Chapter 16: Organizational Culture & Change

Organizational culture

a system of shared meaning held by an organization's members that distinguishes the organization from others. This system is characterized by values, beliefs, and underlying assumptions.

Dominant culture

a culture that expresses the core values that are shared by a majority of the organization's members.

Core values

the primary or dominant values that are accepted throughout the organization.

Subcultures

mini-cultures within an organization, typically defined by department designations and geographical separation.

Strong culture

a culture in which the core values are intensely held and widely shared.

Rituals

repetitive sequences of activities that express and reinforce the key values of the organization, which goals are more important, which people are important, and which are expendable.

Material symbols

physical objects or artifacts that symbolize values, beliefs, or assumptions inherent in the organization's culture.

Socialization

a process which enables new employees to acquire the social knowledge and necessary skills in order to adapt to the organization's culture.

Pre-arrival stage

the period of learning in the socialization process that occurs before a new employee joins the organization.

Encounter stage

the stage in the socialization process in which a new employee sees what the organization is really like and confronts the possibility that expectations and reality might diverge.

Metamorphosis stage

the stage in the socialization process in which a new employee changes and adjusts to the job, work group, and organization.

Organizational climate

the shared perceptions that organizational members have about their organization and work environment; particularly the policies, practices, and procedures that are in place.

Ethical culture

the shared concept of right and wrong behavior in the workplace that reflects the true values of the organization and shapes the ethical decision making of its members.

Sustainability

maintaining organizational practices over a long period of time because tools or structures that support them are not damaged by the processes.

Positive organizational culture

a culture that emphasizes building on employee strengths, rewards more than punishes, and emphasizes individual vitality and growth.

Idea champions

individuals who take an innovation and actively and enthusiastically promote the idea, build support, overcome resistance, and ensure that the idea is implemented.

Change

when things become different than the way they were.

Planned change

change activities that are pro-active, intentional, and goal-oriented.

Change agents

persons who act as catalysts and assume the responsibility for managing change activities.

Driving forces

forces that direct behavior away from the status quo.

Retraining forces

forces that hinder movement from the existing equilibrium.

Action research

a change process based on systematic collection of data and then selection of change action based on what the analyzed data indicate.

Organizational Development (OD)

a collection of planned change interventions, built on humanistic-democratic values, that seeks to improve organizational effectiveness and employee well-being.

Process consultation (PC)

a meeting in which a consultant assists a client in understanding process events which with they must deal and identifying processes that need improvement.

Team building

high interaction among team members to increase trust and openness.

Intergroup development

organizational development (OD) efforts to change the attitudes, stereotypes, and perceptions that groups have of each other.

Appreciative Inquiry (AI)

an approach that seeks to identify the unique qualities and special strengths of an organization, which can then be built on to improve performance.

Paradox Theory

the theory that the key paradox in management is that there is no final optimal status for an organization.