Culture and Organizational behavior Research Assignment (Research Paper Sample)

Culture and Organisational Behaviour
Table of Contents
Introduction.......................................................................................................................3
Factors influencing organisation’s culture ........................................................................3
Founder of the Organisation..............................................................................................3
History of the Organisation................................................................................................4
Structure and Systems........................................................................................................4
Industry..............................................................................................................................5
Geographic Location..........................................................................................................5
Leadership and Management Style ...................................................................................5
Autocratic...........................................................................................................................5
Consultative........................................................................................................................6
Persuasive...........................................................................................................................6
Democratic.........................................................................................................................6
Laissez-Faire......................................................................................................................7
Hofstede’s dimensions of culture .....................................................................................7
Power Distance .................................................................................................................7
Uncertainty Avoidance ....................................................................................................8
Individualism versus Collectivism.....................................................................................8
Masculinity versus Femininity...........................................................................................8
Confucian Dynamism........................................................................................................9
GOOGLE’S ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE ............................................................9
Conclusion........................................................................................................................11
References........................................................................................................................12
Introduction
Organisational culture can be defined as the collective values, beliefs, norms and vision of the personnel of the organisation. In simple terms, it is the way things are done in an organisation. Culture of an organisation plays a significantly important role in the success of the organisation as it influences all the functions of the organisation. If innovation is a part of the organisation’s culture, the core management will not find it difficult to implement a change in the organisation. Similarly, if the culture of the organisation encourages synchronization of all the operations of the organisation, the implementation of a new strategy will not be difficult for the management of the organisation (Lamb 1984). However, if the culture of the organisation is such that it tends to stick to traditional ways i.e. rigidity in the structure of the organisation, concentration of power in the strategic core of the organisation, lack of involvement of the subordinate staff in the decision making process, and features of bureaucracy; the application of a change may be a highly difficult task for the management of the organisation (Willcoxson and Millett 2000).
This essay would attempt to emphasize upon the role of the culture of an organisation in its success and how can organisations use their cultures to drive themselves towards global competitiveness. In order to explain this, a comprehensive example of the organisational culture of Google Inc. has been used.
FACTORS INFLUENCING ORGANISATION’S CULTURE
There are a number of factors that influence the culture of an organisation. Organisational culture develops through time; if an organisation is sufficiently old, its culture would acquire features like resistance to change, concentration of power and hierarchical structure. On the other hand, if the organisation is relatively new, it is more likely to encourage innovation and flexibility in its structure. Following are some of the factors that primarily influence the culture of an organisation:
Founder of the Organisation
The founder of an organisation plays a significant role in setting the overall culture of the organisation. The founder is the strategic core of an organisation and the organisational personnel look forward to the founder for instructions regarding the way the operations of the organisation would be carried out. A strong set of values and assumptions may be established by the organisation’s founder that is followed by everyone else in the organisation as well. Even if the founder of the organisation retires, these values and assumptions grow on their own due to the strong foundation set by the founder. Thus, it can be said that the values and assumptions established by the founder are significantly important for the success of an organisation. If the founder encourages a dynamic structure of the organisation which responded to the changes in the external environment, the organisation will develop a culture that is innovative and modernistic. However, if the founder encourages a rigid structure with concentration of power at the core of the organisation, the culture of the organisation would be more inclined towards bureaucracy.
History of the Organisation
The history of the organisation plays a very important part in determining the culture of the organisation. In order to evaluate the impact of the history of the organisation on its culture, one may look into the stories, rituals, and symbolic behaviour attributed to the organisation. These factors legitimise the overall behaviour observed in the organisation.
Structure and Systems
The overall structure of the organisation and the systems used in it play a vital role in the culture of the organisation. If the organisation has a hierarchical structure, it would encourage a culture that promotes concentration of power and does not encourage free flow of communication. On the other hand, if the organisation has a flat structure, there would be no barriers on communication between the strategic core and the subordinate staff. Thus, the organisation with flat structure would develop a culture that is more modernistic and innovative in nature. Similarly, the policies and procedures prevalent in the organisation influence its culture. If the organisation encourages a highly complex and formal way of things, its culture will be less innovative and the procedures at the organisation will be more time consuming. On the other hand, if the organisation encourages fast processing and discourages unnecessary documentation, it tends to have a 1more dynamic culture.
Industry
The industry in which an organisation operates also plays a vital role in the determination of the culture of the organisation. An organisation is bound to follow the prevalent trends in the industry as a whole. For example; computer software organisations in the “silicon valley” are known for being laid back on office dress. These organisations are more concerned about the competitiveness and innovativeness of their products rather than the formality of the way things are done in the offices.
Geographic Location
The geographic location where the organisation operates plays a highly important role in determining its culture as well. Different regions have different styles of carrying out business. In western countries, the power distance is low, while in Middle East countries such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar, power distance is high. The style of management is also different in these regions. Therefore, the external environment of an organisation influences the culture of the organisation.
Leadership and Management Style
The culture of an organisation also depends upon the prevailing leadership and management style. An organisation with strong culture recruits managers who would conform to its culture naturally. The major types of management styles are; autocratic, consultative, persuasive, democratic, and laissez-faire (Luthans 2011). Following is an explanation of how each of these types influences the culture of the organisation:
Autocratic
In autocratic style of management, the manager makes the decisions without consulting with anyone else. There is high concentration of power in this style of management. The decisions reflect the personal opinion of the manager and they do not include the opinions of the subordinates. This management style is considered to be negative because it lacks the concern for subordinates, therefore it does not motivate them. With regard to the culture of the organisation, this management style encourages a culture with very high power distance (Brown 1995). Everything in the organisation is done under the directives of the manager and the subordinates merely carry out the task assigned to them. There is no room for generation and implementation of innovative ideas as there is only one person who does all the thinking.
Consultative
In this management style, the manager holds the ultimate aut...