MN7181-People and Organisations

Organizational Culture

What is organizational culture?

Organizational culture can be describes as a set of beliefs, values, ethics and traditions that governs and rules the working environment and the employees of an organization. Organizational cultures differ from company to company; therefore, it can viewed as something unique to a certain organization. Organizational culture usually defines the limits, guidelines and the scope for the people working for the organization for their functions and activities, and most of the time, the most important thing about organizational culture is that it is more implied that pronounced, and can be considered as a set of terms and conditions that developed and nurtured during a long period of time with contribution of employees and employers alike.

Organizational culture can be viewed as a combined output that is derived from the following aspects that is related to the people and the environment of an organization.

·         Human nature - The attitude and the intentions of the people working in the organization, their relationships with external parties, customer and supplier relationships etc.

·         Organization’s relationship to its environment – This refers to the ability of the corporate vision of the company to define, secure and emphasis its goals and objectives

·         Appropriate emotions – Which emotions should the employees be encouraged to express and what type of vibration is appreciated and encouraged within the organizational environment

·         Effectiveness - An organization will be effective only when the culture is supported by an appropriate business strategy and a structure that is appropriate for both the business and the desired culture.

Maintaining and sustaining the organization culture can be considered quite a tactful task, since its maintenance will have major impact on the performance of the employees and the stability of the work environment

The task of the HR in this matter is a highly important and crucial one, and the following areas can be considered as the aspects that should be focused by the HR when it comes to the context of organizational culture;

·         Hiring practices

·         Onboarding programmes for familiarization

·         Reward and recognition programmes

·         Performance management programmes

·         Conducting and maintaining employee focus groups

·         Maintaining and encouraging effective and healthy communication patterns 

Whereas the right HR practices regarding organizational culture can bring about a positive impact, trying to impulsively change any ongoing practices and or/ implementing practices that is not in alignment with the organizational culture can destroy the peacefulness and the productivity of the work environment.

References

Organizational Culture [online]

Available from:  https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/pages/organizational-culture.aspx [Accessed: 08^th January 2020]

Organizational Culture [online]

Available from: https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-organizational-culture-definition-characteristics.html [Accessed: 08^th January 2020]