Management 605 – Managing in Organizations – Week 4

Week 4 – Culture

Of all the organizational studies we’ve undertaken, I feel this was the most important subject we broached. Culture within an organization is a powerful tool that can help or hinder an organization and how it is deployed and maintained our vastly important. A culture that fits the environment it works in and helps norm their employee behavior can lead to competitive advantage. A culture that is not the right fit can be incredibly difficult to change and lead to employee turmoil. I believe that is a study worthy of deeper work. The way to change it does mean removing employees who don’t fit the culture and bringing in/onboarding new ones who better align with it, but you can also shift it through communication, modeling, and physical reminders called artifacts that act like totems. As an employee it is a good idea to be flexible in your approach and aware of the expectations so you can adapt when things do change.

I once did a culture change within a volunteer organization I was in by promoting one of positivity and connection and family. It was very successful and lead to that organization doubling in size.  People wanted to be part of if and the catty/petty elements disappeared. Now that I’ve studied culture a little more in depth I realize it can be part organic but it also needs to be lived and displayed from leadership down through a good Mission Statement. I am seeing more to organization’s now than I did previously. One benefit of getting an MBA after working full time for twenty years is getting to know the why behind the what. I’ve been in stable cultures, detail oriented cultures, innovative cultures, and ones that were a mix of it all. I personally fit best into team based cultures where learning and collaboration are prized. I do OK in hierarchical cultures but feel stifled when I’m not part of the decision making apparatus in as much as a lack of autonomy over what I do.