more time at work than we do with families. Everyone needs an enjoyable, meaningful and engaging work environment. A strong organizational culture will attract many talented people. Organizational culture is the first thing that prospective employees consider when assessing an organization. The talent market is tighter and those looking for a new organization are more selective than ever. Talented people not only needs good salary and benefit, but also a good environment that they can enjoy and succeed in. What’ more, a strong organizational culture will help you to solve a tough problem when facing a crisis. For example, Toyota found some potential safety hazard of their cars, but they didn’t recall these cars because of enormous repair costs. Unfortunately, many people died in an accident due to this potential safety hazard. If Toyota has a strong organizational culture, they will recall these defective cars as soon as possible without regard to the repair costs. And what would they got is “public praise”—the most important thing for a company. There is no doubt that organizational culture is very important. The organizational culture will urge you to think...
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...Organisational Culture Assignment 1 Organisational Climate and Culture: Untangling the nomological net Within recent decades, the study of previously well documented organisational conditions has become somewhat less transparent. Particularly, the research documenting organisational culture and organisational climate seem to contradict earlier methods and findings regarding these concepts, thereby creating an apparent similarity between two previously distinct notions (Denison, 1996). This paper aims to assess the concepts of culture and climate while addressing the similarities and differences between the two. Secondly, it will be determined whether these two concepts are fundamentally different or inherently the same, and the implications of this determination will be discussed. Throughout the documentation of early cultural perspectives, the distinction between organisational climate and culture was seemingly quite distinct (Denison, 1996). This was confirmed by Schwartz and Davis (1981, p. 32) when they explained that, “whatever culture is, it is not climate.” A clear distinction was found in the methodology used to assess each domain. In order to study culture, researchers employed qualitative research methods, while maintaining the view that cultures were subjective and distinctive within each organisational setting (Denison, 1996). Comparatively, the dominant method of studying organisational climate was quantitatively based with the primary purpose of generalising...
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... Should you reorganize the corporate structure? Or try to change the prevailing culture? And why does one organization seem to thrive on a certain corporate structure or type of work, while another struggles to make a profit? The answer lies in understanding the key causes or drivers of performance and the relationship between them. The Congruence Model, first developed by David A Nadler and M L Tushman in the early 1980s, provides a way of doing just this. It's a powerful tool for finding out what's going wrong with a team or organization, and for thinking about how you can fix it. Understanding the Tool The Congruence Model is based on the principle that an organization's performance is derived from four elements: tasks, people, structure, and culture. The higher the congruence, or compatibility, amongst these elements, the greater the performance. For example, if you have brilliant people working for you, but your organization's culture is not a good fit for the way they work, their brilliance will not shine through. Likewise, you can have the latest technology and superbly streamlined processes to support decision making, but if the organizational culture is highly bureaucratic, decisions will undoubtedly still get caught in the quagmire. To avoid this type of incongruence, the Congruence Model offers a systematic way to consider the root elements that drive organizational performance. The following diagram shows how the four critical elements relate to...
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...customer satisfaction and financial performance as well.19 (Robbins 516) organizational climate The shared perceptions organizational members have about their organization and work environment. (Robbins 516-517) Dozens of dimensions of climate have been studied, including safety, justice, diversity, and customer service.20 A person who encounters a positive climate for performance will think about doing a good job more often and will believe others support his or her success. Someone who encounters a positive climate for diversity will feel more comfortable collaborating with co-workers regardless of their demographic background. Climates can interact with one another to produce behavior. For example, a positive climate for worker empowerment can lead to higher levels of performance in organizations that also have a climate for personal accountability.21 Climate also influences the habits people adopt. If the climate for safety is positive, everyone wears safety gear and follows safety procedures even if individually they wouldn’t normally think very often about being safe—indeed, many studies have shown that a positive safety climate decreases the number of documented injuries on the job.22 (Robbins 517) Culture is valuable to employees too, because it spells out how things are done and what’s important. (Robbins 517) Two studies using different methods for operation-alizing organizational treatment have shown that when employees are treated well, they are likely...
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...Running Head: ADDRESSING ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE Operationalizing Quality Assurance in Rehabilitation Agencies: The Argument for Addressing Organizational Culture Jared C. Schultz Utah State University Russell Thelin Utah State Office of Rehabilitation Note: The authors would like to thank Dr. Larry Kontosh at West Virginia University for his feedback and direction during the development of this manuscript. Abstract The issue of Quality Assurance (QA) within the State/Federal Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) program is currently receiving significant attention. State VR agencies are increasingly developing QA plans, both to meet the requirements of the Rehabilitation Services Administration, and because of the recognized value such plans bring to program development and improvement activities. The business literature clearly indicates that a large percentage of quality initiatives fail due to the organization failing to address organizational culture change as part of the quality process (Cameron, 2006). This article provides an overview of the Competing Values Framework for organizational change, and discusses the application this paradigm to the state VR setting. Recommendations for state VR agencies to include organizational cultural change in the QA process are provided. Operationalizing Quality Assurance in Rehabilitation Agencies: The Argument for Addressing Organizational Culture The research from the business literature indicates that the majority...
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...QUESTION 1. The actions, reactions and interactions of people that constitute organizational behavior are influenced by factors. Critically evaluate five such factors. FACTORS INFLUENCING ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOUR. INTRODUCTION. Organizational behavior is a misnomer, it is not the study of how organizations behave, but rather the study of individual behavior in an organizational setting. This includes the study of how individuals behave on their own as well as how they behave in groups. The purpose of organizational behavior is to gain a greater understanding of those factors that influence group and individual dynamics in an organizational setting so that the individuals and the groups and the organizations to which they belong may become more efficient and effective. This field also includes the analysis of organizational factors that may have an influence upon individual and group behavior. There are several internal as well as external factors affecting employee behavior. Below is a critical evaluation of five such factors: Leadership Generally, leadership is the ability of a superior to influence the behavior of his subordinates to strive willingly towards achievement of set goals and objectives. Due to the involving nature of leadership as regards reconciliation of organizational goals and individual goals, Managers and leaders play an important role in influencing the behavior of individuals at workplace. It is the responsibility of leaders to set a direction...
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...UNIVERSITY OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES ACCRA THE EFFECT OF ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE ON EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE AT BARCLAYS BANK, GHANA TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Background of the Study 1 1.2 Statement of the Problem 2 1.3 Purpose of the Study 3 1.4 Objectives of the Study 3 1.5 Research Hypotheses 4 1.6 Significance of the Study 4 1.7 Scope and Organization of the Study 5 CHAPTER TWO: LITERAURE REVIEW 7 2.1 Introduction 7 2.2. Theories of Organizational culture 7 2.3 Other theories 13 2.4 Empirical Literature Review 23 2.5 Operational Definitions of Terms and Constructs 29 2.6 General Overview of the Banking Sector 30 CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY 32 3.1 Introduction 32 3.2 Design of the Study 32 3.3 Population and Sampling 33 3.4 Sources of Data 34 3.5 Study Instrument…………………………………………………………………………………………………....35 3.6 Analytical Techniques…………………………………………………………………………………………...35 3.7 Analysis of Data 34 3.8 Variables…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………36 3.8.1 Dependent Variables………………………………………………………………………………………36 CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 40 4.1 Introduction........................................................................................................40 4.2 Data presentation………………………………………………………………………………………………40 4.3 Testing of hypothesis 41 4.4 Findings 47 CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 56 5.1 Summary...
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...Management Organizational Behavior Prof. Agatep Hope Individual Assignment HE YUTIAN (Stephen) Content Page Page1----------Introduction of Apple Page2--------- Organizational culture, design, structure Page3--------- Management of conflict and motivation of employees & Conclusion Page4------- Recommendation& Referencing List If there is a survey about which business you believe is the most valuable and has most revolutionary influence on the society last ten years, it must be true that most of the people will choose Apple. From some professional evaluation about Apple, it describes Apple as an enterprise which has ability to take over the world one bite at a time and is already doing it. As of July 2011, Apple is the largest publicly traded company in the world by market capitalization with 357 retail stores in ten countries and 60,400 permanent full-time employees and 2,900 temporary full-time employees around the world. (Profile: Apple Inc, n.d.)At the same time, its revenue and profit is more than Google and Microsoft combined, and its annual revenue is totaled $65 billion in 2010 and is growing to $108 billion in 2011 miraculously. (Harry Wilson, 2012) Apple not only is one of the most successful enterprises in the world nowadays, but also already is a creative, miraculous and revolutionary company which is founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne on April 1, 1976 during its starting stage. (Cyrus Farivar...
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...faced with challenges of encouraging employees to adapt to organizational structure and cultural changes. In large organizations the effectiveness of managers depends on influence over supervisors and peers as well as influence over subordinates.” (Yukl, 2006) As the Chief of Operations for Smith & Falmouth Online in the (Leadership in Action simulation) my role is to consolidate operations. I am faced with the challenge of leading a group of unwilling employees to achieve the goals of the organization which is to streamline the online operations, increase the reach of the Online Sales Channel, and make S&F Online a profitable strategic business unit. The deadline for achieving this task is nine months from now. The following will address the current culture within the organization, establish methods that will be utilized in order to maintain control within the organization and recommend a restructuring strategy that will improve the culture and empower employees, which management practices will be most effective, and explain how the new size and structure can affect the organization, individuals, groups, teams, and the organization’s future. Current and Departmental Culture Organizational culture is defined as a pattern of basic assumptions that are considered valid and that are taught to new members as the way to perceive, think, and feel in the organization. (Schein, 1993) Within an organization the culture serves as four basic functions: provides a sense of identity...
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