Organization Culture - Essay Example

Organization Culture Any company in the world always ha some specific of conduct that is either written or unwritten own theiremployees, employers and any other person associated with the firm. Branding of a firm is a psychological issue that highly depends on the individuals’ perception of the firm in terms of a consistently observed behavior across time. The culture includes the expectations of the organization, general operational experiences, the philosophical slogan of the organization and the corresponding values that are highly upheld by the organization. The tradition developed by a company is something that will remain in place regardless of changes in the guard over time (Martin, 2001). The reason is that once a given culture is induced in the organization, it ceases to become part of the manageable aspect of the organization but instead it becomes self regulatory and anybody who joins the system in any rank automatically becomes absorbed into the way things are done in tat given organization. The standards adopted and entrench in the cultural domain of an organization is a very important determinant in its productivity and overall performance. The quality of customer care services is one of the symbolic natures of the organizational culture since this is the point of the first interaction between a client and the organization’s staff. It is imperative to note that even the quality of the products, levels of safety and environmental care policies are basis of the firm’s tradition that can hardly be altered through management process. It extends to marketing mix techniques of the firm, methods of value creation and the desire to develop new products in the market. The organization must also have a predetermined management structure. It is important to underscore that the culture of an organization is the symbol of its identity and is not easy to be changed by mere management alterations. It is something that gradually grows with the company and end up defining its overall operational discourse. This simply means that even if a new person is recruited in the firm in any position he/ she will be compelled to do things in line with the path of action already created. The tradition of an organization also looks like template on which all the guidelines towards some behavior are observed. It is worth to note that an organization is just like any other social entity with many people working towards achieving a specific goal just like in the society. In that respect it can be compared to the general society where the norms are not written anywhere in most cases but generations come and go without changing anything instead they are always compelled to conform. The way each organization runs its activity is always unique and this goes even to the public perception of the organization which ends up defining its culture. These features are always based on beliefs, attitude and customs of the organization that must always be adhered to for smooth working relations and comfortable working environment. It is not an issue of an overnight arrangement but it is built over a long period of time until it becomes the basis of all the policies of the organization which even the top managers cannot deviate from through any managerial action. The organizational culture is simply a spring board on which the top management tries to tests and implements their policies. Take the case of the social standard of the top brass managers and how they relate to the other employees and members of the public and this is likely to give the true picture of the company (Woodside, 2010). The behavioral conduct of the organization’s figure head is an important factor in determining the tradition of the company. The reason behind this concept is simple, the external management policies expressed by the managers is a physical manifestation of the tradition nurtured in the organization over time. Organizational culture acts as the unifying factor among the staff and it projects the image of the organization in the eyes of members of the public. It is fairly important to notice that it spells out the basic interests of the organization and pillars of its operation and goals. It defies the entire firm and any personality will be created from the dictates of the organizations tradition which is different from one firm to another. It is notable that the image of the organization can vary from one company to another but one thing that remains clear is the rules and regulations attachment with the given organization and the observed attributes of its employees. The core mission, vision and values are part of any culture and this defines the critical nature of the contemporary organizational set up and foundation. It has been an issue of intense debate whether the administrators or managers can alter this culture but findings highly reject the hypothesis. The complexity of the developed organizational culture explains why it is prohibitively expensive to alter the culture already created in the society. Most people who work in these organizations are part of the larger society and when they come together under one working umbrella, they tend to speak one language which prompts a gradual but steady convergence in their beliefs and this becomes the building block for the organizational culture. It is therefore a fact that most of the firms cultural set up is a mixture of a part of the larger community and partly internally constructed. Take for example the case of technology, It has been found out that science is universal but technology is attached to some culture and this explains why there has to be a time lag between adoption and full use by the preceding users of a given technology. This is because the perception of people in another environment under a different organizational banner will totally be different and exclusive in terms of its role in serving the society (Miner, 2007). It is fascinating to accept that most of the cultural aspect of the organization is not written anywhere but continuous usage and observance by the society validates them just like the ethnic norms that are hardly written anywhere but are religiously adhered to. The ethical standards and legal framework tend to respect the culture of the people and as it adjusts to accommodate this, the organizations develop a deep rooted identity that cannot be eliminated by mere management The general public plays a vital role in shaping the culture of a company. It has been the norm that some companies recommend specific dress codes and any body having that dress code is associated with the firm (Driskill & Brenton, 2011). The product loyalty by the clients can be derived from many aspects of the organization but the in depth trust and belief is critical in influencing the clients and any other relevant stakeholder in the organization. Take the case where a given company packages its products on a metallic can, it will be surprising and even repelling to customers of the organization when they realize the change of things. This action arises from the indelible ideology and perception that people associate the organization with and this can psychological disturb some clients making them to distance themselves with the organization’s products. The mental orientation of the clients is pegged on a specific product description and the initial stages of the alteration will need proper promotion since some people begin to think that it is a completely new concept. The organization Image speaks a lot since it represents the organization at all levels of its interaction with other entities in various, social and economic characteristics (Ashkanasy, Wilderom & Peterson, 2011). It will always bring a sense of commitment among the group members and each party feels they are members and this case is the unifying tool across all the players in shaping one common belief. Organizational foundation highly determines the nature of its culture and it is important to note that once the tradition is adopted, it becomes fairly difficult to reverse. Using an analytical frameworkk to study the issue of culture, it was established that organizational tradition is a series of an overlapping behaviors which coalesce to form a collective mindset. In this respect, culture web of an organization is critically assessed individually before being taken to the top management team of an organization. This concept covers various aspects of organization culture that makes changing it eve more unlikely. By the time the organizational culture is mature, there a number of things that will be clearly defined and such include; the symbol or organization logo which may not easily be changed since it’s the face of the organization in the public (Morgan,2007). The cultural set up will define the chain of command the last man in power, the formal and the informal aspect of the organization, control measures the accepted rituals and activities procedures. All the surrounding history of the organization also forms part of the culture since it defines the motive behind the formation of the organization, its legal position, composition and objectives. These are some concepts that management can only alter positively or negative but not remove from the organizational cultural practices. It has also been noted that some multinational companies that covers larger geographical space across the globe tend to have a relatively complex and larger cultural base and this means that the manager’s role is only to oversee the implementation of such sensitive ones like positive interpersonal skills and this leaves them with no choice but to accept the cultures as they were found. It is imperative that the mode of developing organizational culture is critically assessed for easier explanation on why it represents the image of the organization in the public domain. One of the most outstanding concepts surrounding the formation of a common culture in an organization is involvement. The general policy that runs any organization demands that each person put aside personal interests and serve the communal interest of the organization through actual participation in the activities undertaken by the organization (Keyton, 2011). This explains the reason behind inherent conformity that is always observed on all members of staff plus the management in a given organization. Under this participation principle, the output is always the reflection of the actual effort put into production and this is what is passed on to the consumers or any other stakeholder in the organization. Empowerment with responsibility is another positive aspect of organizational culture where the urge to fulfill the responsibility instills sense of self discipline and result oriented aim with the general view of the organization to be working towards the same direction. Assignment of responsibilities makes the employees to develop a spirit of professionalism and timely result delivery which propels the organization to greater heights of consumer confidence in its strength and efficiency. Such a series of activities culminates to the daily order of events in the organization and once approved becomes the usual path of events and hence the culture. It is therefore very difficult for any form of force to dislodge this establish Psychological orientation since any form of adjustment is likely to shake the entire system and in the worst scenario condemn the image of the organization. Past research has proved that some aspects of any organization can not be altered by any form of management lest they lose their identity. This is the case with a developed cultural framework that constitutes any organization (Sypher, 1990). It is fairly impractical to trace the history of an organization and begin restricting the policies which form the bedrock of the organizational identity. In that respect, all the structural and functional characteristics of an organization are a manifestation of the established tradition of doing things. The entangling relationship that coexists between the organization, its staff, top management and the public is pegged on the past perception developed from the repetition of some issues including the type of human capital, quality of production, efficiency among other factors. This broad discussion about the organizational culture supports the fact that such traditions are fundamentally symbolic of the organization’s identity and cannot be managed. References Ashkanasy, N. M., Wilderom, C., & Peterson, M. F. 2011. The handbook of organizational culture and climate. Thousand Oaks, Sage Publications. Driskill, G. W., & Brenton, A. L. 2011. Organizational culture in action: a cultural analysis workbook. Thousand Oaks, Calif, Sage. Keyton, J. 2011. Communication & organizational culture: a key to understanding work experiences. Los Angeles, Sage. Martin, J. L. 2001. Organizational culture: mapping the terrain. Thousand Oaks, Calif, Sage. Miner, J. B. 2007. Organizational behavior. 4, From theory to practice. Armonk, N.Y., M.E. Sharpe. Morgan, G. 2007. Images of organization. Thousand Oaks, Calif. [u.a.], Sage Publ Sypher, B. D. 1990. Case studies in organizational communication. New York, Guilford Press. Woodside, A. G. 2010. Organizational culture, business-to-business relationships, and interfirm networks. Bingley, UK, Emerald. Read More