Webster defined Culture as "
.the act of developing
. the intellectual and moral faculties," especially by education; "expert care and training"; "enlightenment and excellence of taste acquired by intellectual and aesthetic training"; "the total pattern of human behavior embodied in thought, speech, action and artifacts and dependent upon man's capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations
."
The intensification of research on organizational effectiveness has led to the formulation of theories about factors within an organization that can make a difference in performance. Organizational culture is one such variable that has received much attention in organizational behavior literature. This attention is mainly because researchers have postulated that cultural factors play a key role in determining levels of organizational outcomes. A common hypothesis about this role suggests that if an organization possesses "strong culture" by exhibiting a well integrated and effective set of specific values, beliefs, and behavior patterns, then it will perform at a higher level of productivity. The development of theory to guide the definition of organizational culture, therefore, is of primary importance to improve organization performance, especially because the variables which comprise culture have been postulated to be under the control of organizational leaders.
Organizational culture has been defined as patterns of shared values and beliefs overtime which produce behavioral norms that are adopted in solving problems. Schein (1985) has also noted that culture is a body of solutions to problems which have worked consistently and are therefore taught to new members as a correct way to perceive, think about, and fell in relation to those problems. Infact these shared philosophies, assumptions, values, expectations, attitudes, and norms bind an organization together. Thus the set of integrated concepts becomes the manner of strategies through which an organization achieves its specific goals. It can therefore be postulated that an organization's collective culture influences both the attitudes and subsequent behaviors of its employees, as well as the level of performance the organization achieves.
Schein (1990) has noted that culture is thought to permeate the organization on at least three fundamental levels. At the surface, one may observe visible artifacts of the organization, which is, its structure, technology, rules of conduct, dress codes, records, physical layout, stories, and rituals. Beneath this dimension is a second level, organization values, and finally, underlying assumptions about the nature if organization "reality" that are deeper manifestations of values. Of course investigating process of culture at the later level is more difficult, as they can not be directly observed and measured.
Organizational Culture plays a crucial role in shaping employee and management behavior in an organization.
Although there are many different definitions of culture, culture can be defined as “the set of values, norms, guiding
Improving an organization’s culture can often be a challenging undertaking for any organization as a whole and for their individual team members on any level. On the other hand, it can make a world of difference for each stakeholder such as the organization, the individual team members, and most importantly the customer. Furthermore, when one speaks of organizational culture it is often referring to the shared beliefs and values that the organization as a whole project. Thus, when an organization’s culture is aligned with its beliefs, values, mission statements, and goals, than one can assume that organization is on the right track. It is also important to note that not just because all elements are aligned that the organization’s culture is
In a survey conducted by the management consulting firm Bain & Company in 2007, worldwide business leaders identified corporate culture as important as corporate strategy for business success (HR Focus, Sep, 2007). In addition, culture, or shared values within the organization, may be related to increased performance. Researchers found a relationship between organizational cultures and company performance, with respect to success indicators such as revenues, sales volume, market share, and stock prices (Kotter, 2008). At the same time, it is important to have a culture that fits with the demands of the company’s environment (Arogyaswamy & Byles, 1987). For example, if a company is in the high-tech industry, having a culture that encourages innovativeness and adaptability will support its performance. However, if a company in the same industry has a culture characterized by stability, a high respect for tradition, and a strong preference for upholding rules and procedures, the company may suffer as a result of its culture. In other words, just as having the “right” culture may be a competitive advantage for an organization, having the “wrong” culture may lead to performance difficulties, may be responsible for organizational failure, and may act as a barrier preventing the company from changing and taking risks.
Organizational cultural is the system of shared beliefs and values that develops within an organization and guides the behavior of its members, while organizational structure is an expression of social and economic principles of hierarchy and specialization (Kinicki, 2015). Both the culture and the structure of an organization are important things for management to understand in order to successfully set and achieve an organization’s goals. Companies who excel in highly competitive fields can attribute their successful economic performance to a cohesive corporate culture that increases competiveness and profitability. This culture is best utilized in an organization that has the necessary structure to allow its employees to coordinate their
The concept of organizational cultures was first raised in 1970s, and soon became a fashionable topic. Organizational culture is the shared beliefs, values and behaviours of the group. Theorists of organizations believe that organizational culture represents the pattern of behaviours, values, and beliefs of an organization. Hence, studies around organizational culture have been seen as great helpful and essential for understanding organizations and their behaviours. Additionally, organizational culture has been considered to be an important determinant of organizational success. Therefore, leaders and managers pay more than more attentions on this topic, focusing on constructing and managing organizational cultures.
The culture within an organization can make or break how productive and how responsive the business operates. Organizational culture is the set of shared, taken-for-granted implicit assumptions that a group holds and that determines how it perceives, thins about, and reacts to its various environments, (Kinicki, A. and Kreitner, R., 2009).With that being said it becomes important to set values that you want everyone to work by. This will help when new employees are added to the team and will also help ensure that the behaviors within the organization are acceptable and beneficial to the overall outcome of the business. The culture should be determined right from the start so the right employees are hired. It becomes important to make sure that you have a way of identifying the people that truly allow your company to be successful and not just hire the superstar, (Morgan, H., 2008). Not everyone will fit in to all of the different type of organizational cultures.
Organizational culture can be defined as a system of shared beliefs and values that develops within an organization and guides the behavior of its members. It includes routine behaviors, norms, dominant values, and a feeling or climate conveyed. The purpose and function of this culture is to help foster internal integration, bring staff members from all levels of the organization much closer together, and enhance their performance.
Linking with the above definition, organizational culture can also be indicates by Brown (1998) as the kind of beliefs, values, and learned ways of subsist with experience that have established during the course of an organization background, and which suppose to be explicit in its material arrangements and the members behaviours. In Schein (1992), organizational culture is extremely difficult to change, outlasting organizational products, services and other attributes of the organization. In general, there has one ar...
As I have stated, managers have the daunting task of encompassing many different concepts into their decision-making process. Understanding behavior is one thing but understanding how the culture of an organization influences the behavior of an organization is another. Organizational culture is a collective belief system of ethics, norms and values that influence its member's actions (Schermerhorn et al, 2005). Organizational culture is the rules that hold a company together by setting behavior standards either written or implied, and stem from experiences that allow us to decide what we deem important. The word culture is from the Latin root colere, meaning to inhabit, cultivate or honor (Wikipedia, 2005). Each of these meanings can be applied to the organizational sense of culture, because we exist, grow, and respect as members of a group.
Organizational culture is the key to organizational excellence and leadership is a function to create and manage culture (Chen 1992). Organizational researchers have become more aware of the importance of understanding and enhancing the cultural life of the institution. "This study is one of a group of companies with high-performance in North America, interest in organizational culture is an important element in organizational success. Tesluk et al (1997). Looking at the" soft "of the organization, the researchers claim that" the organizational culture may be suitable for a means to explore and understanding of life at work, and make them more humane and more pronounced (Tesluk et al, 1997), and the graves (1986) also stressed the importance of corporate culture, and the need for research strategies and methods of investigating the various elements and processes of the organizational culture. He argued the culture that meets the basic needs of belonging and security in an attempt to describe this gathering that culture is "the only thing that distinguishes one company from another gives them coherence and self-confidence and rationalises the lives of those who work for it. Standard that may seem random, is to enhance the life to be different, and safe to be similar, and culture is a concept that provides the means to achieve this compromise (p. 157).
Culture (from the Latin cultura stemming from colere, meaning "to cultivate")[1] generally refers to patterns of human activity and the symbolic structures that give such activities significance and importance. Cultures can be "understood as systems of symbols and meanings that even their creators contest, that lack fixed boundaries, that are constantly in flux, and that interact and compete with one another"[2]
The concept of organizational culture is one of the most debated topics for researchers and theorists. There is no one accepted definition of culture. People even said that it is hard to define culture and even more change it. It is considered a complex part of an organization although many have believed that culture influences employee behavior and organizational effectiveness (Kilmann, Saxton, & Serpa 1985; Marcoulides & Heck, 1993; Schein, 1985a, 1990).
Organizational culture can be defined as the behaviour people in an organization portray. The actions they commit have certain meanings. Culture includes organizational values, morals, ethics, and visions, norms, working language, systems, symbols, beliefs and habits. The organization influences culture on the people, as a way of perceiving thinking and even feeling. Culture plays a major role, in the way that people and groups interact with other.
Organisational culture is one of the most valuable assets of an organization. Many studies states that the culture is one of the key elements that benefits the performance and affects the success of the company (Kerr & Slocum 2005). This can be measured by income of the company, and market share. Also, an appropriate culture within the society can bring advantages to the company which helps to perform with the de...