Organizational culture

About: Organizational culture is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 31507 publications have been published within this topic receiving 926787 citations. The topic is also known as: corporate culture & organisational culture.

The Economics of Business Culture: Game Theory, Transaction Costs, and Economic Performance

Abstract: This book is an analysis of the economic effects of culture. It demonstrates how these effects can be analysed in a rigorous fashion. The cultural environment influences decision-making through both moral values and fundamental beliefs. These values are developed principally within religious, ethnic, and national groupings and seem to exert a major influence on the economic performance of these groups. The economic analysis of culture should therefore be able to shed light on a wide variety of contemporary social and business problems. The author argues that the gains from technology in modern societies can be offset by high costs if the moral dimension is missing. Overall economic performance depends on transaction costs, and these mainly reflect the level of trust in the economy. The level of trust depends in turn on culture. An effective culture has a strong moral content. Morality can overcome problems that formal procedures - based on monitoring compicance with contracts - cannot. A strong culture therefore reduces transaction costs and enhances performance - the success of an economy depends on the quality of its culture.

The Impact of Workplace Support on Work-Family Role Strain

Abstract: Work-family research has demonstrated that a significant proportion of employed parents experience some or a great deal of difficulty coordinating employment and family demands (see review by Friedman, 1987; Hughes & Galinsky, 1988). Coordinating employment and family life appears to be particularly difficult for employed mothers with preschool age children. When compared with employed mothers of older children, employed mothers with younger children are more likely to experience greater work-family interference (Hughes & Galinsky, 1988). In addition, employed mothers of preschoolers have been found to report significantly greater work-family role strain and more health-related symptoms than their male counterparts (Greenberger, Goldberg, Hamill, O'Neil, & Payne, 1983). Research attention has been directed to ways of coping with work-family difficulties; however, such research typically focuses on how individuals and families manipulate employment and family demands in an attempt to create patterns of relationships and activities that are manageable (see reviews by Hansen, 1991; Menaghan & Parcel, 1990). Although these types of coping strategies may be effective in helping employed parents balance employment and family roles, such solutions have been considered "unsatisfying," as they fail to fully address the complete nature of the difficulties (Menaghan & Parcel, 1930,p. 1089). Instead of focusing exclusively on what individuals and families can do to cope with employment and family life, increasing attention is being directed to the role that the workplace can play in generating solutions to work-family difficulties. This area of research seeks to answer the question, "What can the workplace do to facilitate the integration of employment and family life for employed parents?" LITERATURE REVIEW Although no integrated theory of work-family relationships exists (Voydanoff, 1989), Kelly and Voydanoff (1985) propose an inductive model of work-family role strain that acknowledges "multiple levels of social structure and process" (p. 368). According to the model, work-family role strain is the result of the combined influence of demands and coping resources derived from individual, family, and work-related sources. The authors posit that, whereas the cumulative demands of multiple roles can result in role strain, available resources may prevent or reduce role strain by enabling individuals to cope with these demands. Empirical investigations of work-family outcomes have typically focused on individual, family, and work-related sources of demands (cf. Voydanoff, 1987), as well as individual and family sources of coping resources (see reviews by Hansen, 1991; Menaghan & Parcel, 1990). Although the potential benefits of various work-related coping resources have been discussed, few studies have analyzed the influence of this type of resource on work-family role strain or have simultaneously identified demands and coping resources from the work setting. The review that follows identifies previous research on work-related sources of coping resources and demands that may combine to influence perceived levels of work-family role strain. Work-Related coping Resources Emerging literature on workplace support proposes that workplaces can play an important role in assisting employees with the coordination of employment and family roles (Bowen, 1988; Kamerman & Kahn, 1987; McCroskey, 1982; Voydanoff, 1987). Discussions of supportive or "family-friendly" workplaces typically focus on three types of coping resources that may be valuable to employees: (a) family-friendly organizational culture, (b) supportive supervisory practices, and (c) available family-oriented benefits. Organizational culture. Organizational culture refers to the philosophy or set of expectations or beliefs characteristic of the business organization. The classification of an organization's culture as family friendly implies that its over-arching philosophy or belief structure is sensitive to the family needs of its employees and is supportive of employees who are combining paid work and family roles. …

The effects of organizational culture and climate on the access to mental health care in child welfare and juvenile justice systems.

Abstract: This study examined the effects of organizational culture and climate on the access to mental health care for 588 children referred to child welfare and juvenile justice systems in 21 Tennessee urban and rural counties. Cross-level, hierarchical linear models (HLM) analyses indicated that children served by child welfare and juvenile justice case management units with constructive organizational cultures were more likely to receive the needed mental health care. For example, controlling for the child’s need for mental health care and other child and family characteristics, the odds of a child receiving mental health care in a case management unit with the most constructive culture were 11 times the odds of receiving mental health care in a unit with the least constructive culture. Constructive cultures were characterized by organizational norms and expectations that case managers would be mutually supportive, develop their individual abilities, maintain positive interpersonal relationships, and be motivated to succeed. These findings suggest that efforts to improve access to mental health care for children referred to child welfare and juvenile systems should include the development of constructive organizational cultures in case management units responsible for the children’s care.

The Six Secrets of Change: What the Best Leaders Do to Help Their Organizations Survive and Thrive

Abstract: The Six Secrets of Change: What the Best Leaders Do to Help Their Organizations Survive and Thrive Fullan, M. (2008). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass The Six Secrets of Change describes lessons that seem simple. However, often leaders find them difficult to grasp. Michael Fullan strives to provide real-life examples of these secrets through organizational practices. He exemplifies organizational behaviors in which implementation has been successful and where attempts have failed. Using examples, Fullan offers a blueprint that organizational leaders can use to guide their action towards effective and long lasting changes that ultimately will improve organizational culture and efficiency. Michael Fullan is a well-known, prolific author of literature about change. He has served as the Dean of the Faculty of Education at the University of Toronto and, currently, he serves as a consultant in many major education initiatives around the world. This book, like much of his work, is based on research drawn from public and private businesses and educational organizations. Fullan dedicates significant space in the book's introduction to the idea of having a theory to guide the creation of organizational change rather than relying on a hard and fast plan. In fact, Fullan takes the opportunity to remind us that a theory should make sense of the real world and should be tested. Moreover, a good theory should be applicable across sectors of public and private organizations. By focusing on this concept, Fullan lets the reader know that the ideas presented in his book are not pieces of advice to be implemented immediately. Instead, they should be studied diligently and then considered as a foundation for successful change before creating an action plan. Fullan refers to his six secrets of change as a "theory of action" (p. 8). The theory of the six secrets can be used to create action plans to stimulate appropriate and effective organizational change. The six secrets are heavily nuanced. Perhaps this is why Fullan calls them secrets, because their meaning can be missed if leaders fail to look deeply into the underlying theory. Each of Fullan's six secrets of change relates to the others in important ways. They rely on each other in order to create effective and efficient organizations. Because the secrets are interrelated, each is discussed in its own chapter. In this review the secrets are discussed separately although common themes connect them. As the secrets are discussed, the first author shares examples from her own work in the public school system in order to illustrate situations where the secrets have been applied. The limitations to these secrets and some cautions against their misapplication will also be presented. Secret One: Love Your Employees Secret One is advice that appears simple and reasonable and almost seems unnecessary. Ostensibly, it would already be at the forefront of every organizational leader's mind. However, this secret is not often implemented as intended by Fullan. There may be a consensus that the customer or the student should be the focus of all activities in the organization. Unfortunately, this may occur at the expense of employees' fulfillment and happiness. Fullan indicates that there should be a symbiotic relationship between the two groups and that the relationship with the employee should not be sacrificed for the happiness of the customer. He contends that all of the stakeholders in an organization should be recognized as vital and be considered as equally important. Secret One helps leaders identify strategies that will motivate employees to find meaning while also pursuing the goals of the organization. The education initiatives that many state governments have implemented to improve student achievement is a relevant example of Secret One. The underlying premise of these initiatives is that all children will be successful; it is assumed that teachers will do everything necessary to help students achieve success. …

The Effect of Institutional Culture on Change Strategies in Higher Education

Abstract: The array of challenges that higher education faces today is virtually unparalleled when compared to any other point in U.S. history. The litany of changes is familiar to those in the field of higher education: financial pressure, growth in technology, changing faculty roles, public scrutiny, changing demographics, competing values, and the rapid rate of change in the world both within and beyond our national boarders. The changes many institutions face have accelerated beyond tinkering; more campuses each year attempt to create comprehensive (or transformational) change. Yet, change strategies have not been exceedingly helpful in their capacity to guide institutions, and we know even less about how to facilitate major, institutionwide change. The current change literature in higher education provides mostly generalized strategies about what is effective: a willing president or strong leadership, a collaborative process, or providing rewards (Roberts, Wren, & Adam, 1993; Taylor & Koch, 1996). This broad writing may mask information helpful to advance institutional change on a specific campus. “Achieving buy-in” or “communicating effectively” can seem very empty to institutional leaders and higher education scholars. Can this strategy be used at every institution and in the same way? The assumptions behind this approach are that each strategy is enacted similarly on each campus and that nuance and context do not much matter. Broad change strategies are presented as uniform, universal, and applicable.