Culture is commonly thought to be how people act in a large society, such as western and eastern culture, but the reality is culture is found in any group of people, whether the group situates in school, at home, or at work. Cultures reflect the beliefs and norms of the individuals involved.
It is important for a company to therefore employee the right people who will sit well in their organizational culture. Andriopoulos and Dawson (2009) recognises many different authors definitions on the concept of ‘organizational culture’, I like ‘Van Maanen’s’ (1976) definition which describes organizational culture in simple terms…
…”THE RULES OF THE GAME” (Andriopoulos and Dawson, 2009, p, 253)
To elaborate on this simple definition, what is being said is that each company plays differently internally. People often conform in order to fit in with the people around them.
For a more in-depth definition of organizational culture see Schneider (1988, 353). “The values that lie beneath what the organization rewards, supports and expects; the norms that surround and/or underpin the policies, practises and procedures of organizations; the meaning incumbents share about what the norms and values of the organization are”. (Andriopoulos and Dawson, 2009, p, 253-254)
It is hard to examine an organizations culture by viewing it or talking to individuals, because a lot of values are hidden and not spoken, also managers or people within the company may not be willing to reveal company traits for fear of damaging the company’s credibility.
Instead it is better for one to reflect on their past experiences and think of how they have acted in the past to fit in with others. For me I can see how people around me have conformed in order to fit in with others. When working in a nightclub I found the new girls who came to work conformed to try fit in by wearing tones of make-up and wearing ridiculous sized hair extensions. And as much as they would deny it, it is true to see that they have conformed to fit in!
This portrayal of the stereotypical female has been emulated and catalyst by the media and is now spreading into organizational culture, by picturing women in adverts, magazines, etc all covered in make-up. This says that this is what women/young girls should like and they conform to what is spread in the media. As the ‘media awareness network’ says ‘standards of beauty are being imposed on women’ (2010).
So too a great extent the organizational cultures within bigger cultures have great influence on the participants.
Components of culture
2 important factors within culture are the values and norms that the culture reflects. In business the values of a culture are important, because in some cases customers will only buy into companies, which reflect decent practises. This is better explained through an example…
Say there are 2 companies. Company A and Company B. Both companies sell the exact same product for the same price in the same shop; the products are no different in any way. But Company A decided to recycle all waste and they make a big point of this through marketing. Company B however save money by not recycling. Because Company A recycle, customers who share that value are more likely to deal with that company.
This is seen in the business world in a similar scenario with ‘Marks and Spencer’s’, because they value quality of their food and so overall food tends to be more expensive but because they value quality, this attracts a lot of customers, which allows them to be one of the major leading U.K. supermarkets.
“Marks and Spencer has a formalized ethical supply chain management policy built into company-wide global sourcing policies.” (Sigma, 2001, p, 3)
The norms reflected in a culture are important because the management styles and political games applied will have an effect on how employees will act within the organization. A company with a more democratic approach allows for a more participative approach to business, meaning that if an employee on a lower level wanted to have an input then they would get the chance, but if a company follows a more autocratic approach then this does not allow for creative input from all levels internal to a business.
“By allowing everyone to be a part of the process, this leadership style permits creativity and creative thinking.” (Lalwani, 2011)
Hastings (2007, p. 182)) offers a checklist of factors for effective culture, to incorporate innovation:
- Leadership
- Participation
- Process
- Organizational Alignment
He identifies that “when the process is successful, everyone in the organization understands what the marketing expenditure delivers” (2007, p. 182). But I think that he is being way too short with his checklist, innovation and culture are both complex topics which need much more attention, so if it was myself I would highlight ‘time’ as an important asset to developing and creating an innovative culture.
Reference List
Andriopoulos and Dawson. 2009. Managing Change, Creativity & Innovation. Sage – London.
Media Awareness Network. 2010 [Online] Available from:
http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/issues/stereotyping/women_and_girls/women_beauty.cfm
Accessed on 21/12/2011
Image available from:
http://toys.about.com/od/dolls/ig/Barbie-Pictures/Quintessential-Barbie.htm
Accessed on 21/12/2011
Martin Charter et al. 2001. Supply Chain Strategy and Evolution. Available [Online] from:
http://projectsigma.co.uk/RnDStreams/RD_supply_chain_case.pdf
Image available from:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/apr/08/marks-and-spencer-staff-bonus
Accessed on 21/12/2010
Puja Lalwani. 2011. [Online] Available from:
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/democratic-leadership-style.html
Accessed on 21/12/2011
Hunter Hastings. 2007. Improve Your Marketing to Grow Your Business. Wharton School Publishing. Published in the United States of America.
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