Cultural Context of the Organization and Its Impact on Leadership - Research Paper Example

CULTURAL CONTEXT OF THE ORGANIZATION AND ITS IMPACT ON LEADERSHIP By Student’s name Code+ course name Professor’s name University name City, State Date Table of Contents Definition of culture, organization and leadership 2 Why organizational culture is important 3 Literature Review 4 Feminism and Culture 6 Leadership and Culture 8 Organisational Problems 9 Conclusion 11 Bibliography 13 Definition of culture, organization and leadership Culture refers to the characteristics of a given group of people, which can be defined through religion, language, music, arts and social habits, and the various groups within particular area or region (Mats and Stefan, 2008). An organization, according to the Business Dictionary on the other hand, refers to a social unit of individuals that is managed and structured in order to meet or pursue collective goals. Organizations are thus simple open systems having management structures, which ascertain relationships between the members and the different roles while subdividing and assigning responsibilities, roles and authority of performing different tasks. Leadership refers to the ability or power of leading other people and it is essential to any given organization or group (Mats and Stefan, 2008). This research paper critically reviews the theories of nature of an organizational culture, how it influences innovation and the impact that it may have on the leaders of any given organization. In addition, this research paper examines the impact of cultural influences on behaviours as relation to organizational change and innovation in a large beverage company. The research paper concludes by giving various recommendations regarding the actions and strategies, which the organization could implement in order to not only enhance but also create a relevant culture in the organization. Why organizational culture is important In order for any successful organization to realize their objectives or goals, then culture is a vital organizational design variable. According to a survey conducted by the “European Foundation of Quality Management” in November 1997, it is indicated that management/ leadership and the mindset and cultures of employees were the major innovation levers. The company I work for considers innovation important to its existence. It should be noted by the company that indeed, an organization should realize that creativity cannot be ordered but rather, the company should create conducive environment in which creativity can flourish either by setting goals to be achieved by innovators, encouraging innovators, recognizing innovators and reward them as well (Paul, 1984). Informality is crucial in the creation of good climatic conditions for innovation since it will highly be dependent on the sharing of vital information (Mats and Stefan, 2008). Culture has a great impact on the leadership of the organization because most organizations will usually contain of people from different professional cultures and thus the integration of these differences will highly enhance a company’s success. In situations where innovation is bound to fail due to individualism, then it is important to involve teamwork in order to establish profitable newness for the company. A culture that is strongly based on the teams within an organization may be forced to give up on their innovative ideas despite the fact that they may be having a strong social force to become part of the team (Mats and Stefan, 2008). This will be a big blow to the entire process of innovation management, since new and varied ideas may not see the light of the day. In order for the company to champion the issue of innovation well, then the top leadership should involve all management across the different cultural boarders. Literature Review Since Japan emerged as a leading power in industrialization, both managers and organizational theorists have realized the great relationship that exists between management and culture (Paul, 1984). It is through such knowledge that both organizational and national cultures are important for the success of any given company or organisation. Leaders in an organization should become aware of the fact that organization culture and national culture walk in hand and none can do without the other (Hofstede 2001). As a result, many theorists came to an agreement that Japan’s industrial success is highly attributed to the people’s culture and their way of life. It therefore became apparent that many Western management theorists were prompted to look at culture in a special interest through linking national culture with their own organizational lives and cultures (Morgan 2006). In order for management or leaders in an organization to properly understand or comprehend an organization’s cross-national variations, then it is important for them to understand that culture actually varies from one organization to the other. In order to appreciate easily the nature of both corporate culture and sub-culture, it is important for leaders in the organization to observe the daily running or functioning of an organization or group that one belongs to as an outsider (Johnson & Scholes 2001). This will make it easy for the features of the observed culture to become gradually evident as the leader becomes accustomed to the interaction patterns between the individuals, the language used, the themes and images explored during conversations and different routines of daily ritual (Mats and Stefan, 2008). In order to establish a superficial appearance that is harmonious while pushing conflict underground, then it is prudent for leaders to adopt leadership styles which enhance teamwork and harmony so that an organization is empowered to deal with its real problems facing it. Most organizations have corporate cultures, which eventually develop as ethos, which are created and also sustained through social images, processes, rituals and symbols. According to Schein (2010), individuals in any given organization will generally have a sense of culture of the particular organization and such people may also have different views regarding what they would want that culture to be. Schein’s 3 levels of culture include artefacts (behaviours and structures), espoused values and beliefs (goals, ideals and aspirations) and basic assumptions (values and underlying beliefs). The perspectives are captured well in Quinn and Cameron’s (2011) Organisational Culture Assessment Instrument or OCAI that reflects the 6 major cultural dimensions which include Leadership, management of employees, strategic emphases, criteria of success, dominant characteristics and organizational glue. Feminism and Culture On my case, being in charge of 70 Middle Eastern male workers and being the only female boss brings many egos that I have to contend. This is because areas of disagreement and difficulties have arisen because I have to manage people from diverse cultural backgrounds. It is therefore prudent for me to create national culture, which I eventually use in the analysis of organizations (Jan & Weggeman, 2001). Through observing many organizations, it can be ascertained that the aspects in the corporate world have actually been trapped in the male archetype thus leading to the creation of what is known as the “no woman’s land”. Until recently, the corporate world has been largely a “man’s world” in which women and other gender styles associated with it were psychologically and physically excluded or marginalized from the entire reality that was male dominated (Mats and Stefan, 2008). As a result, this has led to the establishment of organizations having strong female subcultures that stand in tension and in opposition with the male power structures that be. This eventually leads to the release of powerful forces, which can lead to the politicization of a corporate culture that is based on gender lines (Jeffery & Michael, 2008). From a cultural viewpoint, organizations or companies, which are shaped around female values, stand to more likely to integrate and balance rational-analytic modes with values, which emphasize more intuitive, emphatic and organic means of behaviour (Mats and Stefan, 2008). Surprisingly, the new flat forms of organizational networks that are emerging to deal with the turbulence and uncertainty of the modern environments need managerial capabilities, which have more in common with female gender as opposed to the male archetype (Paul, 1984). This is essentially true for my organization, which has embraced the cultural model of Schein’s three levels. The development of this scenario implies that there will be transformation of various corporate cultures and subcultures that will contradict the influence of male modes of behaviour and values that have been very predominant for a long period. The feminine trend of leadership has taken place in various parts of the world including in my organization. For instance, leaders like Annita Roddick, owner of the Body shop have already embraced different management styles and different niches of their companies. Roddick ascertains that his company is run according to various feminine principles, which include among others include making of intuitive decisions, being responsible to the world on the use of profits, having a sense of work to become one’s part of life, caring and putting one’s labour where one’s love is. The adoption of feminine leadership styles in management of organizations helps in the creation of cultures in which hierarchy presents way to the webs of inclusion (Mats and Stefan, 2008). They therefore manage the organizations through placing themselves in the mid of things by building societies which are formed on the basis of inclusive relationships identified by encouragement, support, trust and mutual respect. As a result, feminine management or leadership styles help to bring forth organizations, which are networked, in a way that the procedure of carrying out tasks is as vital as the product. It is through the feminine actions coupled with their successes that the production of corporate cultures having lots in common has been modelled (Kim & Robert 2006). Leadership and Culture It should be noted by all and sundry that powerful leaders actually seem to reflect many aspects of their companies to the extent that they do not have any monopoly on the ability of creating shared meanings. As a result, such a leader’s position of power may lend her or him to have a special advantage in the development of corporate value codes and systems of behaviour since the formal leaders possess vital power sources in which they can encourage, punish or reward people following their leads (Mats and Stefan, 2008). Culture cannot be referred to as something, which can be imposed on any given social setting; but rather, it is known to develop in the course of social interaction. Leaders in any organization should be aware of the fact that organizational culture is responsible for most of the organizational ills while on the other side, it is also credited with the creation of positive values in their places of work. In order to become better managers or leaders; individuals should strive at improving theory ability to critically analyse organizational behaviour to achieve intimate awareness and knowledge of culture (Brooks 2009). It is through organizational culture that people in a given organization can be made to think, behave and look different from another group, which may have different values, beliefs and interpretations. In organizations where different teams work together, then it is possible to have two or more subcultures. It is therefore possible that such groups will have their own cultural identities marked by its own values, beliefs and assumptions that guide its activities (Mats and Stefan, 2008). A great impact will be felt on leadership since each of the group will have its own stories regarding organizational life and its own rituals and ceremonies. This will affect the understanding of organizational symbols, by such a group (Hofstede, S. 2001). The cultural context of an organization has a great impact on the leadership of such an organization since the cultural knowledge of people has never been identical due to individual differences, which may arise from different educational, home and micro-social contexts thus leading towards intra cultural variation (Mats and Stefan, 2008). It can thus be truly ascertained that differences will always exist in any given cultural or sub-cultural group and change may be provided if such cultures become tolerant towards cultural dynamism or change. It is important for leaders in an organization to explore the different implications and definitions of culture as a concept in order to improve the understanding of such institutions (Ram, 2001). During the formation of management and organization several years ago, the workforce was mainly dominated by the male gender in almost all organizations without any exception (Paul, 1984). Some of the current organizational cultures still reflect such characteristics, which are historically derived. Sexism and racism have become manifested in the organizational cultures of some companies through subtle behaviours and attitudes, which can be portrayed by some members of the organization wilfully. To remove such discrimination from the workplace, then leaders in such organizations have to change cultures (Mats and Stefan, 2008). In order to achieve a successful leadership in the change of culture, then leaders ought to be guided through a mental map, which will indicate, to them where they are coming from and where they are going. The leadership or management should therefore stress on the aspects, which make or prevent their organization from being open to innovation and accepting change. Organisational Problems One of the major problems affecting organizations in the contemporary world is the management of strategic change, which involves the implementation of organizational culture (Johnson 2001). The mapping of organizational culture by leaders in an organization is important and beneficial because it will help in surfacing to question what is normally not questioned and also make it possible to see the existing barriers towards change. In addition, the mapping is impossible because it will help the leaders to see any linkages in aspects of organizational culture, which are resistant to change and also make it possible for the examination of changes needed to create a new strategy. This can in turn be used in the consideration of whether such changes can well be managed. Culture is usually seen as being a barrier towards change since it is hard to become clear what is meant by it or what can be done to change it. As such, the cultural web as a tool has proved to be a very useful device meant to achieve clarity on what comprises an organization’s culture (Mats and Stefan, 2008). It also highlights the importance of issues, which have been taken for granted in a company to influence the existing strategies while acting to prevent or avoid change but giving hints regarding mechanisms and levers of achieving change. The inability of the leaders to take decisive actions is deeply attributed to such a company’s culture. Leaders are the ones who are known to establish the culture of indecisiveness and they can break it either by engendering intellectual honesty when connecting people (Paul, 1984). The culture of indecisiveness by leaders can as well be broken by leaders through seeing a company’s social operating mechanisms. These mechanisms include reviews, meetings and other situations where business can be transacted have honest dialogue as their background. Lastly, all leaders in the organization must ensure that there is feedback and follow up which can be used in the rewarding of high achievers, coaching individuals who are struggling and even discouraging those individuals whose behaviours are known to block the organization from progressing. Leaders are capable of setting the tone for their respective organizations and move them from paralysis towards action through the application of the three approaches and the using of opportunities to model honest and transparent dialogue between various parties (Charan 2001). It has been observed that discussions in companies, which have shed cultures of indecision, are always safe while on the other side, underperformance was not like that. Conclusion In order to change a culture of indecision, then it is only a matter of leadership because the process of transforming cultures of indecision in any given organization is actually a demanding and enormous task (Mats and Stefan, 2008). It should be noted that an organization’s culture is ascertained through asking people the right questions and provision of constructive and candid feedback. Leaders should become aware that culture exists at different multiple levels and penetrates deep into how the all the workers of a company think, perceive and even feel (Liker 2008). The development of leadership concepts is a historical phenomenon, which is connected closely to the society’s organizational structure. Each society breeds the kind of leaders that it wants and thus expects them to keep to the cultural habits of their age-old path. The behaviour and characteristics of members of any given cultural group is highly dependent on the people’s history of the society. It can therefore be genuinely ascertained that the historical experience, geolinguistic and geographical position, language, appearance and physiology and an instinct for survival all combine in order to bring forth a core of values and beliefs, which will not only sustain but also satisfy the needs and aspirations of a given society (Lewis 2006). The comparison of different cultures presupposes that indeed, there is something which need to be compared and that each culture is so unique (Hofstede 2001). Leaders in organizations should realize that most excellent companies or organizations in the world actually possess a deep ingrained philosophy, which respects the person, make individuals winners by letting them to stand out and treat people as adults (Peters 1982). Leaders should strive in the innovation of new products, which suit the culture of different clients, and be aware that innovation can be turned off by creating a rigid control and command, saying things the wrong way, punishing someone for failing and opening in a command and control mode. Leaders should also appreciate the different cultures of their workforce, as this will ensure there is peaceful co-existence among all and sundry regardless of their cultural backgrounds. Bibliography Fons, T., and Peter, W. 2003. Business across Cultures, Capstone: Chichester ch 2 ‘The organization of meaning: introducing value dimensions’ pp 23-59 Gerry, J. 2001. 'Mapping and re-mapping organisational culture: a local government example' in G Johnson and K Scholes 2001 Exploring public sector strategy FT/Prentice Hall/London, pp300-316 Hofstede, S. 2001. Culture’s Consequences, Sage: Thousand Oaks, CA ch 1 ‘Values and Culture’ pp 1-40 Ian, B. 2009. Ch 9 ‘Organisational culture’ from Organisational Behaviour FT/Prentice Hall: Harlow pp259-281 Jan, U. and Weggeman, M. 2001. 'Towards an Innovation Culture: What are its National, Corporate, Marketing and Engineering Aspects, Some Experimental Evidence' in CL Cooper, S Cartwright, PC Earley, et al, (eds).The International Handbook of Organizational Culture and Climate, Wiley: Chichester Javidan, J., House, R., and Dorfman, P. 2004. ‘A Nontechnical Summary of GLOBE Findings’ in Robert House, PJ Hanges, M Javidan, PW Dorfman and V Gupta (eds) Culture, leadership, and organizations : the GLOBE study of 62 societies, Sage: London Jeffrey, B., and Michael, H. 2008 Toyota Culture: the Heart and Soul of the Toyota Way, McGraw Hill: New York, ch 1 ‘The DNA of Toyota Lies In Its Culture’ pp 3-33 Kim, C., and Robert, E. 2006. Diagnosing and changing organizational culture John Wiley Jossey Bass: San Francisco ch 2 ‘The organizational culture assessment instrument’ pp23-30 Mats, A., and Stefan, S. 2008. 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