Creating Organisation Culture - Coursework Example

Organizational Culture Name Class Unit Introduction An organizational culture is what distinguishes an organizational from other organizations. Organizational culture involves norms, beliefs and principles which gives an organization its character. When new employees join an organization, they are supposed to be adaptive to the new systems. They are the qualities of an organization that gives it a certain feel and manifested in four main ways as power, role, achievement and support (Hofstede & Hofstede, 2005). Organization culture is defined by several models which underpins the organizational culture. The culture is created through terminal and instrumental values. According to Parker (2000), organization culture is all the beliefs, behaviors and feelings of an organization. When members of an organization interact, they use a certain rituals and rights. Values are the principles and standards in organisation members. Values can be terminal or instrumental. Terminal values are what the organisation expects as the outcome while instrumental values are the desired behaviour. Heroes in organisations are visionary and institutional builders. Heroes provide role model in an organisation (Hofstede & Hofstede, 2005). Culture in an organisation can be maintained in several ways. These involve selection of staff, orientation, job mastery, rewarding and control systems and adherence to values, folklore reinforcement and consistent role models (Jones, 2010). This essay will explain the organisation culture and show how it can be expressed in an organisation. Creating organisation culture Parker (2000), state that values are one of the main elements in an organisation. They are the principles that guide an organisation and its members (Wu, Taylor & Chen, 2001). The desired outcome is the terminal value in an organisation. There is also the desired mode of behaviour in an organisation which is referred to as the instrumental value. Success in an organisation can only be achieved when the members have shared values. They help in making the organisation to have a strong identity (Parker, 2000). When an organisation has strong shared values, there is reduced bureaucracy and commitment among the members (Schermerhorn, Hunt & Osborn, 2008). According to Jones (2010), heroes are very important in any successful organisation. The organisation heroes can be created or born. Organisation leaders who are able to maintain a vision and build the company are taken as born heroes. For example, Henry Ford is taken as a born hero due to his work in building Ford Motor Company (Schermerhorn, Hunt & Osborn, 2008). Organisation culture can also be created through the celebrations and activities that are part of the organisation. Managing rituals and rites in an organisation are part of their success. The rites and rituals help an organisation to celebrate and recognise achievements. In some of the organisations, there are created rituals such as reward day. Others have made meetings to be part of their rituals where they are able to discuss issues about the organisation (Jones, 2010). Communication networks helps in transmitting the company organisational culture (Hofstede, 2001). The various individuals in an organisation help in maintaining the communication network. The organisation uses a story teller who is supposed to interpret the organisation culture and disseminate it. The employees who are in the communication network are liable to making the organisation culture (Hofstede & Hofstede, 2005). Dimensions of culture Power distance This refers to the extent in which members of an organisation expect that power is distributed unequally (Hofstede, 2001). The inequality in the power of an organisation is expressed through the followers and leaders. Different societies are unequal. There are certain cultures which have large power distances while others have low power distance. Where there are low power distances, power is used legitimately to determine good and evil. The culture treats all equally. The organisation looks at hierarchy as means of inequality of roles (Smith, Petersonn & Schwartz, 2002). When there is a low power difference in an organisation, the subordinate staffs expects to be consulted. There are also low cases of corruption and income is almost equally distributed. When there is a large power distance in an organisation, power legitimacy is irrelevant. The culture supports inequality as essential and subordinates expect that they are to be consulted. Large power distance culture encourages corruption and scandals (Jones, 2010). Different countries exhibit different power distance which affects the organisation. Uncertainty avoidance Uncertainty avoidance refers to the society ability to tolerate ambiguity. This refers to the ability of the culture to make their members comfortable or uncomfortable when in situations which are not structured. This involves use of strict code of behaviour and laws which are minimise the occurrence of uncertainty. For example, uncertainty avoidance culture believes that there is only one truth and they have it. When uncertainty avoidance is weak, inherent of uncertainty is accepted by the organisation (Triandis, 2004). The weak uncertainty avoidance involves reduced stress and anxiety. The culture is also able to tolerate those who are deviant and members are comfortable have high dislike for rules. There are high stress and anxiety in cultures with strong uncertainty avoidance. The culture also rarely supports deviant persons. Members in a strong uncertainty avoidance culture require the rules to be clear and have a concise structure. It has been proved that those in uncertainty accepting cultures exhibit high emotions. The culture with uncertainty accepting is more likely to listen to opinions from others. Individualism Individualism refers to cultures which the individual ties are loose. These cultures are such that everyone is expected to look after themselves. When the culture is collective, people are integrated into groups and are expected to be cohesive. In individualism culture, the right to privacy is stressed and everyone is expected to talk their mind. The use of personal opinion is practised and the task is given preference over relationship (Schwartz & Bardi, 2001). In collectivism, members stress on belonging. There are strong efforts towards creation of harmony and group determines the opinion. There is preference of the relationship over the task. Masculinity versus femininity This refers to the manner in which roles are distributed within the society (Hofstede, 2001). In every society, values vary among the genders. In femininity cultures, emotional and social role differentiation is minimal. There is sympathy for the weak. In masculinity culture both men and women should be assertive and ambitious. There is admiration for the strong and work prevails over the family (Triandis, 2004). Long-term and short term orientation Long-term and short term orientation is a distinct concept that exists in the society (Hofstede, 2001). In short term oriented culture, there is a belief that the most important things have already occurred or occurred in the past. Short term orientation culture belief that personal steadiness and stability in members. The culture beliefs that family values are guided by the imperatives and there is need to have service for others. In long term oriented culture, the importance life events are expected to occur in future. Long term oriented culture beliefs that a good person can be judged by their ability to adapt to circumstances (Triandis, 2004). Family values in long term oriented cultures are guided by having shared tasks. Indulgence versus restraint For indulgence culture, it refers to societies that gratify both basic and natural human desires which are associated with having fun. For a restrained culture, the society is strict and regulates gratification using social norms (Hofstede, 2001). Indulgence cultures have high perception of personal. The culture supports freedom of speech and leisure is given high priority. Restrained culture has low level of happiness and there is perception of helplessness. The culture has low importance for leisure and very few people participate in sports (Minkov & Blagoev, 2011). Maintaining the organisation culture Maintaining the organisation culture uses organisation socialisation to make sure that culture is maintained and reinforced. The process starts with making sure that the employees are chosen carefully. Only the employees who are not able to fit into the organisation culture are left out during selection. When the employee have been selected, they are given time to be exposed to the organisation culture (Triandis, 2004). The organisation makes sure that the new employees are able to adapt to the culture. The employees may be taken through humility inducing tasks so that they are able to be more receptive to new culture (Hofstede, 2001). The employees are also expected to master their jobs. As the employees master their jobs, they are given more responsibilities or rise in ranks. Depending on the organisation culture, this can be done step by step. Rewarding systems are tied to the organisation success and its values. The organisation sets factors that employees are assessed against to determine their accomplishment. Employees are given appraisals once they are able to accomplish these factors. Violating culture can lead to the employee being demoted or transferred (Triandis, 2004). Employee behaviour should be in adherence to the organisation culture (Schermerhorn, Hunt & Osborn, 2008). Being able to identify with the organisational culture helps the employee to commit their personal sacrifices. The employees are expected to be able to put trust in the organisation culture. For example, an employee can work for extra hours without expecting recognition for the sake of the organisation. This involves taking tasks that may be undesirable for the sake of their organisation. Organisation is able to expose their employees to their culture through socialisation process. Using folklore, it is possible to reinforce the members to the stories and myths in an organisation (Minkov & Blagoev, 2011). This is consistent with the organisation philosophy. Well performing members in an organisation are taken as the role models to the new employees. When the organisation uses these members as the symbols of success, other employees are encouraged. For the organisation to maintain its culture there is need for it to be transmitted among the members. The recruits who want to be members of the organisation are expected to learn about its culture and history. The members are supposed to learn and adopt the set organisation beliefs. The organisation must help new members to learn (Schermerhorn, Hunt & Osborn, 2008). Learning organisation culture The organisation culture is learned in several ways. Culture can be learned through artefacts. Artefacts refer to equipments and rules. Language is the way in which organisation is able to comprehend world. For example, culture may be learned through stories, myths and legends (House et al. 2004). Behavioural patterns help in learning cultures. Recurrent behaviours are a feature of the organisation. This involves the rites, rituals and celebrations. Norms refers what is accepted to be appropriate and inappropriate. Norms comes about as individuals tries to reach a consensus. Through heroes, success is possible. They are responsible for motivating the employees. In every organization, there are symbols which involve words and objects. For example, typical organisation symbols are logos, policies as well as products (Schein, 2011). Culture is also learned through believes values and attitudes (Parker, 2000). In an organisation, values are connected through moral and ethical codes. They are used to think of what needs to be done. Beliefs determine what people thinks on true and wrong. Through attitudes, people are able to connect value with feelings. Basic assumptions within an organisation are able to guide members of an organisation in their feelings and emotions. Members of an organisation are able to learn and understand its culture as a part and product of a defined historical process (Schein, 2011). In an organisation, organisation culture directs the employees on what is right or wrong. It’s the company set of beliefs and reflects the company structure (Minkov, 2011). Organisation managers are expected to utilise elements of the organisation culture that ensures there is maximum efficiency. In an organisation, the organisation culture is the most important area of management. This is due to fact that organisation performance is tied up to its culture. Every country has their own culture which lies in four areas; national, economical, organisational and branches of economy. In most cases, the organisation culture does not only stand for values and principles. The culture also stands for the readiness of the organisation to accept changes (Schein, 2011). It involves the organisation to develop a good language among the employees and across the departments. Through appropriate organisation culture, it is possible to create a place where the customers and employees want to be associated with. Organisational culture involves the following staff ethics, attitudes towards risk, competition, client, employee, external forces, management style and identity (Hofstede, 2001). For organisation with effective culture, there are a lot of benefits that are attained in both long and short term. The leadership is able to give direction for the organisation through organisation culture. The staffs follow the organisational culture and feel satisfied by it (Jones, 2010). This is due to fact that a good organisational culture should be able to make the employees appreciated. When carrying out organisation culture, the organisation is supposed to be aware of the factors that can hinder the organisations if not well controlled. The managers should control four main elements when implementing organisation culture. The four main elements are; change, competition, cooperation and control. When an organisation is undergoing change, there are struggle and fight as people adapts to the changes (Schein, 2011). When there is competition in an organisation, the frequency of quarrelling increases. The management should ensure there is healthy competition which enables creativity and innovation. The culture should be able to teach employees to appreciate their colleague success. Organisation culture should enhance cooperation in an organisation. When the employees are able to cooperate, the results are much higher. This is due to fact that working as a team gives better results. The organisation culture determines the level of control present. In organisation, there is need for a certain level of control in certain tasks. In other tasks, control is not needed. For employees, understanding organisation culture helps them in their day to day activity and what they are able to achieve. It’s through organisational culture that employees are able to learn how to interact with others. Organisation culture helps the employees economically, and their self esteem (Kirkman, Lowe & Gibson, 2006). Conclusion Organisational culture refers to the set of beliefs, norms and values which an organisation share. Culture in an organisation is made up of both terminal and instrumental values, heroes, rites and communication networks. Organisation puts a lot of efforts to maintain culture through socialisation. The individuals in an organisation are expected to learn values and the way they are expected to behave. According to Hofstede, culture has five main dimensions. The main dimensions are power distance, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity, collectivism, long tem and short term orientation. The five main dimensions determine how the members of an organisation behave. Organisation culture in an organisation is learned through artefacts, language, behavioural patterns, norms, heroes, symbols, believes and basic assumptions. Through these, an organisation is able to express its culture. This is seen through the way they manage their employees, their structure and efficiency. The employees are expected to learn the organisation culture for it to be expressed effectively by the organisation. References Hofstede, G. (2001). Culture’s consequences: Comparing values, behaviours, institutions, and organizations across nations. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Hofstede, G. & Hofstede, G. J. (2005). Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind. New York: McGraw-Hill. House, R. J., Hanges, P. J., Javidan, M., Dorfman, P. W. & Gupta, V. (2004). Culture, leadership, and organizations: The GLOBE study of 62 societies. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Jones, G. R. (2010). Organizational theory, design, and change. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Kirkman, B. 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