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Organizational culture is like an Iceberg

University of the People - MBA

BUS 5211 - Managing in the Global Economy

Discussion Unit 5

2022
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Organizational culture is like an Iceberg

Culture comes from layers like an onion. To be understood, layer by layer must be

deconstructed. The layers of values and norms are the innermost. Culture generally remains

below the threshold of conscious awareness because it includes preconceived assumptions about

how one should perceive, think, and act. So much culture operates outside of our awareness that

we sometimes find ourselves unconsciously learning what to notice and what not to notice, how

to talk, walk, act, and use our bodies (Krietner, 2012). An iceberg is a large piece of freshwater

ice, where the density of pure ice is much less than the density of seawater. A tenth of the

iceberg is visible above the surface of the water, while the remaining part is implicit and

submerged under the sea. This is how culture shows some of its aspects on the surface while the

other part is immersed within the organization and may be unaware of or ignore invisible

organizational features (Rick, 2014).

Discuss one subjective and one objective dimensions of culture from each level. Explain

how leaders are challenged to pay attention to these dimensions. What is the outcome if

they choose to ignore these dimensions?

Subjective culture is the ability to embrace the culture, use it, feel it, the way you deal with

culture, and how express it. Examples of this are wearing clothes or lighting a candle at a funeral.

Subjective culture can be created by individuals or groups. Objective culture consists of elements

that become separate from the control of people and groups and become embodied as a separate

object and can have an impact on individuals and how they interact, as it represents values,

attitudes, perceptions of time, and perceptions of place (angelaangulo, 2016).

In the visual cultural makeup, one of the subjective dimensions of culture can be identified in

the style and manner of dress, where we find the difference in dress in each culture and this is
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due to the influence of culture. As for the objective dimension, language is considered a visual

cultural expression, and we find that it differs from one culture to another and from one country

to another. It is a behavior that can be observed in hearing easily. The cultural makeup that we

are aware of, represents the layer that is under the surface of the water and needs deeper analysis

and understanding. The subjective dimension in this layer is the systems and rules within the

society or the organization, and the objective dimension is the common beliefs. The cultural

makeup that we do not realize is the deep part that reaches the bottom of the sea and cannot be

easily measured or observed, such as the model of values and thinking. The realization of the

subjective dimension of this level is difficult to verify. As for the objective dimension, it reflects

common beliefs (Agarwal, 2020).

The monochromatic time preference is to do one thing at a time because the time is limited,

while the polychromatic time preference is to do more than one thing at a time because time is

flexible and multi-dimensional. Therefore, in monochronic cultures, they are driven by the

schedule and prefer to do one thing at a time. As for polychronic cultures Time, we find them

doing many things at one time and look at single people as being very preoccupied with time

(Krietner, 2012). A leader who possesses cultural intelligence must identify the people of both

types above and assign the task to the appropriate people according to the type of culture of the

person and be aware of the impact of culture on the personality of the team members and possess

the cultural awareness that makes him able to understand the values and perspective of another

culture and be able to interpret the words And the actions of team members and interact with

them effectively.
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References

Agarwal, M. (2020, October 25). Understanding The Organisational Culture Iceberg To Drive
Success. Inc 42 https://inc42.com/resources/understanding-the-organisational-culture-
iceberg-to-drive-success/
angelaangulo. (2016, October 10). Subjective Culture, Objective Culture, and Cultural
Appropriation. The Observatory
https://rampages.us/angelaangulo/2016/10/10/subjective-culture-objective-culture-and-
cultural-appropriation/
Krietner, R. &. (2012). International OB: Managing across cultures. In The World of
Organizational Behaviour. McGraw Hill.
Rick, T. (2014, November 26). Organizational culture is like an Iceberg. Meliorate
https://www.torbenrick.eu/blog/culture/organizational-culture-is-like-an-iceberg/