Organizational culture

Résumé du document

Organisational culture can be described as a set of shared values that dictate the behaviour - what is consider right or wrong within the company – avoiding formal rules and creating motivation.

Extraits

[...] Rituals, such as dinners or parties, are important components of organisational culture because it is an informal way to strengthen culture within the organisation. The physical layout is the best way to emphasis culture through tangible elements. Stories, such as a previous employee's success, deliver a strong message with emotion to employees. Changing culture, for strategic purpose or during a merger, can allow the company to outperform, but it is very challenging. It is important to create a feeling of urgency to initiate a culture change as it would be considered necessary by the employees. [...]

[...] To manage their culture, managers assimilate new employees to the company's culture during the on-boarding process by showing them values, right behaviour, and required skills. It may include feedback from other employees, networking, orientation program with a buddy. But culture strongly bears on the leadership of the managers, who can use rewards or punishment to maintain culture. Communication on culture can be made through a mission statement in which the shared values are highlighted: it sends a powerful message to employees. Rules and policies are necessary to provide guidance on the right behaviour. [...]

[...] Organisational culture can be described at three levels, from the more visible to the less visible: artefacts (tangible elements), values (principles) and assumptions (core). Several types of cultures have been identified. Adopting one of these cultures determines the characteristic of the company (focus on innovation, people, results, safety . There may be a subculture, or a counterculture, within the company because it suits better to a specific department. Depending on the type of industry, the company must choose appropriate culture to improve its performance, this is a key point to success. National culture has also to be considered. [...]