BUSMHR 3200: Organizational Culture and Socialization

What is organizational culture?

- the set of shared, taken-for-granted implicit assumptions that a group holds and that determines how it perceives, thinks about, and reacts to its various environments

OR

- the values shared by associates in an organization

OR

- what it's like to be a member of this organization

What are the four primary functions of culture?

1) Give members an organizational identity: sense of belonging, how to behave, treat one another, etc.

2) Facilitate collective commitment: shared purpose, objectives, goal-based behavior

3) Promote social system stability: systems/processes for dealing with change, managing conflict, etc.

4) Promote understanding of the organization: shapes behavior and helps members see a "clear line of sight" between what they do and business goals/success

What are values?

Five primary characteristics

- they are broad concepts or beliefs

- they relate to desirable end-states, behaviors, situations, etc.

- They apply across most/all situations

- they influence attitudes and behaviors

- they can be ordered by relative importance

What are espoused values?

The values that the organization states that it believes in; the "desired"

What are enacted values?

the values that organization members perceive to be valued by the organization; the "reality"

True or False: The greater the difference between espoused values and enacted values, the greater the likelihood for dissatisfaction, cultural problems, etc.

TRUE

What are the implications of person/culture fit?

- Higher internal commitment to the organization

- Lower absenteeism/turnover

- Higher job satisfaction and engagement

- Higher levels of organizational citizenship

- Higher intrinsic motivation

- Better performance (both individually and in groups)

What are some culture-related issues and questions?

- Identifying and understanding the culture

- Nature of the culture and is it "right" for the organization; relates to strategic context and objectives

- Different possible approaches:

Shared culture? Unique cultures for different aspects of business? Core culture + unique culture facets?

- Strength of culture - extent to which it permeates the organization

- Mechanisms/systems keeping the culture alive/maintaining it

- Changing the culture when necessary

What are the ways to understand an organization's culture?

- Stories: legends about what has happened in the past

- Myths: dramatic narratives of imagined events

- Heroes: people who have done it the right way

- Symbols: icons that show "what we're all about"

- Symbolic Acts: single acts that are very memorable

- Language: speech that carries a specific message

- Rites: ceremonies that are visible reminders of values

= Artifacts: material objects that express dimensions of culture

- Surveys: quantitative and qualitative information

What are some organization culture dimensions?

1) Innovation and Risk Taking

2) Attention to Detail

3) Outcome Orientation

4) People Orientation

5) Team Orientation

6) Aggressiveness

7) Stability

What are some typical indicators of culture problems?

- Lack of shared values

- More focus on problems than on opportunities

- More focus on finger pointing and politics than on solving problems

- Lack of trust

- Lack of confidence in leaders and the organization as a whole

- Significant turnover

- Performance issues

What are some ways to influence/change organizational culture?

- Formal statements (vision, values, etc.)

- Design of physical working space, etc.

- Slogans, language, sayings, etc.

- Criteria for rewards, recognition, advancement, etc.

- Stories, specific behavioral events, etc.

- Activities, metrics, outcomes tracked

- Organizational structure, systems, processes

- Leader behavior (modeling, reactions during crisis, etc)

How are cultural values shown?

Through behaviors of all types

What are some things to remember about culture?

- Culture "exists" but it is learned by each individual along the way

- Subcultures may exist within the larger culture

- Different people see/interpret the same culture in different ways

- Culture can/should support the organization's mission, vision, etc.

- Culture is dynamic and can be changed (but not easily)

True or False: Culture can be strong or weak

TRUE

What is culture a function of?

Collective individual experience and behavior

What is organizational socialization?

the process by which a person learns the values, norms, and required behaviors which permit him/her to participate as a member of the organization

OR

the impact of the organization on the individual

OR

learning the ropes

What are the three phases of organizational socialization?

1) Anticipatory socialization: prior to joining the organization

2) Encounter: initial entry period into the organization

3) Change and Acquisition: Variable; seen when values, behaviors, etc. are consistent with the organization

What is organizational personalization?

The effect the individual has on the organization

What are the different tactics for socialization?

1) Individual vs. Collective: Orientation in individuals vs. groups

2) Formal vs. Informal: Extent to which newcomers are "secluded"

3) Sequential vs. Random: Specific vs. random sequence of events

4) Fixed vs. Variable: extent to which there is a set timetable

5) Serial vs. Disjunctive: extent to which mentors/role models are used

6) Investiture vs. Divestiture: extent to which one's "old" identity kept