ORGANIZATIONAL ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE CULTURE

Prof. Jintae Kim, PhD

Alliance Theological Seminary

(845) 353-2020 ext.6978

E-mail: Jintae.kim@nyack.edu

Website: http://all4jesus.net

I owe the content of this presentation to the class notes of Dr. Martin Sanders at Alliance Theological Seminary.

DEFINITION OF CULTUREDEFINITION OF CULTURECULTURE

“A pattern of shared basic assumptions that the group learned as it solved its problems of external adaptation and internal integration” (243)

3 ELEMENTS

(1) Culture is learned by its members.

(2) Culture refers directly to assumptions, only indirectly to behaviors.

(3) an open-ended definition of the group allows for groups and sub-groups, and varying levels of membership.

ORGANIZATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS ORGANIZATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF A CHURCHOF A CHURCH

1. It will have its resources and efforts coordinated in some fashion.

2. People will be a major asset in achieving the shared goals or outcomes.

3. People will have differing opinions about the goals and how they should be achieved, and will seek to advance their ideas.

4. The process of striving will give rise to common experience and shared assumptions among those within the organization.

THE COMMON THE COMMON CHALLENGESCHALLENGES

The organizational cultures are a by-product of people confronting these challenges.

1. The challenge to adapt and to survive in its external environment.

2. The challenge to integrate its internal components to ensure its capacity to function.

EXTERNAL ADAPTATION AND EXTERNAL ADAPTATION AND SHARED ASSUMPTIONSSHARED ASSUMPTIONS

As members of an organization face external adaptation, shared assumptions are crucial in addressing the four issues.

4 ISSUES

(1) Mission:

Primary task and secondary functions.

(2) Goals

(3) Strategies

(4) Constituencies:

Which external voices must be accommodated and which must be ignored.

INTERNAL INTEGRATION AND INTERNAL INTEGRATION AND SHARED ASSUMPTIONSSHARED ASSUMPTIONS

As members of an organization face internal integration, shared assumptions are crucial in addressing the three issues.

3 ISSUES

(1) Creating common language and conceptual categories

(2) Defining group boundaries and criteria for inclusion and exclusion

(3) Distributing power and status.

SOURCES OF SOURCES OF ORGANIZATIONAL CULTUREORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE

How do organizations with external environments and internal components come to have such different ways of operating over the years?

3 BASIC SOURCES OF 3 BASIC SOURCES OF CULTURESCULTURES

1. The beliefs, values, and assumptions of organizational founders 창업자의 신념… .

2. Learning experiences of group members as their organization evolves 구성원의 체험

3. New beliefs, values, and assumptions imported by new members and leaders. 신규직원이나 지도자의 신념… .

THE ROLE OF THE FOUNDER THE ROLE OF THE FOUNDER IN BUILDING CULTUREIN BUILDING CULTURE

1. A single person has an idea for a new enterprise Founder

2. The founder brings in one or more people and creates a core group that shares a common goal and vision with him.

3. In this process, the founder transmits his/her ideals to the organization.

THE LEARNING EXPRIENCES THE LEARNING EXPRIENCES BUILDING CULTUREBUILDING CULTURE

1. The founding group begins to act in concert to organize its efforts.

2. Others are brought into the organization, and a common experience or history begins to be built.

3. If the group remains fairly stable, and has significant learning experiences, it will gradually develop assumptions about itself, its environment and how to do things to survive and grow.

LEVELS OF CULTURELEVELS OF CULTURE

The role of culture at work in an organization can be seen on various levels:

1. Artifacts: Visible organizational structure, processes and

symbols. Easy for an outsider to spot, but difficult for the outsider to decipher.

2. Espoused Values3. Underlying Assumptions

ARTIFACTS AS CULTURAL ARTIFACTS AS CULTURAL MARKSMARKS

1. Organizational structure and design

2. Systems and procedures

3. Rites and rituals

4. Physical space arrangements

5. Institutional folklore

6. Formal creeds, charters and statements of purpose.

ESPOUSED VALUES AS ESPOUSED VALUES AS CULTURAL MARKSCULTURAL MARKS

1. Artifacts: “what is” Values: “what ought

to be”2. Values Strategies, goals, and

philosophies which are stated by organizational members.

Often these emerge originally as the opinions of certain individuals. If the stated opinion is adopted by the group, these individuals are perceived as leaders.

UNDERLYING ASSUMPTIONSUNDERLYING ASSUMPTIONS1. When the opinion(s) of individuals prove to have

validity, they may come to be treated as reality. This will occur because people are generally more

comfortable with an environment which is stable and predictable than one which is characterized by change and ambiguity.

2. Therefore, people will seek to establish rules which alleviate ambiguity.

3. Since these assumptions exist to help define reality and reduce ambiguity, changes in underlying assumptions can generate anxiety among group members.

2 WAYS NEW LEADERS AND 2 WAYS NEW LEADERS AND MEMBERS EMBED AND MEMBERS EMBED AND

TRANSMIT CULTURETRANSMIT CULTURE

Charisma Specific Behaviors (referred to as culture-embedding mechanisms)

CHARISMACHARISMA

Leaders who possess the quality of being able to communicate assumptions and values in a clear and compelling manner.

The problem with charisma as an explanation:

(1) It does not by itself provide clues as to how their vision was embedded in the organization.

(2) It also fails to consider the actual vision of the leader.

SPECIFIC BEHAVIORSSPECIFIC BEHAVIORS

1. What leaders pay attention to, measure, or control on a regular basis

2. How leaders react to critical incidents organizational crisis

3. Observed criteria by which leaders allocate scarce resources, including rewards and status.

4. Deliberate role modeling, teaching, and coaching

5. What leaders celebrate or institutionalize.

FACTORS WHICH IMPACT FACTORS WHICH IMPACT ADAPTATION IN ORGANIZATIONAL ADAPTATION IN ORGANIZATIONAL

CULTURECULTURE1. Time: an idea which persist over time stands the best

chance of being adopted into the culture.2. Inertia: a new idea that is consistent with current cultural

assumptions….3. Clarity: a new idea which can be easily understood or

interpreted….

EDGAR SHIEN, EDGAR SHIEN, “ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE & “ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE &

LEADERSHIP”LEADERSHIP”

“The most central issues for leaders operating within an organizational culture is how to get at the deeper levels of culture, how to assess the functionality of the current assumptions which exist at each level and how to deal with the anxiety which occurs when those assumptions are challenged.”

SOURCES OF CULTURAL SOURCES OF CULTURAL DATA FOR NEW LEADERSDATA FOR NEW LEADERS

4 SOURCES

(1) Organizational structure

(2) Information, control, and reward systems

(3) Myths, legends, stories, and folklore

(4) Informants

ANALOGY OF LEARNING A CARD GAME:

(1) Watch(2) Play along with

someone(3) Play by yourself

when it doesn’t count(4) Play by yourself.