Diagnosing and Changing Organizational Culture - Literature review Example

Organizational Culture xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Name Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Course Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Instructor Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Date Organizational Culture It is quite evident that one of the key responsibilities of strategic leaders is to largely create and maintain organizational characteristics that are widely linked to both rewarding and encouraging collective effort. Perhaps the most fundamental organization characteristic is organizational culture. Organizational culture is defined as a set of beliefs, principles and norms that are largely known to give an organization a certain distinct character. Similar to national culture, organizational culture are usually formed and transformed over a period of time. Further, organizational culture largely responds and reflects to organization characteristics such as customers’ requirements, quality and competitive environment as well as various community values that are usually held by organization employees As a manager, this study focuses on explaining how one can manage a weak organizational culture by way of making it strong and largely develop it into becoming a quality driven organization. Arguably, a good and strong organizational culture is one which is known to largely drive quality. It is important that we first understand what makes a weak and strong culture. Cameron and Robert (1999) maintain that, an organization is said to have a strong culture if all employees quickly respond to stimuli which widely illuminates from the proper alignment of their organizational values. Such alignments of organizational values assists organization to operate effectively which in turn make this same company a quality driven one (Cameron and Robert 1999). On the other hand, an organization is perceived to have a weak organizational culture if there is little or no alignment in the various organizational values whereby control of company culture is largely exercised through a designed extensive procedures and bureaucracy. According to Cameron and Robert (1999), researchers indicate that organization that largely foster strong cultures have well defined values that are known to give employees a good reason to embrace culture. an organization culture that is strong is quite beneficial to companies especially those which operate in the service sector since these employees are responsible in delivering services needed to evaluate important characteristics that shape a firm (Cha and Edmondson 2001). Therefore, it is important for organization to adapt a strong organizational culture so as to increase growth, productivity and efficiency at the same time ensuring that employee turnover is reduced as well as any other counterproductive behavior. It is important to understand features that are comprised in an organizational culture. Normally, managers need to understand that organizational culture are created, maintained as well as transformed by both the management and its employees. Cha and Edmondson (2001) maintain that, managers are the individuals who are considered to be at the executive level are considered to be the principle source for a great generation and re-infusion of a company ideology, specification of norms and articulation of core values. According to Cha and Edmondson (2001), organizational values are known to express preferences for certain designed behaviors’ as well as outcomes. Based on organizational norms, they are used to express certain behaviors which are expressed by others. Flynn and Chatman (2001) maintain that, these norms are further considered to be culturally acceptable in pursuing organizational goals. Clearly, effective transmission of both values and norms usually establishes the permanence of a distinct organizational culture (Flynn and Chatman 2001). According to Flynn and Chatman (2001), when an organization especially in the manufacturing industry has a weak organizational culture which is causing it to lack direction, it is very important for its management to rethink on how it will develop its culture to one that is strong and one so as to establish quality driven organization (Flynn and Chatman 2001). Firstly, to ensure that a strong organizational culture is built in XYZ Manufacturing Company, it is important as managers to analyze the current existing organizational culture. Jones (2000) asserts that, after analyzing it is very essential to evaluate the organizational culture against certain cultural attributed that are largely used to achieve the company strategic objectives. As a manager it is important to possess a clear understanding of the company strategic goals and identify what kind of organizational culture is needed to reach further to the outlined strategic objectives (Jones 2000). According to Sherriton and James (1997), in analyzing the existing organizational culture, there two main question that a manager is required to ask; are the existing culture which described by beliefs, behaviors and norms effective towards achieving the designed strategic objective as well as finding out whether employees are facing challenges about both internal and external environment which are only factors which can only be clarified through organizational leadership (Koene et al1997). As a manager, I believe it is my duty to share with other management on what makes up a strong organizational culture. Firstly, within XYZ Manufacturing Company, it is important to check whether the existing organizational culture is one which highly retains culture. Koene et al (1997) maintain that, a strong and effective culture is one which is considered to be key component towards employees’ desires. Clearly, both employees and management need to be engage at work. Therefore, it is important that within XYZ Manufacturing Company to create a culture which engages individuals. Sherriton and James (1997) maintain that, it is evident that employee engagement enhances productivity that is quality driven which automatically results to high profitability. Further, within XYZ Manufacturing Company, the existing culture does not create momentum and energy, it is therefore important for this organization to establish a culture which is vibrant and one which allows employees to be valued (Parker 2000). By so doing the organization will gain positive energy which result to creating new momentum for success. It is quite evident that energy is a contagious factor which usually builds itself as well as reinforcing both the culture and attractiveness of an organization. According to Parker (2000), it is important that the adopted culture changes the view of work so as to meet up with the company vision, mission and objectives. The change in the view of work within an organization is known to create a company that is widely quality driven (Parker 2000). It is important as manager to develop a clear understanding of organizational culture so as to direct activities that are largely quality driven. Quality driven organizational culture ensure that there is positive productivity as well as ensuring that destructive influence on cultural change among employees. Clearly, XYZ Manufacturing Company organizational culture is weak in the sense that it has no substantial impacts on its ability in executing its desired strategy as well as achieving business objectives and goals. It is therefore important to develop a strong culture that will highly facilitate acceptable solution for outlined problems in which employees can feel, learn and set various principles, behavioral patterns, expectations and norms that widely promote a high level of achievement. Therefore, as a manager I believe that to ensure my organization acquires a stronger culture it is essential to develop a quality driven organization through tracking objectives and values and ensuring that they are understood by all employees. It is important that they further understands that with today’s constant change within the business environment, it is necessary to establish a culture which will drive employee productive which in turn guarantees quality. According to Schein (1999a), it is important that the kind of organizational culture to be adapted consists of values that assist employees in finding purpose and meaning in their work so as to produce quality goods and services. It is necessary to adapt an organization culture that is in line with departmental functions so as it create non-conflicting boundaries in defining departmental roles thus separating one department from the other (Schein 1999b). By so doing an organization through a distinct culture is able to largely convey a sense of identity thus categorized as that company which is drives quality. This in turn ensures that generation of commitment is facilitated towards organizational interest as opposed to self gains (Schein 1999b). Burman & Evans (2008) maintain that, leaders within XYZ manufacturing company needs to understand that a weak organizational culture largely affects the development of the company leadership. And when leadership lacks development it is obvious that a company fails to become quality driven. A good example is displayed by transactional leaders working within their organizational cultures following existing norms, rules and procedures that are not effective. It is very important that transformational leaders change this kind of culture by clearly understanding it and then properly aligning the organizational culture with a new vision and a substantial revision of its outlined shared values, norms and assumption thus enhancing quality driven activities within the organization. Burman & Evans (2008) maintain that, both tactical and strategic objectives need to be established by managers through establishing a strong organizational culture within XYZ Manufacturing Company. a strong organizational culture should be one which is defined by appreciation and acceptance for diversity, fair treatment of all employees which should be accompanied by respect for all employees contribution, enthusiasm and employees pride for work performed and the entire organization, strong communication with all employees especially regarding policies and company issues and finally, establishing strong leaders who widely possesses a strong sense of purpose and direction towards quality driven. As a member of the leadership team in XYZ Manufacturing Company, I will ensure that the entire leadership team in the company acquires a proper understanding on the importance of developing a strong organizational culture. I will put efforts in ensuring that effective and efficient training programs are established for all members of the management team. These training programs will be aimed at training the management team on the effects of a weak organizational culture as well as the benefits that will accrue to the company given that a strong organizational culture is developed. The training will also be focused on enabling the leadership of the company to gain a better understanding on what constitutes a strong organizational culture. This will help in ensuring that the whole organization appreciates the need for developing a strong organizational culture. According to Burman & Evans (2008), a strong organizational culture cannot be developed if the management team lacks proper understanding regarding organizational culture. The leadership of an organization is considered as the source of direction for the entire organization (Nguyen & Mohamed 2011). It therefore follows that when the leaders of any organization lacks knowledge on organizational culture, the entire organization will be limited in relation to developing a strong organizational culture (Drew 2009). The management is seen as the foundation on which the operations of the organization are based on. The only activities which can be effectively carried out in organizations are the ones which the leadership clearly understands. The limitation of the management team is also the limitation of the entire organization and the strength of the management team is also the strength of the entire organization. The decisions and strategies laid by the management determine the performance of the organization. Developing a strong organizational culture is therefore highly dependent on the leadership of the organization (Lim & Cromartie 2011). Based on this argument, I will ensure that all the leaders in XYZ Manufacturing Company will be trained on the core values which have a significant influence on the organizational growth and development as well as the quality of products manufactured by the company. The training will inform the management on the key values that direct all the company employees towards producing quality products. The leadership of the company will therefore gain knowledge which will enable them to guide the other members of the company who have significant roles to play in relation to developing a strong organizational culture. I will ensure that transformational leadership style is adopted in the organization since it encourages development of the desired organizational culture (Rijal 2010). McGuire (2003) maintains that, a reliable and strong organizational culture is the one that promotes the acceptable ethical behavior. It is the one that prohibits all forms of unacceptable behavior in organizations. To be able to develop a strong organizational culture in XYZ Manufacturing Company, I will ensure that a good environment that promotes adoption of effective ethical principles in the organization is developed. I will create the best climate that will foster observance of the already established ethical requirements. One of these requirements is the production of quality products that completely satisfy the various needs of customers in the market. The production of substandard goods is considered as an unethical behavior which should be condemned in all manufacturing companies (McGuire 2003). I will influence the leadership of the company to ensure that values such as honesty, respect, and integrity are encouraged in the company. This is because such values support the development of a strong organizational culture (Loumbeva 2008). According to Charles, the type of organizational culture developed is determined by the values that are observed in the organization (Kerns 2003). Moreover, it is the management that determines the values as well as norms observed in the organization (Hill & Jones 2008). To develop a strong organizational culture, I will ensure that all the participants in the company will be subjected to certain rules and principles which will be established by the management team. Such rules and principles will be issued with a key objective of assisting the employees in determining the right actions which they should take when faced with challenging situations. The employees will be expected to behave in line with the established standards and thus promoting a strong organizational culture. Organizational culture is an aspect that involves all the departments in the organization and thus developing a strong organizational culture requires unifying all the groups in the organization (Willcoxson & Millett 2000). To develop a strong organizational culture, I will ensure that team work is promoted in the company by ensuring a collective involvement of both leaders and subordinates in the development of strong organizational culture. Moreover, I will ensure that the management team of XYZ Company comes up with effective organizational norms which will promote awareness on the expected ethical behavior. The top level management as well as the lower level management will be required to show maximum support to practices which are ethically acceptable. According McGuire (2003), the management will be expected to undertake actions that will control the operations of the entire organization. Formal procedures for investigating the activities of the organization will be established. The leaders will be expected to put in place internal controls that will discourage unethical behavior. Such controls will be aimed at identifying any poor quality manufacturing materials that might gain access to the company. They will ensure that high quality raw materials are used in the whole manufacturing process and thus leading to production of high quality goods. Conclusion In conclusion, it is quite observable that changing an organizational culture is an extremely difficult process due to the variation that may exist within different organizations. As managers, it is quite important to understand that organizational culture has a self perpetuating characteristic and usually is very resistant to change. Changes in an organizational culture can cause conflict, confusion and resistance among employees therefore, it is important to do it in a way that is ethical. In changing from a weak organization to one which is strong, managers need to clearly understand the nature and role of culture not forgetting on how it can be altered. When both the roles and nature of culture are well defined, managers can better understand its importance in managing organizational culture as well as its impacts on day to day decision making. It is quite evident that the future holds for those companies that largely understand and nature their culture effectively. It is important to note that cultures are not only able to create an environment but also to create an easier way in adapting diverse and changing circumstances. Clearly, managers need to realize as companies begin to experience certain revolutions especially within its structures it is important to study both the culture and its implications for change. Evidently, adaptation of strong work group subcultures within a particular organization culture will influence strategies will attract a change in an organization culture as well as overcome any resistance that may arise. References Cameron, S., and Robert, E. 1999. Diagnosing and Changing Organizational Culture: Based on the Competing Values Framework. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley Publishing Co. Cha, S. and Edmondson, A. 2001. How strong organizational values can inhibit learning. Working paper, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA. Flynn, F and Chatman, J. 2001. Strong cultures and innovation: Oxymoron or opportunity? In Cartwright, S., Cooper, C., Earley, C., Chatman, J., Cummings, T., Holden, N., Sparrow, P. & Starbuck, W. et al., (Eds.), International handbook of organizational culture and climate: 263-287. Sussex: John Wiley & Sons. Jones, O. 2000. Scientific management, culture and control: A first-hand account of Taylorism in practice. Human Relations, 53: 631-653. 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