Assignments on Organizational Culture

Learning Objectives

A organization’s culture does not end or go into stasis after working hours. It permeates the way everyone within the organizational structure acts, on and off the job, with other stakeholders and with people who have on connection to the organization.
Defining and understanding the components of organizational culture particularly the shared values and how they impact the organizational culture.
Identifying the heroes, the rites and rituals, stories, myths and legends that are elements of the organizational culture.
Understanding the conscious effort to emulate the way the people in an organization operate and the attitudes that lead to that behaviour.

Managers and Organizational Culture: Take 15 minutes and brainstorm the following questions: On a daily basis, what kinds of things do you do that create an organizational culture? What kinds of rites, rituals, communication networks or norms might you initiate to enhance your organization’s culture? How are those rituals, values and networks changing in your organization?

Individually AND in groups of 3-4 online, address the following:

What are the factors promoting a change in the management structure of the organization from a functional to a projectized organizational structure?

By moving from a functional organizational structure to a projectized one , how is your organization having to alter its culture to adapt to the environment in which ot must compete?

What is your organization doing to assist internal and external stakeholders in adjusting to these changes?

This study unit contains four assignments. By completing all four assignments successfully the learners will have demonstrated substantial mastery of the concepts of this module as well as the ability to apply the concepts to practical situations.

A. Assignment 1: The Your Organization Culture

You have learned a great deal about the culture of Your Organization and its practical meaning for individual managers and for the ability of Your Organization to accomplish the goals that the top leaders have set for the organization. One of the key learnings is that the top management has a profoundly important impact on the organization’s culture, and on all levels of management. As you develop you’re answer to each of the three questions below you are encouraged to draw upon your direct experience as a manager, as well as what you have learned from the readings and from completion of the work in the preceding study units. The three questions below are intended to assist you in describing the Your Organization culture as it is influenced and shaped by the words and actions of top management. Please provide short answers in writing to the following questions:

XII. How would you characterize the degree of freedom (or autonomy) managers at your level have to take initiative and act independently?

XIII. In general, how much freedom are subordinates given to make decision without having to obtain approval from their immediate supervisors.

XIV. How would you characterize the ability of employees to participate in decision-making within the organization?

[Note to IMU; The idea of this first assignment is that each learner would answer these questions in writing and provide the answers to the tutor. We have no plans for the use of this material beyond the learning gained from answering the questions themselves.]

B. Assignment 2: The Culture of the Department or Work Unit

In Assignment 1 you were asked to assess some aspect of the culture of Your Organization as a whole. Assignment 1 has a organization-wide focus. It is also at the organization-wide level where one can most readily see the direct impact of the top leadership of the organization. You have learned in this module that subcultures also exist. A subculture operates and can be described at the level of the department and work unit. In this assignment you are being asked to comment in a sentence or two on a number of different indicators of culture. We are asking you to consider these indicators from the standpoint of your own department or work unit. In short, this assignment gives you an opportunity to identify the cultural significance of various elements of your immediate work environment.

C. The immediate physical surroundings

D. The dress code

E. Two examples of shared values

F. How new employees become integrated into the work unit

G. Criteria for money payments

H. Individual vs. team basis for pay

I. Criteria for being successful at work

J. To what do others in your unit attribute their success

K. How are mistakes handled

L. What distinguishes successful from unsuccessful employees

[Note to IMU: Idea is that each learner would have a chance to describe his or her own unit or work environment from a culture standpoint. It would be good for discussion with tutor to be part of this assignment. It would also be a good learning exercise (but perhaps too time consuming) if each learner would take the comments to the specific items and summarize them into a short essay]

C. Assignment 3: Suggestion for How Your Organization Culture Might Change

In Assignment 3 you will have the opportunity to give your ideas on what should happen at Your Organization for it to successfully make the transition from a monopoly organization to a effective organization. You will want to draw on everything in this course – readings, exercises, discussions, your own experiences – in offering your comments. The three questions will provide an opportunity to make suggestions for your own department or work unit as well as for Your Organization as a whole.

C. What are the main elements of the culture model that Your Organization should develop to become a effective organization

D. What are the main elements of the culture model that your department or work unit should adopt to became an effective part of a effective organization

E. What are some of the concrete things that need to change in Your Organization to effect the cultural change you identified in item 1?

F. What are some of the concrete things that need to change in your department or work unit to effect the cultural changes you identified in item 2?

[Note to IMU: The idea here is that each learner would have a chance to write a short answer to each question. It would be desirable if a chat room discussion could follow the individual work.]

D. Assignment 4: A Team Based Case Study

1. Case Study of Government Insurance organization

Maria Celentano works as Vice President of Human Resources Management for the Government Insurance organization. (GIC) The president of GIC has given Maria two tough questions. He has provided her one-week to prepare recommendations to the two questions. Maria’s recommendations will be discussed by the Executive Board in a special meeting concerned with the human resource management implications of the new project/programme purpose environment in which GIC finds itself. The reason for this urgent situation is that things have become highly unstable at the organization lately, with the news of privatization in the insurance sector of activity. Many new organizations are now entering the project/programme purpose, taking away market share from GIC and even threatening GIC’s viability. Things used to be predictable and smooth. Maria took pride in running a comprehensive (although slow), fair and predictable human resources program. Now, among other things, there is talk of productivity improvement and of frontline employee and even management layoffs. Your job is to help Maria prepare her report and recommendations for the meeting with the President and the Executive Board in one week. Here are the questions for which Maria has been asked to prepare recommendations.

E. Which of the current human resource policies and practices will probably need to be changed to help GIC to be effective in the new insurance environment?

F. What actions – from the human resources standpoint - can top management take now to creative a culture within GIC that will help the organization get through the crises?

[Note to IMU: The best way to handle this case study would be to divide the learners into teams of 3 – 5 individuals. Each team should have online discussion before they formulate their recommendations to the two questions]

Matching the Columns

1. Values		A. The goals, views and philosophies that members of the organization share.
2. Rites and rituals		B. The way the organization operates – how we are supposed to behave in the organization.
3. Cultural messages		C. These are the people others look up because they personify goals, dedication and achievement.
4. Norms		D. These include all levels and types of communication, formal and informal.
5. Heroes		E. Celebrations, performances and activities that foster and reinforce teamwork and a sense of inclusion.
6. Climate		F. The atmosphere of either supportiveness and defensiveness that people feel within the organization itself.

Answers:

1.) A

2.) E

3.) D

4.) B

5.) C

6.) F

Multiple-Choice

1. An organization’s culture is composed of

a. The project/programme purpose environment

b. Values

c. Communication networks

d. All of the above

2. ______ _______ is comprised of shared values, customs, traditions, rituals, behaviors and beliefs shared by a social group.

a. Organizational culture

b. Societal culture

c. Environmental culture

d. All of the above

3. Learning a organizational culture is a process of ______ and _______.

a. Patience; know-how

b. Watchfulness; imitation

c. Enculturation; acculturation

d. None of the above

4. A _______ culture is a system of rules that spells out how people are to behave most of the time.

a. Weak

b. Strong

c. Societal

d. Organizational

6. Every organization exists in a specific and particular project/programme purpose environment or marketplace.

1. ______ Openness refers to the candid disclosure of information particularly negative information and the sharing of feelings and opinions regarding the organization and its activities.

2. ______ You can create a positive organizational and communication climate through an emphasis on high quality goals.

3. ______ The organizational history and other stories embody the organizational culture and emphasize what the organization values.

6. ______ The project/programme purpose environment are informal channels that relay both work and social messages.

7. ______ Values should be understood and shared by all people who work for the organization.

8. ______ Strong cultures do not foster employee motivation because employees have difficulty understanding what is expected of them.

9. ______ A strong organizational culture provides organizational identity, a sense of uniqueness, and a sense of connection for all members within the organization.

8. F – Do foster employee motivation because employees are better able to understand

Haschak, P. (1998). organizational statements: The official missions, goals, principles and philosophies of over 900 organizations. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland.

Schneider, B. (Ed.) (1990). Organizational climate and culture. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Societal culture – Comprised of the shared values, customs, traditions, rituals, behaviors and beliefs shared by a social group (national, ethnic, organizational, etc.)

Organizational culture – The shared values, customs, traditions, rituals, behaviors, and beliefs shared in common by the members of that organization.

Values – The goals, views, and philosophies that members of the organization share.

Climate – The atmosphere of either supportiveness or defensiveness that people feel within the organization itself.

An organization’s culture is composed of the project/programme purpose environment, values, heroes, rites and rituals, communication networks, cultural messages, norms, stories, myths, legends, and climate.

2. What is a strong organizational culture, and what can it do for an organization, and what are its characteristics?

A strong culture is a system of rules that spells out how people are to behave most of the time. A strong culture fosters better employee motivation and enables people to feel better about what they do, so they are more likely to work harder. Strong cultures have three characteristics in common: the organization stands for something, management focuses a great deal of attention to determining and fine-tuning these values, and values are understood and shared by all people who work for the organization.

3. Communication climate in an organization is composed of what five components?

A positive organizational and communication climate is composed of supportiveness, participative decision making, trust, openness, and an emphasis on high quality goals.

GLOSSARY

A. effective Culture: A organization functioning in a effective environment, where many organizations offer the same products and services to the same beneficiaries. The organization is profit driven and beneficiary oriented.

B. Monopoly Culture: A organization functioning in an environment without competitors. Lack of competition leads to a bureaucratic organization. Examples are government and state organizations. These organizations tend to become complacent, driven by hierarchical structures and an autocratic power system. Compensation policies are structured to favor organization tenure and seniority. There is no room for initiative and innovation. Monopolies are not so much beneficiary oriented, as they are self-oriented. They are process-oriented, rather than profit oriented.

C. Organizational Culture: A common set of values shared (shared meaning) by the members of an organization. They include customs, traditions, norms and routines, which are being practiced at that organization. Culture holds members together and gives them a sense of identity. Culture teaches members how to act and behave in the organization in order to be able to adapt and survive. Culture can differentiate organizations from each other.

D. Participative Management. A management system whereby managers include employees in the main decision making processes. Employees tend to be empowered by being part of the management process. Employees become more vested and committed to the decisions made. One disadvantage of this approach to management is the additional time required for consultation.

the study of human beings, in particular the study of their physical character, evolutionary history, racial classification, historical and present-day geographic distribution, group relationships, and cultural history. Anthropology can be characterized as the naturalistic description and interpretation of the diverse peoples of the world. Modern-day anthropology consists of two major divisions: cultural anthropology, which is the study of human physical character, in both the past and present.

behaviour peculiar to Homo sapiens, together with material objects used as an integral part of this behaviour. Thus, culture includes language, ideas, beliefs, customs, codes, institutions, tools, techniques, works of art, rituals, and ceremonies, among other elements.

also called social norm, rule or standard of behaviour shared by members of a social group. Norms may be internalised – i.e., inorganizationald within the individual so that there is conformity without external rewards or punishments, or they may be enforced by positive or negative sanctions from without. The social unit sharing particular norms may be small (e.g., clique of friends) or may include all adult members of a society.

X. INTERVIEW (Q&A)

Answer 1: A mission statement is a single, memorable statement that helps guide the on-going management and decision-making of an organization. Good mission statements are short, memorable, specific and represent a clear call to action.

Question 2: There have been many references in this course to transition and restructuring. For many of us this is quite unsettling. Could you say a bit more about what the likely effect of this will be on employees in the organization?

Answer 2: Major changes are always unsettling, mainly because of the long periods of uncertainty that are involved. These types of reorganizations usually affect employees at all levels of the organization. Potential changes, many of which have been discussed in this course, include:

· Changes in job title which might also mean a change in power, status and prestige

These are just example of the kind of changes that often acorganization major transitions and reorganizations. You should not assume that the only changes are negative ones. Many employees will realize new jobs, higher pay and greater career opportunities.

Questions 3 & 4: Two additional Q&As are embedded in the text of the Lesson.