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Organisation culture
Organisation culture can be defined as the collection of relatively
uniform and enduring beliefs, values, customs, traditions and
practices which are shared by an organisation’s members and which are
transmitted from one generation of employees to the next. One view in
the field of organisation culture is the culture metaphor. A metaphor
is a word or phrase applied to an object or action which it does not
literally denote.1 Metaphor can be powerful means of communicating
ideas and are in common use in many organisations. It asserts that
culture is a mental state that has to be tolerated since it is
incapable of being changed by management. It adopted a
phenomenological standpoint and conceptualised culture as a ‘process
of enactment’ – not as something that exists ‘out there’ separate from
people, but which was actually manufactured by company employees as
they interacted with one another on a daily basis within the
workplace.2 In highlighting the symbolic significance of virtually
every aspect of organisation life, the culture metaphor thus focuses
attention on a human side of organisation that other metaphors ignore
or gloss over. The culture metaphor opens the way to a
reinterpretation of many traditional managerial concepts and
processes. It also helps to reinterpret the nature and significance of
organisation environment relations.
Culture of the organisation plays a key role in determining a
structure that would suit. The organisation stance towards
participation and risk-taking will have an impact on the decision
pertaining to number of levels and delegation of authority. Congruence
between culture and structure is important. Lack of congruence can
result in mixed signals across the organisation. Organisational
culture is based on differences in norms and shared practices which
are learned in the workplace and are considered as valid within the
boundaries of a particular organisation. Therefore the efficiency of
an organization structure is determined by how well it fits into the
culture in which it is set.
The environments affect the structures chosen by organizational
decision-makers through their society’s cultural expectations.
Organisational structures are designed to insure survival through
social legitimacy by reflecting the surrounding culture’s values and
beliefs (Birnbaum-More a...
... middle of paper ...
...se of authority here. For the most
part individuals are encouraged to perform their tasks with few
questions asked though important decisions are likely to be made as a
result of political manoeuvring. The greatest strength of power
cultures is their ability to react quickly but their success largely
depends on the abilities of the person or people at the centre.
In conclusion, organisational culture exercises a potent form of
control over the interaction of organisational members with each other
and outsiders. By supplying people with a toolbox of values, norms,
and rules that tell them how to behave, organisation culture is
instrumental in determining how they interpret and react to a
situation. Thus, an organisation’s culture can be a source of
competitive advantage.
References
1. Andrew Brown.1995, ‘Organisational Culture’ Chap1, p13
2. David Buchanan & Andrzej Huczynski. 1997, ‘Organizational
Behaviour’ Chap 18, p514
3. David Buchanan & Andrzej Huczynski. 1997, ‘Organizational
Behaviour’ Chap 22, p681
Additional References
l Gaeth Morgan. 1986 ‘Images of Organization’
2 Laurie J Mullins. 2005 ‘Management and Organisational Behaviour’
After the Civil War ended in 1865, it was followed by an era known as Reconstruction that lasted until 1877, with the goal to rebuild the nation. Lincoln was the president at the beginning of this era, until his assassination caused his vice president, Andrew Johnson to take his place in 1865. Johnson was faced with numerous issues such as the reunification of the union and the unknown status of the ex-slaves, while compromising between the principles of the Republican Party and the Democratic Party. After the Election of 1868, Ulysses S. Grant, a former war hero with no political experience, became the nation’s new president, but was involved in numerous acts of corruption. Reconstruction successfully reintegrated the southern states into the Union through Lincoln and Johnson’s Reconstruction Plans, but was mostly a failure due to the continued discriminatory policies against African Americans, such as the Black Codes, Jim Crow laws, and sharecropping, as well as the widespread corruption of the elite in the North and the Panic of 1873,
In today’s society the word “terrorism” has gone global. We see this term on television, in magazines and even from other people speaking of it. In their essay “Controlling Irrational Fears After 9/11”, published in 2002, Clark R. Chapman and Alan W. Harris argue that the reaction of the American officials, people and the media after the attacks of 9/11 was completely irrational due to the simple fact of fear. Chapman and Harris jump right into dismembering the irrational argument, often experienced with relationships and our personal analysis. They express how this argument came about from the terrorist being able to succeed in “achieving one major goal, which was spreading fear” among the American people (Chapman & Harris, para.1). The supporters of the irrational reaction argument state that because “Americans unwittingly cooperated with the terrorist in achieving the major goal”, the result was a widespread of disrupted lives of the Americans and if this reaction had been more rational then there would have been “less disruption in the lives of our citizens” (Chapman & Harris, para. 1).
When Shirley Jackson published this story, the audience responded with negative feedback; it terrified the readers to read about such cruelty and inhumanity. Jackson wrote this story to show the reality of corrupt society and the underlying secrets of wickedness hidden in human nature. Through this story, people can see the truth and value of reality and realize that the world is full of immoral practices and beliefs. Jackson creates a parallel society that could be compared to the world and represented by certain events.
Dickens’ novel, A Tale of Two Cities, has many metaphors, including “the great blue flies,” knitting and the sea to explore the important theme of human inhumanity towards the fellow man into his story. The metaphors are perfect symbols to explain how insensitive and cruel people can be towards one another, despite their pain and suffering. Nevertheless, Dickens includes not only moments for the reader to feel empathy for the victims of the revolution, but also moments of love. This story shows that inhumanity towards the fellow man is a problem in societies that will never be overcome; however, the world would be a better place if everyone strived to have compassion and respect for everyone, regardless of social class, religion, race, or money.
Andrew Johnson, who became President of the U.S. in 1865, had his own Reconstruction plan, but it turned out to be unsuccessful largely because of the unfair ways in which blacks were treated. According to his plan, pardons would be offered to all southern whites except wealthy Confederate supporters and the main Confederate leaders. Conventions were to be held by the defeated southern states and new state governments were to be formed. These new governments had to make a vow of loyalty to the nation and abolish slavery in order to rejoin the Union. However, this plan did not offer the blacks a role in this process; he left the responsibility of determining the black people’s roles to the southern states. Under his plan, new state governments were organized throughout the South during the summer and fall of 1865. These states governments passed a series of laws known as the Black Codes. These codes allowed employees to whip black workers, allowed states to jail unemployed blacks and to hire out their children, and forced blacks to sign labor contracts that required them to work a job for a full year. The Republicans in Congress believed that Johnson’s plan was a failure, not only because of the Black Codes that were passed, but because when Congress reassembled in December of 1865, numerous newly ele...
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Throughout the book, Dickens portrays his objectivity between the classes through a series of graphic descriptions. For example, the horrid events that occur when the Marquis murders the child is a time when Dickens most definitely favors the rebels. Dickens’s attitude when Jacques kills the Marquis is that justice has been supplied. There is a definite tone of approval in his voice after these actions. On the other hand, Dickens’s attitude towards the mutineers is not always one of endorsement. When the activists nearly kill Gabelle and burn the Chateau, Dickens’s attitude changes from one of approval to one of disbelief. His disposition is almost one of sorrow for all the beauty being carelessly destroyed. As the reader can see, Dickens’s opinion varies greatly in accordance to the portion of the story the person is reading.
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.
Corporate culture is the shared values and meanings that members hold in common and that are practiced by an organization’s leaders. Corporate culture is a powerful force that affects individuals in very real ways. In this paper I will explain the concept of corporate culture, apply the concept towards my employer, and analyze the validity of this concept. Research As Sackmann's Iceberg model demonstrates, culture is a series of visible and invisible characteristics that influence the behavior of members of organizations. Organizational and corporate cultures are formal and informal. They can be studied by observation, by listening and interacting with people in the culture, by reading what the company says about its own culture, by understanding career path progressions, and by observing stories about the company. As R. Solomon stated, “Corporate culture is related to ethics through the values and leadership styles that the leaders practice; the company model, the rituals and symbols that organizations value, and the way organizational executives and members communicate among themselves and with stakeholders. As a culture, the corporation defines not only jobs and roles; it also sets goals and establishes what counts as success” (Solomon, 1997, p.138). Corporate values are used to define corporate culture and drive operations found in “strong” corporate cultures. Boeing, Johnson & Johnson, and Bonar Group, the engineering firm I work for, all exemplify “strong” cultures. They all have a shared philosophy, they value the importance of people, they all have heroes that symbolize the success of the company, and they celebrate rituals, which provide opportunities for caring and sharing, for developing a spiri...
Our Mutual Friend, Dickens' last novel, exposes the reality Dickens is surrounded by in his life in Victorian England. The novel heavily displays the corruption of society through multiple examples. These examples, that are planted within the novel, relate to both the society in Dickens' writing and his reality. In order to properly portray the fraud taking place within his novels, Dickens' uses morality in his universe to compare to the reality of society. He repetitively references to the change of mind and soul for both the better and the worst. He speaks of the change of heart when poisoned by wealth, and he connects this disease to the balance of the rich and the poor. This is another major factor to novel, where the plot is surrounded by a social hierarchy that condemns the poor to a life of misery, and yet, condones any action that would normally be seen as immoral when it occurs in the aristocracy. It expands on the idea that only an education and inheritance will bring success in society, with few exceptions. Lastly, Dickens expands his opinions of society through his mockery of ...
...f their family (Jackson 867). In everyday life, we posses the same selfish attitude portrayed in the story. What is one of a child’s favorite words? It’s "mine!" We constantly say well "it’s better you than me" and "it’s every man for himself." It’s pretty scary _when you actually think about it, because you realize we really are that selfish.
In Charles Dickens' novel Hard Times, he uses the characters to present the reader with many messages. One of these messages presented is that the Gradgrind system of education is faulty. Dickens is critical of an education system that only regards things that can be weighed or measured as being worthy. Thus, intangibles like imagination, emotion, and compassion are not considered worthy. The Gradgrind system of education can be seen as flawed through the examples of Sissy Jupe. The lack of individuality and creativity can be proven to be detrimental to those who ascribe to the Gradgrind system, which denies anything that isn't factual. Sissy's caring; thoughts of fancy, and individualism have kept her from long-term sorrow, pity and loneliness. The Gradgrind system is also proven as flawed through Sissy in that her caring and ingenuity helps the other characters potentially realize how they have let the system flaw them. Also, Sissy's ability to ward of the system's teachings will prove useful and helping others escape the system, be it short term.
Dickens knew how hard-pressed life was for thousands of English families in mid-ninteenth century England, and he knew the legal side of such desperation--a jungle of suspicion and fear and hate. He was especially attentive [if] . . . hungry, jobless men, women, children with few if any prospects became reduced to a fate not only marginal with respect to its "socioeconomic" character but also with respect to its very humanity. (575)
To be, the names Charles Dickens picks for each character always either has a word within the characters name that describes the character or rather gives a feel of the name. Thomas Gradgrind is the main character in this story. Gradgrind teaches and educates children in this novel all based around the cold hard facts and nothing else. Anything else said does not have any meaning to him the only ...
...ggles. Mr. Gradgrind’s two oldest children, Tom and Louisa, are examples of how a utilitarian method can fail horribly. Tom and Louisa were never given the opportunity to think for themselves, experience an adventurous life, or even use their imaginations. True, they are intelligent human beings but do not have the capability to understand street smarts. Dickens uses irony as a comical device but also to show how ineffective the utilitarian method of teaching is.