Principle Management - Essay Example

Culture of an organization is the sum total of its customs, beliefs, norms, attitudes, values, rules and procedures. Externally visible signs that reflect on an organization’s culture include the dress code, uniform and even the building that it occupies. Culture within an organization can be very dominant and influence employee behavior. At the same time people from different lifestyles, different regions and social cultures converge in an organization for a common purpose. They bring their own culture with them. This does not affect the culture of the company while the individual adapts the culture of the organization where he works. Group work is not affected by the diversity in culture because the organization has a culture of its own. Culture of an organization is said to be strong when the staff respond to the stimulus and it is weak when there is no alignment with the corporate values. Culture is one great key to success. Different views are found on the classification of corporate cultures but those of Handy (1993) have been most widely cited. His method of organizational culture links it to organizational structure. According to him, culture can be grouped under four types – power culture, task culture, role culture, and people culture. Power culture is an ideal means to map and understand the values of an organization. Power in any organization is usually concentrated in a few pairs of hands. Power culture control radiates from the centre like a web and reaches the staff through the rays. Very few rules and procedures are available and communication is normally direct and verbal. This culture can be found in small businesses culture entrepreneurial organizations. Like minded people are chose to remain in close proximity to the centre. They group takes calculated risks and being cohesive, they react promptly to internal culture external threats. This type of culture does not affect group or project work as the group is normally cohesive and the central figure is autocratic. In a Role culture, people have clearly defined authorities within a defined structure. Role cultures are highly formalized. They are bound with regulations and paperwork. These organizations form hierarchical bureaucracies and are like a pyramid in structure. A person’s position is the seat of power and there is no scope for expert power. Communication is formal and written, which implies high level of control. Different roles are departmentalized, indicating delegation of authority and responsibility. The role or job description is so provided in writing that people coming from different cultures can easily adapt to the requirements of the job. There is no question of personal power and all have to follow the dictates of the job requirement. Description is more important than the person filling the job. Changes take long to be implemented because of the hierarchical system and hence it is good for products having a long life cycle. This is compared to a Greek Temple which has a base on which columns are erected as support and then a pediment thrown on it. For group project work, this culture is good because it provides a great deal of security. In a Task culture, the teams are formed to solve particular problems. Teamwork is the basis on which the jobs are designed. This is in sharp contrast to a Role culture. As long as the team requires expertise, power is derived from the expertise. Emphasis here is on the task and experts are drawn into team to provide expert knowledge. These companies have a matrix structure unlike a pyramid in companies with Power culture. Such culture becomes necessary culture is used when specific projects have to be carried out for instance a strategic change is warranted. Since importance is given to the task, it matters little about the cultures from which the group members come. Proper communication and collaboration amongst the members can ignore the diversity of culture, which the members of the group bring with them. Personal decisions and aspirations take a back seat. Age and other dissimilarities do not matter because it is group objective and the group respects mutual capacity. This is ideal foe team projects and it has also been found that companies with task culture often move on to Role culture as they grow. People culture or Person culture is where each individual thinks of himself as superior to the organization. This is against the very nature of an organization which suggests that a group of people come together to pursue a common goal. This culture is detrimental to the growth of a company especially if they were to handle team projects. This can be beneficial for a small company where the efficiency and culture of each individual contributes separately towards its success for example Accountants, lawyers, doctors and similar other professionals. Along with their expertise, they also contribute by introducing their own clients. Here there is no team work and hence this culture is not suitable for group projects. Each company would like to project its corporate culture. Culture cannot be planned; culture cannot be predicted. Various factors like history, ownership, size of the company, the objectives, the environment, its people, and the time, influence the culture of a company. Added to this is the different cultures that each employee brings with him culture her. To get the most from any group, people have to be oriented towards the organizational culture. Any change in the corporate culture may be necessary for its growth but that has to be managed with efficiency. According to Edgar Schein (Wikipedia), culture in an organization is the most difficult to change. He says newcomers have a difficulty in adjusting to organizational culture and it takes time for them to be acclimatized. The organization too has to take into account the dynamics of inter-personal relationship, as culture remains deep-rooted. In sharp contrast are the views of Pettigrew (Organizational Culture) who believes that cultures can be shaped to suit strategic ends. This would imply that to perform a group project, both the organization and the staff can strike a balance even if it is for the sake of the project. He feels that a company has the capacity to transform itself from within. We can conclude with the premise that corporate culture is unifying; its mission, values and attitude can motivate a group to achieve the desired results. Bibliography: Organization Culture, accessed 21 December 2005 Wikipedia, accessed 21 December 2005 Read More