| Part 3: Organizational Culture |
| |
| Objectives: |
| This is a short
assignment. The purpose of this assignment is to: |
| |
 | Introduce
you to the concept of organizational culture |
| Provide
you with an opportunity to apply these concepts to an actual
organization |
| Practice
observing indicators of organizational culture. |
|
| |
| Directions |
|
During your interview, you should ask the respondent to
describe the culture of the organization, how s/he learned the culture, and
what type of employees seem to fit (or not fit) the culture. You may
also want to ask about subcultures and whether the employee's unit is part
of the dominant culture. You should also ask for a tour of the
organization and its facilities and employees and look carefully for signs
of the organization's culture. You may be surprised how much
you can learn by simply observing if you put your mind to it.
Many skilled managers employ this ability to sense what is going on
as they walk through their plant or office area.
You can also read promotional materials and information like the employee
handbook. The lecture notes
and chapter in Robbins and Judge will provide some
guidance for what to look for and ask about during your
interview. Feel free to select organizations where the culture is readily
observable. |
| |
| Presentation |
| Each group will be asked to share the results of your analysis
and share examples with the class during a brief 5 minute presentation. This will count towards your
class participation grade. |
| |
| Writing
Assignment |
| Each
group should prepare one memo for the group that
describes the culture of the
organization. Your memo is limited to 3-single-spaced pages with 12
point font and 1 inch margins. Your
analysis should consider: the extent to which the
culture impacts employee behavior (i.e., strong vs. weak behavior); the function
of the organizational culture; what practices keep the culture alive; how do new employees
learn the organization’s culture; and, how does the organization's
culture promote or inhibit organizational change.
In your analysis, be sure to identify at least several “signs” that
you feel best demonstrate the organization’s culture (e.g., stories, rituals,
material symbols, language). You may wish to include some of these in tables or figures. You
should also indicate what you would look for in terms of recruiting and
selecting employees to work in this organization in order to preserve,
maintain, and strengthen the observed culture. |
