On-Campus activity to be done in Kinnaird College.
Question:
You interact with your college frequently as a student. Assess the culture of Kinnaird by looking at the following aspects:

1. Physical Design: Buildings, furniture, parking lot, offices, café’ etc. Where are they located and why? Where do students and employees park? What does the architecture says about college? What activities are encouraged and discouraged by the physical layout? What these things have to say about organization values?

Ans. The Kinnaird College for Women is prestigiously located at jail road, Lahore. It is a prime location. The building spreads over 20 acres. The college has different blocks or buildings that are carefully separated by beautiful and well maintained gardens. The entire college is well maintained and the atmosphere is very clean. Some buildings of the college contain old furniture while others newly built blocks have new furniture. The college is facilitated with generators to avoid disruption of studies. However the availability of air conditioners is scarce. The parking lot is spacious. There are two areas of the parking lots. One is for faculty while the other is for students. The entrance has been made secure with the help of metal detectors as well as staff for personal checking and guards at the main gates. The college café offers a variety of food for students and the staff. It goes beyond healthy fresh juices, lemonades and salads to the more popular pizzas, French fries and burgers etc.
There are separate buildings for different disciplines e.g. in the science block, all pure sciences classes are conducted. The post graduate block is opposite the science block and all the masters level classes are conducted there. Intermediate classes are mostly conducted in the arts block. And the bachelors’ classes are more or less spread between the amaltas, arts and the new block. This is done in order to facilitate both students and the teachers. A new block has been built to curtail the problem of shortage of rooms. All the blocks are carefully labeled. The offices are located in almost all the buildings. There are separate departments of various disciplines. Some senior teachers even have their own offices. From all this information we can perceive about the Kinnaird culture that it is a well-equipped college. There are a few areas where improvement is needed such as maintenance, but the overall environment is convincing.

2. Symbols: Logos, dress codes, slogans, philosophy statements etc. What values are highlighted? Where are logos displayed? Whose needs are emphasized? What actions are prohibited? What do all symbols communicate about Kinnaird’s culture?

Ans. The Kinnaird motto is Light, Courage, and Love. It is a prayer of wisdom, strength and compassion. The slogan of the college is The Kinnaird Family. It shows that all the members of Kinnaird, students, faculty, administration, café staff, gate keepers, peons, ayas etc. are all joined together in a bond of respect and love, like in a family. The dress code of the college is set in accordance with the Islamic values. It promotes decency and respect. It aims at teaching young women that they should be dresses with dignity and grace. Students are encouraged to look simple. There is a disciplinary committee that can take action against those who do not follow the dress code properly. There are many things that are prohibited such as students are not allowed to leave the college before 1pm. Many do not agree with this rule but the administration feels that it somehow ensures student security. Other rules can be the issue of short attendance. Students have to repeat the course if they miss more than six classes per semester. The exam cell is also very strict regarding its policies. Anyone caught cheating is immediately reported and can even be suspended depending upon the situation. All of these things show that the Kinnaird culture is strict in a sense but it is all in the better interest of students. A very commendable thing is that the rules are there for everybody. Thus the Kinnaird is fair in this respect.

3. Words: Stories, languages, job titles etc. What stories are repeated? Are employees addressed? What do job tittles say about organization? What do words reflect about culture of college?

Ans. There are many stories that go around about Kinnaird. I being a member of the Kinnaird family since the past five years, believe that only 2 % of those are correct. People perceive that Kinnaird is an all fun but no study kind of college. This is not at all correct. Kinnaird has so many experienced as well as young , competent, hardworking, head strong, and leading women working in the college. It is a college for women and it is a college of great women. The merit is high, especially at the intermediate level. Almost all departments conduct interviews as well as admission tests for BSc and masters level admissions. Kinnaird also hosts a number of extra-curricular activities and events for which it is well known. There are different job titles such as teachers, HOD’s, vice chancellor and the principal. There are other job titles as well such as the bank staff and admission office team. All of these titles show that the faculty and the administration are very rich. There are many people involved in each department. Teachers are taking classes according to their specific expertise. There is a good division of labor.

4. Policies and Activities: Rituals,, ceremonies, policies etc. How are students treated? What activities are rewarded or punished? What are common themes of rituals followed in which occasions? What does these all tell about organizations’ culture and values?

5: With respect to the Exhibit: 3-2 : Dimension of Organizational Culture , highlight e which dimensions have relevance to Kinnaird College culture?

Prior reading of Chap: 3 “Organizational Culture and Environment”, is strictly recommended.