I.

CHARACTERISTICS OF ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE

(Outline by: Blessy June J. Cultura)

 Basic Elements of Culture

1. Artefacts - Things that one sees, hears and feels when one encounters a new group
with an unfamiliar culture.
2. Values – refers to the things worth doing or reasons for doing what we do. For
example, in a company they may value profitability, making a quality product, or
members’ wellness.
3. Assumptions – are the beliefs of the members that prescribes the right way to do
things.

 Organizational Culture defined

- Is a pattern of basic assumptions—invented, discovered, or developed by a given
group as it learns to cope with its problems externally or internally—that has worked
well enough to be considered valuable, and therefore to be taught to members as the
correct way to perceive, think, and feel in relation to the problems. (Edgar Schein)

 Characteristics of Organizational Culture

Professors Ken Thompson (DePaul University) and Fred Luthans (University of Nebraska)
highlight seven characteristics:

1. Culture = Behaviour
- the general operating norms
- the attitudes, reactions, activities and mind-sets of members
- not usually good or bad but it determines the progress or success of an organization

2. Culture is learned
- people learn to perform certain behaviours through rewards or negative
consequences.
- when a behavior is rewarded, it is repeated and the association eventually becomes
part of the culture.

3. Culture is learned through interactions

- it is learning by interacting with other members.
- through conversations especially with new members, it can communicate the
elements of the culture the organization wants to continue.

4. People shape the culture

- the personalities and experiences of the members of the organization create the
culture of an organization

5. Culture can be negotiated

- it simply means that culture can be changed.

6. Culture is difficult to change

- it requires members to change their behaviors.
- it is difficult since some members often find it hard to unlearn their old ways

7. Sub-cultures can be formed

- it is a result of different wants and needs of the members.
- it tend to develop in large organizations ton reflect common problems, situations, or
experiences that members face.
- it is usually formed when most members do not agree on the culture, hence, a weak
culture.
 Strong Culture
-most people agree on the culture
-values are widely spread
-members are more loyal
-are associated with high organizational
performance since they have high
agreement on what's important
-does not always yield positive results
because it might prevent members
from trying new approaches
 Dimensions of Organization Culture
Weak Culture
-most people do not agree on the culture
-members are usually not united since values
are limited to few people (usually top mngt.)
-culture as a whole might be difficult to
characterize due to sub-cultures or shared
values, assumptions and behaviour of a
subset