Expression of Culture and Its Impact of Effectiveness - Essay Example

Expression of Culture and Its Impact of Effectiveness Insert Name Institution Instructor Date Expression of Culture and Its Impact of Effectiveness Introduction While there is no consensus on the definition of the term culture, the term gets a universally accepted definition when applied in the context of organization. Culture within the organizational context is referred to as organizational culture. A more solid term for organizational culture is corporate culture. This refers to the manner in which things are done within an organization as dictated by the rituals and norms that have been passed down over time through the management body as it changes (Singh, 2004). There are four major types of corporate culture – collaborative, creative, bureaucratic and competitive. These are general frameworks and can vary significantly depending on the particular needs of the organization. Even if the concept of corporate culture prominently has its roots in the 1980s and early 1990s, it is clear that corporate culture is as old as the concept of organization. According to Denison (2012), corporate culture is much like glue as it holds together all the stakeholders of a business. Worth noting however the reality that corporate culture is not is a one shoe fits all, since the culture varies from one organization to another. Essentially, corporate culture is like the organization’s compass as it is the set of shared norms that gives direction to all the internal stakeholders. This paper endeavors to explain how culture is expressed in our organization, and how such expression affects the effectiveness of the organization. How Culture Is Expressed In the Organization The manner in which culture is expressed depends heavily on the type of culture adopted by an organization. While this is the case, our organization adopts the collaborative type of organizational culture. Collaborative culture is one that emphasizes team work and cohesion in the internal environment (Hofferberth & Ulrich 2012). This culture is expressed through prominent teamwork and use of consensus within the organization. Speaking of team work, an organization that adopts collaborative culture has both formal and informal teams and work groups. Such groups are exceptionally useful in such a culture because they are the strength of the company. Collaboration is a concept that emphasizes collective effort as it seeks to eliminate personal inefficiencies. Speaking of collective effort, individualism is highly discouraged in such an organization. The teams in a collaborative culture occur at all strata, starting from the top management, such as the strategic team, to the shop floor operatives, such as the people that do informal duties of non-routine nature (Dressler, 2004). The second way through which culture is expressed in our organization is through creativity, innovation and pooling of ideas. Apparently, the organization is prominently based on collectivism to the extent that the creativity and innovation of the employees are given prominence (Dressler, 2004). Such creativity, innovation and pooling of ideas explains our organization highly encourages participative approaches in decision making. Speaking of participative approaches, the employees actively participate in the decision making process. Participating in such process enables the organization’s employees to develop a sense of affiliation. Affiliation refers to a state where the organization’s employees feel that they are part and parcel of the organization. Being part of the organization means that the employees are motivated to work hard in realization of ‘their’ organization. Such affiliation has seen many organizations on the global scene develop into world leaders – for instance, Wal-Mart is a world retail industry leader because it gives prominence to the connection between the employees and the organization. In a collaborative culture, employees are commonly referred to as associates. In collaboration, culture is prominently expressed through trustworthiness and strong interpersonal relationships. Trustworthiness between the employees and the organization is a likely cause of effective communication (Schuman & IAF, 2006). Such good communication is exceptionally useful as it encourages proper conflict resolution and timely management of misunderstandings. Additionally, the collaboration culture is receptive to change since there is solid trust between the management and the employees. Lack of such trust has been identified as one of the most common causes of resistance to change. According to Garber (2006) one of the most prominent disadvantages of collaboration culture is the reality that it is a cause of slow decision making. Decision making is done collectively, with all the employees involved. This means that consultation has to take place before the consensus is reached. This is usually undesirable where the organization has to make decisions relating to urgent matters. The culture in the organization is also expressed through annual rituals such as the end year awards ceremony - an event in which the best performing team is awarded on merit and the extent to which it has observed work ethic. Such rituals promote healthy competition among the teams, something that has seen the organization achieve most of its long term goals. Schein (2009) argues that there is a significant connection between the codes of conduct adopted by an organization, and the organizational culture. The organization, being a collaboration oriented culture, adopts a code of conduct that prioritizes the organizational goals. the culture is prominently expressed in the codes of conduct, since through such codes cohesion is assigned central importance. The culture of the organization is manifested through such things as keen observation and adherence to the requirements of The Fair Work Act (2009) of Australia. The fair work act, as observed by the collaborative organization, upholds such standards as the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) doctrine. Such equal opportunity doctrines are applicable in the organization with regard to such human resource functions as promotion. Another way through which the culture is expressed is through interpersonal relationships within the organization. Interpersonal relationships are the foundation of teamwork (Flamholtz & Randle, 2011). The organization does not have a policy restricting interpersonal relationships since such relationships not only uphold constructive conflict, but also promotes emotional intelligence which, according to Garber (2006) is the foundation of informal work groups. Such interpersonal relationships are not limited to the employees, but also extend to the management. This is primarily because the management style of the organization is referred to as transformational leadership. Transformational leadership is associated with leadership by example. The managers are always willing to participate in the introduction of change and the development of the organization in all aspects. The culture is expressed through the fact that during the process of transformational management, the leader will always work as a team leader. Leading the team will no doubt propel the organization towards the achievement of goals. Hofstede came up with various ways of evaluating the manner in which the culture is manifested in an organization. Hofstede’s approach outlined five points, which must be considered or which provide the framework through which evaluation is done. The points according to Hofstede are power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism versus collectivism, long term versus short term orientation, and Masculinity versus femininity (Denison, 2012). Applying this to the organization, it is clear that from the foregoing explanation, the power distance is exceptionally short and almost dysfunctional. Considering a situation where the leaders lead by example and work hand in hand with the shop floor operatives, it is a matter of common knowledge that power distance tends to zero. On the contrary, power distance is prominent in hierarchical cultures. In a hierarchical culture, the relationship between the employees and the top management is governed by red tape – a structure of unnecessary procedures and formalities. With regard to uncertainty avoidance, the organization uses legal methods and technological advancement to handle change in the average organization, people associate change with uncertainty. This is commonly referred to as the fear of the unknown. Fear of the unknown constitutes risk perceptions that make people act paranoid. So as to reduce instances of uncertainty, the organization used legal knowledge, technological advancement and corporate norms to keep the workforce abreast with the times and encourage cooperation between the work force and the management (Schuman & IAF, 2006). From the term collaboration culture, it is clear that the organization is not individualistic but more of collectivist. Collectivism is the essence of teamwork, a primary factor in the culture of collaboration. Collectivism is associated with formal and information group approaches used in the attainment of a common goal. Masculinity versus femininity is a dysfunctional battle in an organization with a collaborative culture. In the organization, Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) doctrines are seriously adhered to in accordance to the provisions of the Fair Work Act (2009). This ensures that there are no favoritisms and prejudices in the workplace. According to gurus in human resource management and management science, where such prejudices exist, teamwork is practically impossible since the possibility of healthy and constructive interpersonal relationships is mutilated by the fact that one gender is considered superior to another. While this is the case, the people in a collaborative culture will always work bets under a system that ignores the gender war – femininity versus masculinity (Dressler, 2004). An organization that prioritizes teamwork is more long term oriented than short term focused because long term orientation is in line with the management doctrine of subordinating individual interests to organizational interests. How the expression of culture helps organizational effectiveness From the foregoing description of how culture is expressed in the organization, it is clear to conclude that, overall, the effect of the expression of culture on effectiveness and ultimately the performance is positive. Ndumanya (2012) explains that the strongest point of collaborative culture is the reality that such culture is based on teamwork. Teamwork is the biggest source of synergy in the organization. Essentially therefore, the influence of the culture on the organization’s effectiveness is explained by the advantages of teamwork. Basically, teamwork is a strong factor as it not only brings likeminded ideology, but also introduces as aspect of unity in an organization. Unity in an organization is an exceptionally important factor since its presence implies fewer conflicts. Conflicts are detrimental to the organization as they hinder unity of direction (Singh, 2004). Teamwork is associated with creativity. Such creativity boosts the effectiveness of an organization in a multiplicity of ways. For instance, through creative thinking an innovative collection of ideas, the employees can complement one another in terms of strengths and weaknesses – a factor that sees the overall organizational efficiency boosted. Working collectively makes tasks faster than when an individual works alone, especially considering the inefficiencies that are characteristic of human beings. Worth noting is the fact that effectiveness refers to a situation where things are done in accordance to the expectations, and without error (Denison, 2012). Working in teams eliminates human error hence upholding accuracy and efficiency. Additionally, teamwork gives organizational activities a multidisciplinary approach. Such approaches are associated with the ability to complete a task in a timely manner. This is particularly important in production organizations where the people are a major resource, and this is especially the where the production organization is associate with fast moving or technical goods. Related to the point of teamwork is the actuality that expressing the culture in the ways listed upholds organization identity (Field, 2011). The collaborative culture makes the members of staff identify with the organization. Identifying with the organization – a factor refers to as affiliation – psychologically motivates the staff members to work hard towards attainment of the goals set. Since the organization adopts a collectivist approach, it is likely that there is effective communication. Effective communication increases both efficiency and effectiveness as far as moving towards the attainment of the vision is concerned. Since the culture upholds communication, it is a matter of common knowledge that instructions and feedback are smoothly transmitted between the workforce and management. Unlike a bureaucratic organization, one with a collaborative approach is associated with effectiveness and higher efficiency (Garber, 2006). In bureaucracies, the power distance hinders effectiveness by mutilating communication processes. The zero distance policy adopted by collaborative organizations is particularly helpful as it eases the tension that is traditionally associated with the connection between the management and the employees (Schein, 2009). The expression of the collaborative culture effectively uproots resistance to change. Resistance to change is prominently associated with an organization whose power distance is too long to sustain proper communication (Flamholtz & Randle, 2011). The main cause of resistance to change is the fear of the unknown, something that cannot affect a collaborative organization because communication is quite effective to an extent that the employees can freely express their fears to the organization for purposes of further clarification. Change is inevitable. An organization that does not embrace change is doomed to extinction. The collaborative culture helps an entity upholds flexibility and freedom of association and consultation. This eliminates fears that may cause resistance to change. According to Dressler (2004) acceptance to change is equal to efficiency and effectiveness. This is essentially because, among other things, the organization will be in a position to adopt latest technology and newest concepts in the fields of management – a factor that will ensure survival in the competitive world of business. According to research, an organization whose workforce is organized into teams has the potentiality to gain from the competitive relationships among the groups. Competition among the groups is healthy, especially in an organization with a formal reward system in the rituals and norms of its culture. Competition is a healthy cause of constructive conflict. Such conflict creates some sort of silent rivalry, which sees the organizations stand out to be the eventual winner (Singh, 2004). Such competition is also extended to the decision making system. In the decision making procedures, the employees of a collaborative organization may stand to gain a lot. Such gains come as rewards for the winning ideas in the decision making process. A collaborative approach always has such rewards. This motivates the employees to think hard, emerging with the winning ideas. Such ideas not only benefit the individual through the monetary reward, but also boost the organization through quality ideas that boos effectiveness. As mentioned earlier, one of the ways through which the culture is expressed is through work ethic. Work ethic adds to the effectiveness of the organization through improving the connection between the customers and the employees. The codes of conduct and the general work ethic require the employees to prioritize the needs of the customers and to treat the customers preferentially (Schuman & IAF, 2006). The culture therefore adds to the effectiveness of the organization since it, through treating the organization’s customers well, enhances the corporate image of the organization. This is, arguably the most potent way of boosting the effectiveness of the organization, especially considering that the customers are the most important stakeholders and that their proper treatment and satisfaction is of paramount importance. In furtherance of human resource diversity, the culture of the organization is expressed through the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO). This ensures that the organization gains a lot from the aspect of cultural diversity and gender balance. According to Schein (2009) gender stereotyping is arguably the worst form of discrimination as far as effects on productivity are concerned. Being an equal opportunity employer, the organization stands to gain from the competencies associated with both men and women, as well as the people employed from across the cultural divide. There are many advantages associated with diversity, among them the fact that quality ideas can be pooled from the many cultures and backgrounds of the people involved. On the other hand, it is considered effective, an organization that considers people from all cultures as being equal. Conclusion In conclusion, it is clear that from the foregoing, there is a close association between culture and effectiveness or overall performance. While one may wonder how the two are connected, the relationship can be summarized through four factors – involvement, mission, consistency and adaptability. Consistency and involvement are commonly associated with the internal environment and stakeholders. On the contrary, mission and adaptability are associated with the connection between the organization and the external environment and stakeholders. The most notable way through which the contribution of the culture to the effectiveness of the organization can be explained is through critically analyzing the positives of teamwork and employee involvement. The effectiveness can as well be seen from the fact that the culture of collaboration renders power distance dysfunctional hence improving communication between the workforce and the management. Summarily, this culture introduces an aspect of motivation, employee affiliation, and constructive conflict among the employees. All these, coupled with the fact that the employees are bound by the work ethic, gives the customer maximal satisfaction – arguably the most potent indicator of effectiveness. References Denison, D. R. (2012). Leading culture change in global organizations: Aligning culture and strategy. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Dressler, S. (2004). Strategy, organization and performance management. Boca Raton (Fla.: Universal Publishers. Field, L. (2011). Culture And Corporate Success Culture And Corporate Success. How your organizational climate sets the stage for success. 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Schuman, S., & International Association of Facilitators. (2006). Creating a culture of collaboration: The International Association of Facilitators handbook. San Francisco, Calif: Jossey-Bass. Singh, S. (2004). Market orientation, corporate culture and business performance. Aldershot (England: Ashgate. Read More