Work Related Values in a Non-Profit Organization - Essay Example

? Geert Hofstede is best known for pioneering research on organizational cultures in different working sectors and countries. With increase in globalization, managing cultural diversity in different companies and organizations is getting to be very difficult. Hofstede has identified 4 dimensions for classifying values with national culture and has emphasized that these 4 dimensions are only a framework and there are no rules attached to these dimensions. Power distance Uncertainty Avoidance Individualism and collectivism Masculinity and Femininity According to Hofstede, any organization is made of up to 2 cultural elements- internal elements of culture that are invisible, associated to a particular organization and external values of culture which are usually the general rules, regulations, values and practices. Power distance index: How an organization handles inequalities According to Dutch Sociologist Geert Hofstede, power distance index refers to the distribution of power and money between people in an organization and this helps in understanding and analyzing the extent people in the organization submit to authority. It is usually low in organizations where people work with each other that are not in authority and high in organizations where there is more of a hierarchy involved. In any nonprofit organization, the power distance index is usually very low as the main objective of a non-profit organization is to address issues and promote interests of the poor, provide community development infrastructure and provide basic social service to the people. Since the organizations are by and large nonprofit in nature, most of the people working are volunteers and there is no hierarchy followed is such organizations. The people working for the organization are treated equally despite the difference in power, status or wealth. Privileges, status symbols and power is less evident in any non-profit organization as all the people work together for a single cause. Uncertainty Avoidance: Uncertainty avoidance means the organization’s tolerance to indistinctness and vagueness. Some organizations have a very relaxed attitude towards uncertainty and it doesn’t affect them. The behavior of the people is directly related to the work/organization. Some organizations/people would prefer security to a job structured approach to work with written rules and regulations. Low uncertainty avoidance is usually seen in non-profit organizations as the people in this organization are used to handling unknown events and there are also no specific strict rules or regulations that need to be followed. Individualism or collectivism- Behavior towards a group This represents and defines the degree to which individuals of a particular group or organization are collective and integrated as a group. Individualism refers to organizations where individuals look after themselves whereas collectivism refers to people integrated into strong groups who would help each other attain goals... In a social organization, the members are usually very cohesive in nature they usually help each other and the society. In any other organization, employees stress for personal achievement, success and individual rights as they have to fulfill their needs and dreams. Non-profit organizations are usually collective in nature. The aim and vision of any NGO organization is to provide assistance and support to the poor. Masculinity and Femininity According to Hofstede, masculine society refers to fewer women in hobs and there is vast value difference between men and women in the same job profile. There would be more job stress, earnings, challenges and stronger motivation factors to perform better on the job. In a feminine society, managers are relatively less interested at leadership and they usually have no job stress. In a non-profit organization, there is more of a feminine dimension as the people at work have more of a service role. There is more stress on relationships, society and social responsibility rather than earnings and recognitions by the employees. The achievements for such charitable organizations are based on human contacts and making a difference in the society. Confucian thoughts and principles Kung Fu Tzu (pronounced as Confucius) was born in the state of Lu; his writing was mostly based on morality and ethics. Listed, are the teachings and values in line with Confucian Dynamism that affect leadership and Organizational culture of any organization. Honesty, loyalty and trustworthiness Humanitarian and help others Righteousness, faithfulness and sincerity Respect for tradition Love for family and friends Charitable organizations do hold some characteristics of Confucian thoughts and principles. Traditional Confucian values consist of hard work, job satisfaction and sincerity towards the work. Leadership is the driving force of any non-profit organization and it is regarded as the core element in organizational culture. Leader’s capability can influence the ethical values in organizational culture, change the structure and create all new organizational culture. Leadership plays an important role in the creating and execution of a new organizational culture. Confucius also demonstrates social and individual ethical values and they are considered as the core factors for achieving ideal leadership in the organization and also a harmonious society which is inseparable between organizational culture and leadership. Work related values in charitable organizations does affect and reflect the values of the culture The values present in a non-profit organization are the basis of management of the organizational culture. The presence of some work related values constitute one of the main elements between a non-profit organization and a public administration. Work related values not only include beliefs and ideas but also organizational norms, rules, expectations and guidelines that would enable and lay down employee behavior in particular situations and also control the behavior of organizational members. Non-profit organizations helps in pursuing activities that help in promoting interests of the poor, protect the society and environment and also undertake community development. Although in the recent past, the non-profit organizational sector has become more professional, the key defining characteristics of the members of the organization is performance, commitment, ethical behavior, altruism and voluntarism. In a non-profit organization, one of the main values is independence. It is the responsibility of the individual to act depending on oneself principles, mission and values. Such organizations also allow its members to voice out their opinion, thoughts and views. The second most important work related value is being non-profit. These organizations are characterized by voluntary participation which helps in group work and group orientation. Non-profit organizations work in order to transform the society and one of the main ways of doing so is to favor citizen participation. Accountability is also now incorporated as one of the most important work related values as it can help in transparency as this would affect the credibility of the organization and the trust that is being generated. Equality at work, mixed sex population is also some of values of non-profit organization and this reflects the values of low masculinity organizations. Literary References David Matsumota & Linda Juang, Culture  & Psychology (4th Edition ) chapter 15, p 402- 409 Read More