Understanding Organizational Culture: Values and Socialization
Organizational Culture: Beliefs and Values
Organizational culture encompasses the belief system and values generated within an organization, shared by its members. It manifests through symbols, language, ideology, rituals, myths, and beliefs. It shapes a pattern of organizational behavior rooted in the historical foundations established by its founders.
This culture is conveyed using symbols and behavioral abstractions, reflecting social values, consciousness, desires, and the needs that guide people’s emotional behavior. These values can be categorized as:
- Individual Values: Guide behavior both on and off the job.
- Social Values: Influence individuals within the organization. The organizational culture impacts the values of the organization.
In a strong culture, employees share central values. Conversely, a weak culture is characterized by employees not sharing core values.
Subcultures Within Organizations
Subcultures exist within organizations alongside the dominant culture. These can be:
- Subcultures that reinforce the dominant culture.
- Countercultures that oppose the dominant culture.
Creating Cultural Change
Administrators seeking to create cultural change must modify their behavior, provide justification, improve communication, and enhance member socialization.
Types of Organizational Culture
Different types of organizational cultures include:
- Bureaucratic: Emphasizes rules and formalized procedures, often centralized.
- Clan-Oriented: Focuses on teamwork and collaboration.
- Innovation-Driven: Seeks external opportunities.
- Market-Oriented: Emphasizes cooperation and achieving goals.
Socialization: Integrating New Employees
Socialization is the process by which organizations integrate new employees into the company culture. This involves several stages:
- Anticipatory Stage: Activities performed before joining the organization, aimed at acquiring information. The goal is to achieve realism and congruence. Key activities include recruitment, selection programs, and placement.
- Adaptation Stage: The individual becomes a member of the organization, taking on responsibilities and becoming a competent worker. This involves establishing interpersonal relationships, learning required tasks, and evaluating progress. This stage requires orientation programs, recruitment programs, performance evaluations, and challenging work assignments.
- Role Management Stage: Addresses conflicts between personal and work life. It’s important for the organization to adapt to employees’ problems.
Cultural Diversity in the Workplace
Cultural diversity encompasses the physical and cultural differences among people. Dimensions of diversity include age, ethnicity, gender, physical attributes, race, and sexual orientation. The administrative challenge lies in integrating the growing number of national and cultural divisions within the workplace.
Socialization Strategies for Integration
Integration strategies can be viewed as a form of organizational socialization. Organizational integration is achieved by aligning individual goals with organizational objectives.