Organizational Culture Summary

Great Essays
Organizational culture has been a theme among the structure of companies through policy, values, mission statements, standards, procedures and even tradition. Chris Grey describes briefly how we study organizations, first through theory and scientific approach. He introduced different types of theories that began this new study of how organizations operate by describing certain groups such as organizational theorists/positivists, intrepretivists/constructivists, managerialists and critics as discussed in earlier readings (Grey, 2009.) Deriving from these theories and approaches he then adds on by noting Max Weber, a German sociologist who observed how manager’s can lead a group through a dehumanizing way of bureaucracy with power, force, …show more content…
This novel technique was common with my previous employer who allowed employees to wear Steelers’ shirts, jerseys and scrubs every time they played during football season. Simple and novel it was still part of the organization’s culture. One most recognized novel technique in culture is the use of symbols to distinguish a company or brand as seen with apparel like logos or phrases. Gunther Kress studied modes and semiotics as a way to communicate to the audience. Symbols, signs and a group of text is always used to grab the audience’s attention. In this case the audience is the employees and customers who would know their company’s identity based on these modes. (Kress, 2010). Most common uses of symbols and slogans are more noticed with fashion …show more content…
Grey notes from Linda Smircich’s organizational analysis that culture management can be a critical variable or a root metaphor. (1983). The critical variable of organizational culture can be managed since these shared values are actually being directed by managers in the case of productivity, profit and goals and only can work for those employees who accept it. These values initiated and defined by senior management who created and implemented them. The root metaphor culture is when “people in organizations do things; they work together in a certain way; that’s the culture. It is natural and spontaneous..,” (Grey, 2009, P. 73.) Looking at the supermarket example, where customer service is the number one priority in the company’s culture. Employees have to smile at each customer and have a very friendly demeanor to provide excellent service. If the staff shared the same values as upper management then this culture would be a critical variable. However most cases resulted in employees putting on a fake smile and with an acted friendly character because they were being watched by cameras, displayed the root metaphor in

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    When reading the case study with this objective; Identify which organizational culture being utilizes as the main focus of the Verizon wireless company; In all honesty, Verizon seemed to have a finger in all four squares. Such as, the Clan culture- with the use of participation and communication. With the facts like this; “we distribute videos via VZTube, our internal YouTube site.” (Kinicki & Williams, 2013) Version has over 83,000 members using this communication and training tool. Secondly, Adhocracy culture- Adaptability, creativity, and agility.…

    • 367 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Culture can be a powerful control device and as the leader, it was his responsibility to establish and nurture a productive organizational…

    • 1606 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Branding thus develops as a social phenomenon with the utility of motivating extravagant displays of wealth (Sun et…

    • 610 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    After taking Organizational Culture Inventory survey (OCI), The Organizational Culture Inventory provided information to help identify my primary and secondary personal style. Reflecting in on the shared values and beliefs that guide the thinking and behavior of members. My highest percentile score on the survey was Humanistic-Encouraging with a score of 92%. my second highest percentile score was Affiliate in which I scored an 86%. I agree with the survey working as an IT desktop support at Kansas City Power & Light (KCP&L)…

    • 225 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Organizational culture, or corporate culture, is important to HR because it determines many factors within human resources management. Organizational culture is the “amalgamation of values, vision, mission, and the day-to-day aspects of communication, interaction, and operational goals that create the organizational atmosphere that pervades the way people work” (Miller, 2012). Corporate culture is defined as “the collection of beliefs, expectations and values learned and shared by corporation’s members and transmitted from one generation of employees to another” (Hunger & Wheelen, 2011). This culture defines how policies and procedures are established, how supervisors and managers manage their people and how the general atmosphere of the organization is perceived. As with a well-structured organization, if the “culture is compatible with the…

    • 1152 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Hot Logos

    • 541 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In the industry world, Logos are important to companies and are the base of many ideal things. “The study, conducted by an international team of researchers, suggests that people make complex assessments of a company or product based merely on the shape of the logo.” (“The Shape of a Logo Has a Powerful Impact on Consumers”). Logos are symbols of many different meanings and to the human eye they are able to imprint stain in people’s heads whenever thought of. Logos are the perfect weapon for massive recollection of the human brain.…

    • 541 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Visual culture looks at the images that represents our world. In a social system through visual culture, we negotiate the word and define ourselves through varied media. Semiotics, sometimes referred to as semiology, is a means or an analysis of considering anything as signs and sign systems. In this essay I will analyze brand identity, objects and myth…

    • 978 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Material Culture Paper

    • 333 Words
    • 2 Pages

    In our society brands allow people to feel a certain connection to those around them. It enables people to shape their thoughts about one another, and feel a certain acceptance from those around them. Brands including Nike, Birkenstocks, and Vans displayed ways in which people mark their social groupings, and how superficial relationships can be provoked as a result of…

    • 333 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Organizational culture is one of the most fascinating and exclusive topics for management researchers. It has been defined as a programming of mind, which distinguishes the member of one organization from one another (Hofstede, 1991) or a system of shared values and believes within an organization, which guides the behaviour of the employee (from French et al. 2008). Deal & Kennedy’s (1982) phrase ‘the way we do things round here’ a definition that might more properly describe ‘culture’, but more fully defined by Hofstede (1991, p.262) as ‘the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one organization from another’. Culture cannot be precisely seen, but can sensed and felt. Culture provides guidance to behaviors…

    • 2199 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Decent Essays

    The statement given below defines “Organizational Culture” in simple context. “Organizational culture is the sum of values and rituals which serve as ‘glue’ to integrate the members of the organization.” — Richard Perrin ODEL has its own ethics and principles which brings its organizational culture into practice with “Cultural Web”— (Johnsons & Scholes, 1999).…

    • 1238 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    This can be seen from the example of Toyota Motor Corporation, where leaders of the company acknowledge the need to establish mutual trust between the employees and management, and takes measures to minimize social discrimination between the aforementioned groups; everyone has the same uniform, and there are no parking areas, dining rooms or offices set aside exclusively for executives . Through controlling artifacts, leaders of Toyota Motor has successfully built an organizational culture that is based on various principles including mutual trust, respect for people and teamwork. Hence, it can be concluded that through manipulating artifacts, leaders can influence organizational culture. In conclusion, leaders can influence organizational culture through shaping the three levels of Schein’s model of organizational culture- artifacts, values and assumptions.…

    • 1000 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Understanding Culture & Values Culture is defined as a set of values, norms, guiding beliefs, and understandings shared by organization members with new members as an accurate manner of thinking, feeling, and behaving (Daft, 2016). Though challenging, it is possible for an outsider to discern the cultural values of an organization, accurately, through the analysis of artifacts, such as symbols, ceremonies, dress, etc. The authors Martinez, Beaulieu, Gibbons, Pronovost, and Wang stated, “Culture is trickier to define, as well as to analyze” (2015, p. 331). However, the analysis of artifacts is possible, but difficult to decipher in an accurate manner because the individual does not have all of the relevant information for the…

    • 1516 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Great Essays

    INTRODUCTION One of the major challenges Japanese firms encounter when expanding overseas is in managing the culture of their overseas subsidiaries. The organizational structure and culture of the subsidiary plays a crucial role in the successful implementation of various management practices (Kull and Wacker, 2010). The organizational culture is partly reflected in the way in which a company manages its human resources (Schneider, 1988) and this could potentially lead to either positive or negative operational effects of the firm depending on factors such as the culture of the environment in which it operates. A vast amount of literature attempts to define Japanese organizational culture in large corporations and how it is beneficial for…

    • 2028 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Great Essays

    Introduction: In a capitalist system companies and corporations play an integral role in life’s material experiences. For instance, the majority of clothing individuals purchase and wear are manufactured by a wide variety of popular brands varying greatly in size, popularity, and influence. These companies are commonly referred to as brands. According to the American Marketing Association (1995) a brand is defined as a: Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller 's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers. " Further branding is explained as, a customer experience represented by a collection of images and ideas; often, it refers to a symbol such as a name, logo, slogan, and design scheme.…

    • 1949 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    People have unique personalities determine their behaviour, and similarly, every organisation has its own personality, which is called culture (Robbins & Coulter, 2014, p.77). Organisational culture has a strong influence on the system, structure as well as the performance of companies, which might lead to success or failure depends on the types of culture applied within the organisation. An effective culture is important for any organisations because employees are able to understand their responsibilities and finish the work accordingly. In this academic essay, a brief definition of organisational culture and either positive or negative impacts are discussed in order to investigate the general performance of the workplace. Besides, an explanation…

    • 1139 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays

Related Topics