2/17/2016

Culture
Class 1 of 2

February 17, 2016

Organizational Culture
• The set of values, attitudes, beliefs, and expected behavior shared by members of an organization – The ‘internal personality’ of an organization
– Similar to national culture: common values, shared understandings
– What is really important or accepted (can differ from what management says)

Levels of Culture
• Assumptions (Lowest Level i.e., what is “under water”)
– Taken for granted beliefs about human nature, “reality”
– Often unspoken and typically reside out of immediate awareness – Discerned from how people explain and justify what they do

• Espoused Values
– Shared principals, standards, and goals

• Artifacts (Highest Level i.e., “tip of the iceberg”)
– Tangible aspects that can been seen, heard, observed

Example:
• Assumption:
• Espoused Values:
• Artifacts:

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Content Dimensions of Organizational Culture
• Competitiveness: whether members tend to compete vs. cooperate
• Individual initiative: degree of responsibility, freedom, and independence that members have
• Innovativeness: extent to which members are encouraged to think outside the box and challenge the status quo
• Tolerance of failure: whether the organization accepts failure vs. demands success
• Conflict tolerance: degree to which members are encouraged to air conflicts and criticism openly
• Power distance: extent to which formal hierarchical differences are emphasized vs. members treating each other as equals

Manifestations of Culture
• Symbols

─ object, act, or event that conveys meaning to others. Symbols associated with corporate culture convey the organization’s important values. • Stories

─ narrative based on true events that is repeated and shared among organizational employees. Stories are told to new employees