Understanding & Changing Organizational Culture

• Organization culture

• What it is

• How it works

• How to change it….maybe

Popular cartoons are often blunt about what is seen in some organizational cultures

• What is culture?• What are the organizational indications of culture?• How might you “diagnose” the health of a culture?• How is organizational culture formed?• How can culture be changed?

Societal Culture“Who we are,” customs

Organizational Culture“The way we do things here”

Team NormsWhat’s (un)acceptable;

“This is what we do”

Individual PersonalityValues, beliefs,

temperament, habits; “Who I am”

Levels of Change

The Culture Iceberg: 90% hidden

Values, beliefs, norms, customs, nonverbal behavior, etc.

Level of conscious awareness

Observable symbols, ceremonies, slogans, stories, dress, physical settings, decoration, etc.

Shorter, easier to change

Long term, difficult to

change

Assessment of Corporate Culture (Schein):An anthropological approach

Culture

Norms• Expected Behavior• Standards• Chain of command• Wardrobe

Folkways• Customs• Unconscious acts• Shaking hands• Arriving early

Mores• Subclass of folkways• important to survival• right-wrong behavior• cheating on expenses

Languages• Jargon • terminology

Symbols• Events & things with special & deeply held meanings• large office with window• seating close to CEO

Ceremonies & Rites• Elaborate, planned events to celebrate values• often dramatic in nature• reinforce specific values• create bond of common understanding• anoint cultural heroes & heroines

Myths• Frequently told stories• Based on true or imaginary events• shared & told to newcomers

Heroes & Heroines• Personify values• create role models• intuitive & visionary• ethic of creation not competition• success attainable• symbolize company• standard of performance• motivate employees

Survey/Data Feedback

• Identify area of concern & associated beliefs & behaviors

• Involve system in survey selection or construction

• Gather data

• Analyze data to contrast practice and beliefs

• Present to OD group

• Use Reflective Learning Model to

• identify discrepancies

• explore interpretations

• consider interventions

• Implement & evaluate

Denison Organizational Culture Survey

Assessment of dimensions provides feedback on strengths, weaknesses, and implications for change

Force-Field Analysis for achieving a culture that promotes patient/client self-care in a general practice

Don’t push the drivers…

…reduce the barriers!

Team discussion

1. Describe the artifacts of a work culture with which you are very familiar

2. What are the underlying values and culture that these artifacts represent?

3. What are the strengths and weaknesses of this culture?

4. Is there a gap between where the organization is and where it would like to be?

5. If you were to attempt culture change, how would you go about it?

Now the hard stuff… (culture change)

• Requires a “damn good reason!” to change

• Gap analysis is an important (if not essential) motivator

• Culture almost always wins over strategy

• Remove barriers, don’t push the river

• There are usually “revenge effects” (unexpected consequences)

• It takes time (4-7 years)

The following slides are only examples of various approaches to describing culture

Approaches to Understanding Organizational Culture

• Deal & Kennedy’s Corporate Culture• Kilmann Saxton Culture Gap Survey• Denison Organization Culture Survey• Sonnenfeld & Peiperl’s Four Cultures• Reimann & Weiner’s Shared Values Model• Schein’s Qualitative Assessment• Hofstede’s dimensions of Culture

Sample Culture Change Retreat

Kilmann-Saxton Culture-Gap Survey(actual vs. desired norms)

TaskInnovation

Task Support

PersonalFreedom

SocialRelations

HumanConcerns

Technical Concerns

ShortTerm

LongTerm

A Minus (-) score (unfilled bar) is a significant culture gap & indicates a desire for less of something. An unfilled bar can be a cultural barrier to organization success

+ Improvement with greater task support (share information & help others)

- Performance and morale improve with change toward less task support

+ improvement with social relationships (participate, get to know people)

+ increase personal freedom (more discretion in following rules)

- performance/morale improve with decrease in personal freedom (live for organization & its values)

- performance and morale improve with less task innovation

+ more improvement with increased task innovation (make changes, encourage creativity)

- improvement with decrease in social relations (don’t socialize as much)

Schneider Culture Model

Cameron & Quinn Model of Culture

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