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Describe the elements of organizational culture. Organizational culture comprises the overall shared values and assumptions of an organization which directs, shapes, and identifies the organization in decisions. A firm’s artifacts (stories, ceremonies, physical structures, and language) are a visible result of the organization’s culture. |
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Discuss the importance of organizational subcultures. Subcultures are located throughout the many organizational divisions, geographic regions, and occupational groups and can either mirror the same dominant values of the organization or be known as countercultures. Countercultures maintain the same standards and ethical values, but serve as a surveillance and critique source over the dominant culture. |
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List four categories of artifacts through which corporate culture is deciphered. Artifacts not only represent the result of the organization’s overall shared values, but also are a source of sustained identification that symbolize values to the outside community. Visible artifacts within organizations include stories and legends, rituals and ceremonies, language and slogans, and physical structures and décor. |
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Discuss the conditions under which cultural strength improves corporate performance. A strong corporate culture is deeply embedded, long-lasting and can usually be traced back to the firm’s founders. With a strong culture, a company’s success can be explained by the organization’s control systems, strong social glue or bond, and the sense-making process (explaining the why and how processes). |
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Identify four strategies to change and strengthen an organization's culture. An organization’s culture is usually strong and cannot easily be changed. Four strategies for change and strengthening that work well under different situations are: highlighting the memorable actions of founders and leaders, consistently rewarding those who hold to the culture, selecting and socializing employees, and aligning artifacts. |
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Compare and contrast four strategies for merging organizational cultures. Mergers can cause much conflict between two types of cultures, so careful attention for smoother transition is critical. The four strategies for merging organizational cultures are: assimilation (non-resistance of acquired company to acquiring organization’s culture), deculturation (forced corporate culture), integration (new culture from two), and separation (two separate cultures). |