Managing Organizational Culture
Organizational culture, or corporate culture, comprises the attitudes, experiences, beliefs and values of an organization. It is the web of tacit (not necessarily stated or espoused) understandings, boundaries, common language, and shared expectations maintained over time by the members of the culture.
Culture is a framework that is held in the minds of the organizational members (¹ Mission Statement). This framework contains basic assumptions and values, which are taught to new members as the way to
- Perceive
- Feel
- Think
- Behave
- Expect others to behave
Culture arises over time as people in the organization learn to deal successfully with external adaptation and internal integration. In essence, culture arises out of what has been “successful.”
Typical presenting issues that suggest Managing Organizational Culture should be explored:
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Patterns of misunderstanding or miscommunication around purpose, expectations, roles, values
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Frequent “Us-Them” references in the everyday conversations of organization members
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Pattern of decisions being made at varying organizational levels that do not serve the larger purpose of the organization
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New or newly reorganized units or parts of the organization
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Realignments or new partnerships being pursued
- Changes in organizational purpose, funding, regulations, or processes
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