Organizational Culture

Defining Org. Culture

• the values/ assumptions shared

• Provides direction for the ‘ right way’ of doing something

• The template for employee behavior

Artifacts of Org. culture

Any observable symbols and sighs of culture, including:

• Physical structures

• language

• rituals/ceremonies

• Stories/ legends

Levels of Culture in a Org

Dominant: where values/ assumptions are shared more consistently and widely

Subculture: located throughout the Org and at times oppose the aspects of dominant.c ( countercultures)

Functions of countercultures

• surveillance and critical view

• source of emerging values

Methods of merging Org. Cultures ( AIDS)

Assimilation: Acquired firm staff embrace acquiring culture

Integration: Composite culture preserves best of past cultures

Deculturations: Acquiring firm imposes its culture and practices

Separation: Merged firms remain separate -- keep their own corporate cultures and practices

Methods to change/ strengthen Org. culture

• Attraction-selection

• support workplace communication and stability

• introduce Culturally- consistent rewards

• Align artifacts with desired culture

• Model desired culture

Selection- Attraction - Attrition Theory

Selection: Applicants self-select based on compatible views

Attraction: Firms select those with compatible view

Attrition: Employees who are incompatible are removed