Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast - Coursework Example

Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” Name Professor Institution Date Abstract In any organization for success, to be achieved correct strategies must be defined. However, these strategies need to be implemented to ensure that they are organization meet its goals. The employees need to make these strategies part of their daily actions and decisions. Attitude plays a significant role in the success of these strategies, and management needs to consider this while formulating the strategies. A detailed explanation on structural choice and its association with the choice of strategy to enable the organization meet its goals. The paper will entail discussing organization culture in detail and how to assess it. The central component of the essay is how culture influences strategy. A conclusion will provide the importance of culture on strategy implementation that every manager should foster to implement. Introduction Before implementing a strategy, the organizational management needs to access and comprehend the level that its employees can comprehend and implement strategies. Here, culture plays a big role and is key to the success of the implementation of the strategies. The management should ensure that the organizational culture is in check with the strategies it plans to implement. BussinessDicrtionary.com defines organizational culture as the behavior and core values that contribute to the uniqueness of the social and psychological atmosphere in an organization (WebFinance, 2013). Many Business scholars argue that organizational culture incorporates the organizations interactions with the outside world, the expectation it has in the future which primarily is the organizations strategies (Schein, 2006, p. 3). The culture includes both the organizational experience, philosophy and the values that hold it together; this portrays the organizations self-image, the future expectations and the way it interacts with the outside world. It is essential that managers in organizations before embarking on formulating strategies that are key to achieving milestones; do an assessment of the organization's culture. This appears in the way the organization tends to conduct its business in terms of its treatment to employees, the wider community and customers. The structure that the organization adopts in flow of information and power, the freedom in innovation, personal opinion and decision making speak volumes about the organization's culture. Strategy formulation in management Gray (2010), states that strategic planning is key in determining the organization's mission, goals and vision. Gray may states that strategic planning is a management tool, and it enables organizations to focus on the resources it has to allow members of the organization to work towards the same goal (May, 2010). Most uninformed managers view strategy as most essential compared to culture in order for their organizations to perform well. This however, is a misconception as strategy will not be of much impact on your workforce if they feel unappreciated. The crucial point in strategy formation is to get the perfect blend that mixes both culture and strategy in the work force. The process of strategy formulation determines the culture and the structure of the organization. The structure of the organization may be mechanistic or organic. Mechanistic occurs in the bureaucratic organizations that have specialization and decisions come from the central point. Organic organization poses structures that are low in terms of specialization few formalities and decisions do not come from the central point. Both these structures pose different cultures and demand a different approach in terms of strategy. Mechanic organizations have hierarchy relationships that are rigid and the chain of command and decision making attains the shape of a triangle. These organizations pose many rules and a centralized decision making. Organic organizations on the other hand utilize both the vertical and horizontal hierarchy of leadership. The organizations that use this structure poses informal communication and have fewer rules. Organic organization poses more innovations that come from employees. However, it is suitable in a smaller size of organizations. Mechanistic organization is best suitable for large co-operations. All these structures play significant roles in strategy formulation. However, culture is inbuilt in the organization. It makes the roots of the organization, and it is easier to utilize these facts to grow an organization to greater heights. The fact that cultural sharing in the organization occurs among the employees and is more descriptive. The organizational managers should assess the culture in their organization and utilize it to raise the organizations to greater heights. Assessment of culture is essential, and each organizational manager should possess this skill. Assessment of culture In the assessment of culture seven things need to be taken into consideration. All the managers should scrutinize the seven factors on his organization and determine whether the culture his organization has been good for growth. Attention to details in the organization is crucial for growth to occur. Attention detail culture The management needs to assess the culture in the organization in terms how many details do employees exhibit. This is in terms of precision and analysis. A good organizational culture pays attention to the two important aspects in all they do. No strategy can be compared to a reproductive culture that pays attention to all details in the organizations dealings. He should embark on changing the organizational culture. The outcome orientation culture The outcome orientation culture of an organization is also vital for success. This is the degree to which the departmental heads dwells on results. A good organizational culture involves striving to achieve results. Strategy also plays an important role here but, culture is the main gist of this subject matter. Strategy strives to get results but also dictates the way forward to achieve the results. Outcome orientation culture gives freedom to the workers and allows them to exploit their creativity to achieve results. This is most common in the technology innovation organizations. Culture supersedes strategy but require a strategy to succeed. People culture orientation This is on the managing side it is necessary for the management to assess the impact of their decision on the organization’s workers. The managing team should assess how his subjects react to the decisions he makes and how decisions takes place. If the reaction is unwilling and the feeling of burden to execute directives exists. The management should strive to change this attitude. If the attitude of the organizations workers is positive towards directives given by the management, the output of the work force will be tremendous. Strategy facilitates the change of employee’s culture to positive. However, strategy alone can never make the workers be productive in enforcing the management directives. The workers tend to work in fear, and there is no innovation. Team orientation culture This is crucial for any organization to succeed. When workers in organization get the feeling of being part of the team, their output is tremendous and beyond many managers expectations. This is a very significant aspect of organizational culture and requires significant attention by the management. The management should foster and nature the team spirit. It is necessary for the management to assess the level of team spirit that is in his organization. Strategy plays very little role in team spirit and can never compare to the impact of teamwork has on the organization. Team spirit allows the organization’s works force to feel they own organization and poses a mindset that need to defend it in each and every way possible (Donnel, 2008, 67-70). Team spirit is far better than strategy as it is sound and even allow workers to take a pay cut in case of financial difficulties in the organization. The management has the task of implementing strategies that foster team work among the workers (Karel De Witte, 2000). The culture of aggressiveness It is necessary for the management to measure the degree of aggressiveness he controls in the organization. A good workforce should be aggressive and not submissive. An aggressive workforce is essential in tackling challenges that may crop up when implementing strategies and new projects. Stability culture Stability culture is core to maintaining the status core of the organization. Managers should foster to have a stability culture in their departments. The strategies alone can never ensure that the organization is stable, but culture is core to ensuring this happens. Once there is a culture that promotes stability in the organization, success is eminent to be attained (Parker, 2000). Innovation and risk taking culture This is a culture that has led to the success of many organizations. Strategy suppresses innovation as the organizational workers have to work under guidance that does not allow them to use their imaginations. Managers should develop strategies that foster the culture of risk taking and innovations in their organizations. The culture of risk taking and innovations by the professionals is necessary in all the organizations for they are calculated and their negative impact is minimal on the organization while the positive impact is enormous (Schein, 2010). How to foster a culture in the organization by the employees Culture being an important aspect in organizations moves in the organizations by positive stories of success among the workers. This may be during end year celebration parties and in the standard working environment (Martin, 2002). Rituals in organizations such as physical limit challenges for every employee help foster a culture in the organizations. Artifacts and unique terms as “we are a team”, foster positive culture in the organization and spread the message to the new employees. Conclusion Culture is important to any organizations successes. Strategy is also equally important but, for long term results culture supersedes strategy. These two aspects of management affect not only the employee’s attitudes but also the organizational structure. In order for an organization, to exhibit a positive culture strategy must exist. This acts as a supporting artifact to a culture that is a long term and dependent on the strategy. Strategy is necessary to initiate culture and positive culture led to the long term success in the organization. This proves that culture needs strategy and hence culture eats strategy for breakfast. References O’Donnell, F, J. 2008. Culture eats strategy for breakfast. Journal of cancer education. 23(2)67-70 Karel De Witte, J. V. 2000. Organizational Culture. New York: Psychology Press. Martin, J. 2002. Organizational Culture: Mapping the Terrain. New Delhi: SAGE. May, G. 2010. Strategic Planning: Fundamentals for Small Business: Entrepreneurship and small business management collection. New York: Business Expert Press. Parker, M. 2000. Organizational Culture and Identity: Unity and Division at Work. London: SAGE. Schein, E. H. 2006. Organizational Culture and Leadership Volume 356 of J-B US non-Franchise Leadership (3 ed.). New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons,Inc. Schein, E. H. 2010. Organizational Culture and Leadership. San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons. WebFinance.Inc. 2013. Organizational culture. Retrieved September 10, 2013, from businessdictionary.com: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/organizational-culture.html Read More