Organisational Culture, Artifacts, role of Artifacts in Organisational Change and S.M.A.R.T Objectives - Research Paper Example

In essence, organizational culture refers to the “pattern of shared basic assumptions that the group learned as it solved problems that have worked well enough to be taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think and feel in relation to those problems” (Willcoxson & Millet 2000). Culture is not a distinguishable aspect of an organization. Organizational culture is a principal set of beliefs and values coherent among leaders in steering the organization, and interpreted by the employees and managers into proper conducts and armored through incentives and permits.

Organizational cultures are formed and transformed over time. Needless to say, there is a broad correspondence among authors and scholars on how the organizational culture reacts to and replicates industry attributes and community traits held by the organization employees. Moreover, it also typifies the traits and values of its leaders or founders (Gordon, 1991). Schein denotes that organizational culture is both defined and epitomized by “group strictures and prescriptive criteria and that provide the basis for allocating status, power, rewards, authority and respect”.

Culture defines “what a group pays attention to and monitors in the external environment and how it responds to its environment” (Brown, 1995). . In reference to Kelly (2008), “Organizational culture is the essence of organizations defining what’s grave and setting the standards by which to measure success”. The health care and public health systems in United States have had a recurring trend and an emergent culture. Over decades, there has been limited diversity in leadership, with women given little opportunities to hold executive positions.

In addition, there has been an existent disparity in salaries between women and men in the health care and public health systems (Lantz, 2008). Cultural Artifacts Across the world, cultures formulate tangible and intangible artifacts that typify their culture. Willcoxson & Millet (2000) define artifacts as the “visible structure and practices, such as policies and procedures, which can be monitored and changed if necessary”. Artifacts include observable symbols and signs, physical structures, language, ceremonies and stories.

In reference to Willcoxson & Millet (2000), “artifacts provide the lasting glue that holds the organization together and provides an anchoring point to ground the organization”. In the United States health care and public health system, gender inequality is an impending artifact. Role of Artifacts in organizational change In reference to Kelly (2008), changing organizational culture to maintain the organization’s feasibility can be extremely “challenging unless grounded on sound logic”.

Organizational change involves alteration of the artifacts. Artifacts can be used in changing the organizational culture. In the process of organizational culture change, comprehension of cultural artifacts is critical. Artifacts should be adapted to support changes in the organization culture. Needless