Management and Organization Behavior

Dr. Leigh Stelzer

REFERENCE OUTLINE: Organizational Culture and Diversity, W&N Chap. 5,6

Know cultural variables.

Organizational culture is a set of shared beliefs, values, and norms that inform or shape behavior. Culture is what the organization (supervisors) pay attention to and reward. Culture defines acceptable/unacceptable behaviors. Does every organization have a culture? How do you know a culture when you see it? How do workers learn the culture?

Are some cultures more effective than others are? What does it mean to have an effective culture? What is the goal? What is the external impetus for a culture? How is a culture maintained?

Influence on the formation of an organization's culture.

a. External adaptation and survival

b. Internal integration, reward and punishments

c. The firm's founder, founding events

d. National culture, dominant values

e. The physical layout, environment

Ways to reinforce/maintain the culture:

a. setting criteria for recruitment, selection and promotion.

b. paying attention to, measuring and controlling.

c. allocating scarce resources

d. reacting to a critical incidents and crises.

E. presenting yourself as a role model, teacher.

e. ceremonies and rites, rituals, slang.

Performance/effectiveness

Are certain kinds of organizational cultures related to greater effectiveness and productivity?

Is there a "best" culture that fits all organizations, all people, and all national values? (Substitute "some") A strong culture is one that has broad penetration and recognition.

Will you know a culture when you see it? What are the dimensions of a culture? W&N seem to identify culture variables with shared assumptions:

1. About the environment: government (regulation), technology

2. About relationships: treating others, making contributions, respecting rank, taking (individual) initiative, supporting the team.

3. About ways of doing business: results (not process) oriented, fairness, customer oriented, aggressive, self-effacing.

4. About values: racism, sexism, ageism.

Are these what you mean by culture?

Do these produce artifacts, visible structures and processes?

Do these lead to rites and rituals, ceremonies that incorporate the culture?

Effects of National Cultural Values on Organizations and Individual Behavior

Power distance.

Uncertainty avoidance.

Masculine (competitive) v. feminine (nurturing and supportive).

Long v. short term orientation.

Individualism v. collectivism

These are discussed in Chapter 6, pp. 229-234. See Figure 6.2.

I will introduce additional cultural variables. Pattern Variables

Effects of National Cultural Values on Organizations. Brazil, Hong Kong, India, Mexico, and Philippines are on the high side of the power distance continuum. Meaning?

What is uncertainty avoidance? Which societies engage in uncertainty avoidance? How do they avoid uncertainty?

Does the form of a national government affect how an organization does business in a country? Multinational corporations are discovering that organizational structures and cultures that are effective in one part of the world are not always effective in other parts of the world. See Table 6.1 for Japanese view of America and vice versa.

Ethics: How to maintain organizational cultures that encourage ethical behavior? Are their unethical organizational cultures? How can you guarantee unethical behavior?

Could you characterize the culture of where you work or the student culture at Seton Hall?