Do Managers Have the Ability to Develop the Culture of Their Organisation - Term Paper Example

Do Managers have the ability to develop the 'culture' of their organisation? Discuss critically. Introduction Organizational structure forms a crucial part of an organization; this emanates from the fact that it plays a crucial role in running the organisation. The overall success of the organisation borrows a lot from the culture that the organisation has put in place. The development of an organisation’s culture entails efforts from various stakeholders within and outside the organisation. The management of an organisation plays a critical role when it comes to the development of the organisational culture (Adler & Gundersen 2008, p.63). This paper will examine whether managers have the ability to develop the culture of their organisation. The paper will provide a critical argument of the roles that managers play in developing organisational culture. The paper also gives insights into the development of an organisation, and the role of the HR department in developing the organisation’s culture. Moreover, the paper will look into the roles played by both the public and private sector when it comes to developing the culture of an organisation. The role of labour unions, as well as industrial relations, in the development of organisational culture, will also be discussed. Discussion The role of managers in developing the culture of an organisation cannot be overlooked. With the modern advancement in the management of human resources, it is crucial to note that the leadership styles have a profound impact on how an organisation will be run. This is because the leadership style that managers employ will determine the culture that the organisation develops. The adoption of some leadership styles by an organisation determines the culture that the organisation will instil in its employees, as well as the culture that will determine the relationship of the organisation with stakeholders (Yukl, 2002). One of the ways in which managers have the ability to develop organisational culture entails through the use of directive leadership. The use of directive leadership means that the organisation will develop a leadership style, which will be in line with the liberalisation in the contemporary world. On the same note, managers who pursue the goals of the organisation with such leadership styles as authoritarian styles affect the organisation. An authoritarian style of leadership means that the organisation will be authoritarian in nature with regard to how it deals with the employees (Yukl, 2002). The other way in which managers have an impact on the culture of the organisation is through their personal traits, which have a profound impact on the culture that the organisation will embrace. Some of the personal traits of managers include age that affects the culture with regard to how decisions are made in an organisation. The leadership activities of young and old managers tend to differ significantly. As a result, the culture of the organisation is affected by the variations in ages of the managers. Young managers may adopt a more recent and simple organisational culture while old managers may stick to a past culture, which does not embrace modernity. Studies indicate that generational differences between managers and workers have an impact on the culture that an organisation chooses to embrace. The differences in attitudes between the managers affect the behaviour of the employees, and the ultimate culture that the organisation will embrace (Oshagbemi 2008, p. 1897). Young managers develop an organisational culture, which will ensure that the organisation responds to the rapid changes taking place in the modern world. For this reason, young managers develop new leadership approaches, which make the organisation’s culture responsive to the needs of the society, the employees, as well as the needs of other stakeholders. The significant energy espoused by young managers plays a crucial role in energising employees (Kabacoff, 2002). Managers can change the organisational culture since they play a crucial role in empowerment. Managers have the ability to determine whether an organisation will embrace a certain culture from the way they treat employees. Some managers have the capacity to develop ‘Principle-centred Leadership”, which insists on personal contribution. Managers who develop a sense of empowerment within the organisation help in developing an employee’s sense of worth. Employees who take part in an organisation’s decision making feel more empowered than employees who do not take part in decision making. This leads to the development of an organisational culture where all employees receive fair treatment and be involved in decision making process, in an organisation (Oshagbemi 2008, p. 1898). Through consistency, managers have the ability to develop the culture of an organisation. Managers who cultivate a sense of consistency within an organisation have a profound impact on the culture of the organisation. Consistency within an organisation is closely related to alignment. The notion of consistency details the harmonisation of the mission statement, management philosophy, structure, as well as shared values within the organisation. The development of a culture within an organisation borrows a lot from the consistent values, which have been instilled in employees (Bal & Quinn 2001, p. 14). Human resource managers play a central role when it comes to the development of the organisational culture. The human resource department in an organisation has a significant impact on the process of hiring and firing of employees, as well as the processes of managing human resources. HR managers have the opportunity to manage and monitor the performance of employees. The performance management programs that the manger institutes have an impact on the organisation’s corporate culture. This emanates from the fact that they help employees have an understanding of what the organisation requires of them (Nag et al. 2002, p.3). The feedback provided to employees by the performance appraisals help employees to improve their performance, and behave in accordance with the corporate culture that the organisation has set. As a result, this leads to the development of the organisational culture, as well as provision of mechanism that can help improve the culture of the organisation (Adler & Gundersen 2008, p. 63). Human resource managers, through their focus on some issues related to the behaviour of employees, have a profound impact on the organisational culture and objectives that the organisation sets out to meet. The various measures that these mangers put in place help in informing the culture that the employees will embrace, as well as the overall culture that will guide operations within the organisation. Apart from meeting the business objectives, the culture of an organisation strives to ensure that employees behave in an appropriate manner that will lead to the success of the entire organisation. With this in mind, human resource managers have an obligation to ensure that the behaviour of employees aligns with the culture that the organisation wishes to adopt (Adler & Gundersen 2008, p. 65). The role of the human resource managers in the development of the organisation’s culture also borrows from the recruitment and selection role of the human resource department. The hiring of employees has an impact on the culture of the organisation since it helps determine the employees, which the organisation will hire. Human resource managers tend to focus on a variety of qualities when hiring employees. These qualities go beyond the academic qualifications of the job applicant. With proper scrutiny of employees, human resource managers have the capacity to develop a desirable culture for the organisation. This borrows from the fact that HR managers have the capability to understand the culture, which the organisation wishes to embrace (Bal & Quinn 2001, p. 16). Organisational change forms a crucial aspect of modern organisations; change is inevitable in organisations since there is a need to embrace new models of addressing issues in the workplace. Change in organisations may either be planned or unplanned change. The desire to institute change within an organisation emanates from the need to have the organisation become competitive in the market (Weick & Quinn 1999, p. 361). With the numerous technological advancements in the modern era, change has become a crucial aspect of concern in many organisations. Managers have sought out new ways of doing things, as well as adopted to the new changes that globalisation has brought. As manager embrace new changes, they introduce new ways of doing things in organisations, which may lead to change in the culture of an organisation. This can be demonstrated by the change in management philosophies, which affects the culture of an organisation. Managers may borrow from other organisations and develop some form of organisational culture, which aligns to the needs of the prevailing environment (Coopey, Keegan, & Emler 1998, p. 91). The other way in which mangers can change the culture of an organisation includes through having external contractors working in an organisation. This takes place through outsourcing, which has become a common phenomenon in the modern business world. Outsourcing means that the organisation will hire externally and bring new ideas and input into the organisation. The external contractors may have an impact on the organisational culture since they come up with new models, which the organisation may be forced to embrace.  For example, external contractors make managers develop the culture by bringing changes in aspects such as operations, production, as well as the relationship of the organisation with customers (Daft 2010, p. 388). The role of HRM to motivate employees may have an impact on the culture of an organisation. Motivation serves to encourage employees to work towards the attainment of the goals of the organisation. As such, the ways in which employees are motivated determine whether the culture of the organisation will change or whether there will be no changes in culture. When human resource managers motivate employees, the workers gain a lot of confidence and may embrace work values, which will lead to the success of the entire organisation. Motivation also helps employees to stick to the organisational culture, as well as seek to uphold the culture. Motivated employees always tend to adhere to the values, rules, and policies of the organisation while at the same time helping the organisation meet its goals and objectives (Kane-Urrabazo 2006, p. 190). High performance work systems also play a role in developing the culture of an organisation. High performance work systems refer to several human resources practices, which tend to be related in a number of ways. These practices entail training, selection, compensation, and appraisal, which serve to ensure that employees become effective (Kane-Urrabazo 2006, p. 193). High performance HR practices require that employees have a lot of knowledge, skills, and they are given an opportunity to excel. Managers have the responsibility to ensure that there is alignment of these HR practices in order to enhance the development of the organisation’s culture. Having embraced these practices, HR managers can be sure to improve performance of the organisation and maintain the culture. Employees should be facilitated to be more committed to the goals of the organisation as this ensures that they conform to the culture that is already in place (Deal & Kennedy, 2000). A strategic approach to human resource management also plays a central role in ensuring that the culture of the organisation develops. This approach calls for the alignment of the HR policies to the strategic long term goals of the organisation. Through enhancing such alignment, HR managers have the responsibility, to ensure that the culture of an organisation develops and meets the overall goals for which the organisation was set.  The strategic management of human resources in an organisation should focus on several issues. Focusing on these issues ensures that the organisation’s culture develops (Peel & Boxall 2005, p. 1678). Some of the issues that managers should focus on while developing the organisational culture include formulation of strategies, evaluation of the set strategies, analysis of the environment, an emphasis on the goals and mission of the organisation, as well as an analysis of the environment within which the organisation operates (Kathy and John 2001, p. 57). The other way in which managers can develop the culture of an organisation is through the emphasis on the diversity of the organisation. Managers at all levels have the responsibility to ensure that they embrace diversity in their operations, especially while addressing management issues that have an impact on the organisation’s culture. Diversity ensures that the organisation is all-inclusive, and its culture conforms to the conventional requirements of equal representation for all (Kathy and John 2001, p.59). Through ensuring that discrimination is minimised within the organisation, managers will develop an organisational culture, which will be suitable to all and serve the need of all persons, irrespective of age, culture, ethnicity, or racial affiliations. Managers can also develop the culture of an organisation by placing a lot of emphasis on corporate social responsibility. In this regard, managers should develop a culture that cares about the environment (Weick & Quinn 1999, p. 368). Despite the fact that managers have the ability to develop the culture of their organisations, a critical look at this issue indicates that managers may face some challenges that may hinder them from achieving their role of developing the culture of an organisation. Some actors include the stakeholders of an organisation such as unions, the public sector, as well as the private sector. Labour unions have over the years criticised managers of not adhering to the labour laws. As a result, the role of managers in upholding the culture of the organisation has been curtailed significantly. Managers may fail to develop the culture of the organisation on the basis of human resource management since they fear criticisms from labour unions. As a result, managers may not be actively involved in the development of the organisational culture (Bal & Quinn, 2001). Other players such as the private and public sector also have an impact on the manager’s roles with regard to the development of organisational culture. An organisation can be a member of a body in the private sector; this determines the operations of the organisation since it has to adhere to  the body of which it is a member. Such a body in the private sector may affect the role of managers in developing the organisational culture. The public sector may also affect the role of management in developing the organisation’s culture. This is because managers cannot contradict the requirements of the public sector in the name of upholding the organisation’s culture. Therefore, managers do not necessarily have the ability to develop the culture of an organisation since their work may be interrupted (Mike, Rachel & Mark 2005, p. 494). Conclusion In conclusion, the management of an organisation plays a critical role when in development of the organisational culture. One of the ways in which managers have the ability to develop the culture of an organisation includes directive leadership. Managers should be in the forefront in ensuring that the organisation achieves its strategic objectives. Motivation also helps employees to stick to the organisational culture, as well as seek to uphold the culture. Managers may fail to develop the culture of the organisation on the basis of management of human resources due to criticism from labour unions. Other players such as the private and public sector also have an impact on the manager’s roles with regard to the development of organisational culture. References List Adler, N. J., & Gundersen, A. (2008). International dimensions of organizational behaviour, Mason, Ohio, Thomson/South-Western. pp. 63-70 Bal, V. & Quinn, L. (2001).Organizational Culture and Leadership Development, LIA 21(4), pp. 13-17. Coopey, J., Keegan, O. & Emler, N. (1998). 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