What Is Your View of Organizational Culture - Coursework Example

Organizational Culture Student’s Name: Instructor’s Name: Course Code and Name: University: Date of Submission: Organizational culture Introduction Every organization has its culture, and uses it to achieve set goals and objectives in the organization. It is dynamic and influenced by the workers who are the immediate custodians of the organizational culture. Organizational culture is the idea which is in the organizational studies field that is concerned with description of attitudes, psychology, values and beliefs of an organization. It is the collective values and norms that are shared by individuals and groups that are responsible in running the organization, and this determines the manner in which they relate in the organization and with the stakeholders (Schein 2010, p.365). Organizational culture defines the image of the organization because it is set on mental assumptions that are responsible for guiding organizational actions and interpretations that are geared towards defining appropriate behavior that is applied in various organizations. Organizational culture is derived largely from organizational values that include personal perspectives of viewing things that are concerned with members of the staff (Alvesson 2002, P.56). Organizational values are the beliefs and ideas about the behavioral standards members of the organization are supposed to set so as to be able to achieve appropriate behavior that is relevant in achieving the set goals and objectives. Culture is dynamic and should be changing towards the better parts, but not retrogressing day in day out. The manner in which members of an organization set an organization to be perceived by members of public, that will the culture associated with that organization. If the members are corrupt, the stakeholders will hold them with contempt because they know the organization is corrupt (Brenton and Driskill, 2010, p.16). All the organization’s participants are conversant with the culture of that organization. It is the collective manner in which things are done in an organization and involves a set of behaviours that are learned or mastered in the organization. In an organization, there is no absolute culture, but relative culture because no one is in a position to create a culture that best fits the organizational future direction (Teegarden et al. 2010, p. 8). Organizational culture can be observed and identified in a variety of ways. How the organization communicates with its members is an indication of whether their culture is a stumbling block to progress or not. Communication needs to be checked alongside feedback and the manner in which both are done (Schein 2010, p.370). Coordination of projects in the organization is also a check point on how things are done in the organization and this should help one to know if there is consistency of a way of doing things in the organization or if the culture observances are the retrogressing factor in the organization. In some ways, culture can bring back or slow down responses of some workers because they have to work according to the laid instructions (Brenton & Driskill 2010, p.16). Some cultures are drawbacks in the organizational progress because they do not give room to autonomous thinking of the individuals. They categorically reduce members of the organization to machines of duplicating whatever that is told to them and passing it forward in the same manner without adjustments. In these behaviours, one can a mistake that can negatively impact the progress of the organization (Alvesson 2002, P.56). Structuring of organizations, also portray the cultural design, and if it can redeem an organization from failure or not. Most of the organizations are hierarchical and strongly blocks autonomy of decisions without consulting authorities. Most of the employees are motivated by fear in the organization that is really strict (The Sergay Group 2011, p.1). This is against the concept of motivation because for an organization to prosper it needs its workers to be motivated by the good deeds that they do, and the response they get from the authorities. If the employees are being reprimanded, they will cower hence be not be effective in the manner which they execute their duties. The employers or administrators need to be lenient with their workers, and this creates a rapport than enhances information being relayed in the right manner. The employees work for the benefit of the organization, and if something goes wrong, he is there to correct it right away (Alvesson 2002, P.65). In most cases, the stipulated rules that govern an organization and that partly from its culture are not followed, hence forming loopholes in the effectiveness of culture. The manners in which things are done in the organization portray the kind of culture that is used in the organization. During organizational meetings, the administrators have a tendency of patronizing the employees by not recognizing their opinions. In most cases they ask them to air their concerns, but they do not consider them at all. They brush their wishes away and push their self-opinionated ideas as the organizational ideas. They do not give room to debating of their ideas, and if one opposes the administrators’ ideas is seen as an enemy to progress (Alvesson 2002, P.63). The hierarchical administration is a tool of perpetuating autocracy of the highest order and does not go in line with the set of principle that guides communication. Instead of brushing off the opinions of the employees, one should try and place them in the agenda and discus them because hit is the employs who have a contact with the running of the organizational and are the first to identify the weaknesses that can affect the administration. In most cases, identifying with the culture of the organization is an obstacle to the running of the organization. In most case the employees are left with the burden of identifying with the culture of the organization (Schein 2010, p.366). The organization needs to be working as a team, but in the execution of duties, some offices want to play mightier than others. If the junior employees are playing hard to toe the line of set rules simply because if they default they will be punished, the senior officers default them all times and there are no one to discipline them. In that manner culture becomes selective only to some staff members and not to others. This creates an imbalance hence there is no consistency in the execution of duties towards the set objectives and laid strategies in the organization (Schein 2010, p.373). An organization that identifies with it culture runs smoothly, and achieves its goals in an appropriate manner. This is because the executive that is in charge of managing the organizational culture is playing its role by being answerable to the employees (Organizational Culture 2007, p. 1). The reason as to why it is sometimes hard to execute duties as they are is because the assumptions and beliefs that are set I the organization are defaulted by different members of the same organization. There should be a department set aside to see to it that culture in an organization is followed to the letter. Creation and maintaining of organizational culture is done by the people responsible for working in that organization. For an institution to thrive, there is a need for the various cultural backgrounds to be integrated into a single culture that is responsible for catapulting the organization forward (Knox & Butzel, 2011, p. 1). If we take for instance in the military organization, there is a need of interpersonal interaction for maintenance of culture in the organization to be practical and manage the running of various departments in the organization (Teegarden et al. 2010, p. 7). The military officers need to commit their respects towards the unified culture of Department of Defense for the peace of a nation that is checked through DOD as an organization prevails. If organizational culture of such organization fails, the peace of the entire nation is at stake. This means that there must be total management of culture that will support the running of different organizations (Schein 2010, p.367). In most organization cultural practices are forgone for the purpose of cost-cutting measures. There are some organizations that just stop to take their workers for in-service training, and this affects the running of affairs in the organization (wisegeek 2011, p.1). Employees need to be taken for refresher courses and given incentives for them to be motivated while working for the institution. In the management of organizational culture, orientation of new employees needs to be held with the utmost care. This is because if they find that the organization is run with mediocrity, they will accustom to the same. The department of human resource needs to uphold origin of various employees with respect so that they will also acculturate in the new organization and respect the way thing is done too (Alvesson 2002, P.57). The organization is focused in eliminating the existing phenomena in an employee and induce new values that will help in pushing forward of the organization. Organizational culture is derived by affecting the cognitive of the new employees and the social relations so that he will form rapports that will help him break the ice in the organization hence improving the performance of the role s assigned to him or her. Culture is an instinctively motivated behavior that is picked rather than taught (Parker 2000, p.9). One learns what is exposed to him or her, and this means that, bad exposure will lead to bad management of the organization and good exposure will lead to positive running of the organization hence workability with the staff towards achieving set objectives (Kubr & International Labour Office 2002, 276). Socialization of workers is facilitated by group cultures, and if there are disjointed cultures in the organization, there is a likelihood of the employees failing for them new manner of doing things exposed to them. This affects running of the institution because a group may be respecting delegation of power while the other does not respect the set rules (Alvesson 2002, P.58). An example of a company called Enator founded in twenty years ago had the best manner of cultural propagation in an organization. Their slogan was “fun and profits”. They did all sort of things to motivate their staff. There was fun parties held to celebrate any profit achieved, and incentives were given to employees in impromptu style. The working staff was happy all the time and took pride in their esteemed company (Alvesson 2002, P.59). The values that were followed in that company were based in openness and friendship and this increased customers and rapid growth in the company at large. Most of the customers had a smooth interaction with the workers, and everything was carried in a transparent manner. This became their culture. This is an indication that creation of a culture and reproduction of the same culture can impact the manner in which employees work and deliver services to customers. Maintenance and improvement o a good organizational culture can only be entrusted to the administrators who run the organization (Schein 2010, p.369). Increased turnovers in the employment of workers do not auger well with the customers, but increased employees make the customer see that the organization is growing (Schein 2010, p.369). Eventually Enator lost the track that it had maintained for a long time. Managers failed to effect communication with the employees, and the enthusiasm was lost by the company. There was the lack of balance between the positive and negative affairs in the company that led to downsized profits, customers and even employees resigned. Failure to manage existing organizational culture always comes with problems that attack the organization to the core. It is always important to have loyal employees who support the company even in time of retrogression (Alvesson, 2002 p.64. Organizational culture should be used as strength to have the employees have asset of believes that makes them move a similar direction and with a purposed objective to execute a unified objective. The executive in an organization should come up with ways of maintaining balance between the information received from the workers and feedbacks from the executive because there is what keeps a company going and united. Failure to enhance unity brings bad results like poor profits and failed system of running an organization (Parker 2000, p.10). Reference List Alvesson, M 2002, Understanding organizational culture, SAGE, Thousand Oaks. Brenton, A & Driskill, G 2010, Organizational Culture in Action: A Cultural Analysis Workbook, SAGE, Thousand Oaks. Knox, D & Butzel, S 2011, What is Corporate Culture? Retrieved 30 July, 2011, from http://www.lifeworktransitions.com/monster/CorCul.html Kubr, M & International Labour Office 2002, Management consulting: a guide to the profession, International Labour Organization, Geneva. Organizational Culture, 2007, Implications Of Organizational Structure Culture, Retrieved on 30 July, 2011, from http://www.organizationalculture101.com/implications-of-organizational-structure-culture.html Parker, M 2010, Organizational culture and identity: unity and division at work, SAGE, Thousand Oaks. Schein, E 2010, Organizational Culture and Leadership, John Wiley and Sons, Hoboken. Teegarden, P., Rothm, D., & Sturm P, 2010, The Nonprofit Organizational Culture Guide: Revealing the Hidden Truths That Impact Performance, John Wiley and Sons, Hoboken. The Sergay Group, 2011, What is Corporate Culture?, Retrieved 30 July, 2011, from http://www.sergaygroup.com/Smart-Talk/What-is-Corporate-Culture.html Wise GEEK 2011, What is Corporate Culture? 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