Zach Fehrenbach

2/16/16
Organizational Culture Case Study JCU
1. At John Carroll, one important espoused value is service. Service is a
core Jesuit value. This is reflected in John Carrolls vision statement and
also in its mission statement. The vision statement reads, John Carroll
University will graduate individuals of intellect and character who lead
and serve by engaging the world around them and around the globe.
The mission statement reads, As a Jesuit Catholic university, John
Carroll inspires individuals to excel in learning, leadership, and service
in the region and in the world. I can identify many places where the
university espouses this value of service. For starters, the Center for
Service and Social Action is very prominent. CSSA offers one-time
service opportunities, semester-long service opportunities, newsletters
and articles, and immersion trips. JCU also offers a large scholarship,
the Arrupe scholarship, which is mostly based on service. Finally, some
classes require that students take part in some kind of service outside
of class.
2. I believe the underlying assumption of this value plays directly into one
of the goals of the university, which is to create men and women for
others. This can be considered the goal of the value, but the
underlying assumption might be that students want to get involved
with service and strive to live for others.
3. Four John Carroll artifacts or behaviors that I will explain are the
architecture, the technology, the dress, and the network configuration.
Regarding the architecture, the campus as a whole is very closed off
from the surrounding neighborhood. There are only two entrances,
both of which have a stationed security guard. The technology at JCU is
fairly advanced, I would say. There are multiple computer labs and
work stations, plenty of functioning printers, and a computer and
projector in every classroom. Also, the wifi has been fast and reliable,
at least in my experience. The dress of the university is interesting
because you will see a great variety of clothing among students. Some
kids dress very nicely for class, while some will wear sweatpants and
hats every day. Teachers have always dressed in a professional
manner, in my experience. I would say that the network configuration
is very open at JCU. I would feel comfortable walking into any
professors office to have a conversation, or stopping to talk to them in
a hallway or on campus. Also, I think that the higher-up people are
fairly easily accessible. I remember one time as a freshman, I emailed
the head of a department and was able to meet with her the next day.
4. I think that two of these artifacts or behaviors at JCU are consistent
with the value of service, but one is not, and one is pretty insignificant.
The technology and the network configuration support the value of

service. This is because the existence of good technology allows

students and faculty to be connected with their immediate and
extended environment, which in turn allows us to better serve the
community and the world. Also, the open network configuration
supports the espoused value because faculty and staff members are
truly exemplifying the saying men and women for others by always
being readily available and perceptive to students. I think that the
closed-off nature of the university is not consistent with the value of
service. I think that being so secluded goes against the espoused value
of serving others and extending service to the whole world, because it
naturally makes it seem like John Carroll is its own little world,
physically disconnected from everything else. Finally, I think that the
dress tendencies at JCU are irrelevant from the value of service.
5. The only behavior that I can think of which I would instill at JCU to
increase and improve the espoused value of service would be to get
teachers more involved. Whether this would entail professors attending
service opportunities with students, or having their own service
opportunities that they are in charge of, I think that would be helpful
because it would set an example for students and show them that
service is a value that will continue throughout their entire lives.
6. From my experience and research, I do not believe there are any
subcultures at John Carroll that go against the value of service. Every
institution that I can think of, including athletic teams, fraternities and
sororities, and different educational tracks, put a strong emphasis on
service. Regarding the behaviors and artifacts of the university, the
only one that I can think of which is not in keeping with the espoused
value of service is the physical architecture, in which we are very
secluded from outside occurrences.
7. The level of penetration of service at John Carroll is incredible. This
espoused value is vouched for and promoted constantly. At least for
the student body, service is very important for everyone. As I said, I
think that the value of service could be better regarding the faculty. I
think that the value is held as the psychological, social, and historical
level. Psychologically, the university kind of makes students feel like
they have to take part in service to be a good person and to execute
Jesuit ideals. Socially, service opportunities are usually in groups, which
are times to socialize and make friends. Historically, service has been
an espoused value for John Carroll for a very long time because it is
rooted in the Jesuit ideals which have been present for hundreds of
years.