Respond to the following
How does the culture of an organization come about, and how do ethics and values shape the culture of an organization? Is it possible to change the culture of an organization over time? If so, how?
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1. How does the culture of an organization come about, and how do ethics and values shape the culture of an organization?
Each culture has its own shared way of doing things, values and beliefs. More specifically, organizational culture comes from shared societal elements in macro (nations, societies, large organizations) and micro groups (subcultures within societies and organizations). Shared elements include; language used within the group, climate (how people feel and interact in the group), rituals and celebrations, communicated values, policies and principles guiding the groups actions, group norms, rules (way things are done), self-identity (who we are), embedded skills (what makes us special), socialization, shared meanings (acronyms and alternative meanings in language), and symbols and metaphors (Schein & Schein, 2016).
Is it possible to change the culture of an organization over time?
Before initiating a change effort Leaders need to understand if or what problems exist within the organization's culture before they attempt any change efforts. Leaders should not assume to know the climate without research. Leaders should talk with members or survey members or groups about their attitudes and motivations within the workplace. It's possible there are many forces at play affecting people's behavior (ethical or unethical) and attitudes requiring a change process at the executive level or cultural may be developing over time due to changes in the environment (Shein& Schein, 2016).
Popa (2013) explains that "Like any other organizational culture, it changes over time in response to changes in society's culture, evolution of technology, and the impact of leadership " (p. 178). Successful change management models help leaders transform organizations by addressing the areas where transformations fail. In order to ensure that members in the organization embrace the change rather continue with the old way of doing things Leaders can use tools such as Kotter's 8 Step change model. According to the model leaders should establish a sense of urgency among the members by explaining the personal cost to not making the change, building a coalition (people members trust), developing a vision that motivates and organizes people, communicating the message over and over, and removing barriers for change (bad leaders, failed processes, etc) (Eide & Allen, 2012).
References
Eide, P. K., U.S.A.F., & Allen, C. D., U.S.A. (2012). The more things change, acquisition reform remains the same. Defense AR Journal, 19(1), 99-120.
Popa, B. M. (2013). Risks Resulting from the Discrepancy between Organizational Culture and Leadership. Journal of Defense Resources Management, 4(1), 179-182.
Schein, E. H., & Schein, P. (2016). Organization culture and leadership.
2. Culture is the atmosphere that is displayed in the workplace. Every business culture is unique and is established by the employer, the employees, and sometimes the consumer. It is the behaviors, values and beliefs system set forth by personnel and management. Company culture could be both good or bad; however, the culture in the workplace could constantly change according to the changes within the company and staff. Personal beliefs, operations, decisions, and opinions within management could readily modify the company's culture. Culture is a set of unwritten rules to how one should act in the workplace ('How Business are Changing Organizational Culture in the Workplace", n.d.).
A business can change its culture in a number of ways; they can communicate acceptable behaviors by modeling and ensuring that it is written in the personnel manual. They can also link behaviors to accountability. It is also wise for a business to revisit goals to maintain a direction for culture. Changes will not happen instantly because personnel may be resistant to the change or they may be set in their ways. Businesses can expect changes to gradually happen; however, the changes should be monitored to ensure the changes are productive (Spiezio, 2017).
Organizational culture is very important, and it is beneficial for businesses to invest in it. Organizational culture can make or break a company. If the employees and management are not happy then it will ultimately have an adverse effect on productivity, staff turnover, and customer service. The culture within a company may not be seen, but it can definitely be felt. I have had an experience in a company that tried to change their business culture because of their customer base, which consisted of mostly the millennial generation. The changes did not sit well with the older employees and many of them quit or retired when the changes were taking place because they could not keep and /or uncomfortable with the changes. Now the company has employed many millennials (which I think was intentional) to keep up with client services.
References:
How Business are Changing Organizational Culture in the Workplace. (n.d.).
Spiezio, J., III. (2017, July 31). Bottom-up company culture change.
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