What is Organizational Culture

What is Organizational Culture?

Organizational culture is a common phrase that one encounters in the business world. Organizational culture is not tangible. It can be best understood by studying the behavior, the attitudes, the values and belief system of the employees. It characterizes and colors our perception of the business entity. Any employee however efficient will be a misfit if he is unable to adapt himself to the work culture. Organizations are laying emphasis on culture since growth and success depends on the kind of culture prevalent in the company. Do employees feel threatened or cherished, is there a desire to work and grow, do they want to evolve as a group or go their separate ways? These questions can be answered by a careful examination of the organizational culture.

Understanding Organizational Culture

Do employees feel secure as far their job is concerned ? Is the management perceived as a hard taskmaster? Answering these questions can help us appreciate the culture of an organization. Some organizations encourage employees to start at the base and work towards the top. Such organizations are characterized by the presence of a large number of employees who have been with the company for many years. In these organizations seniority plays a very important role and job security is somewhat guaranteed. The culture encourages working and growing together as a family.In some organizations people work for a short period of time before quitting for good. The managers are perceived as hard taskmasters. The employees are expected to adhere to strict deadlines. "All work and no play" is the culture of such organizations. Naturally interaction among employees is also limited. The work place may not be very friendly or comfortable. There may be stiff competition and people would try to deliver their best. Moreover people may burn out because of stress.

The outlook of the people in the organization would also reflect the organizational culture. Are people open to change and experiment? Do they have dogmatic convictions? Are they willing to reinvent themselves? Answering there questions would again help in assessing the organizational culture. Companies that prefer to stick to old values provide a semblance of comfort to the employees. Such companies may however stifle creativity and growth by discouraging people from experimenting. A culture that fosters a sense of unity might result in judging people harshly in case they are unable to adapt themselves to the rigid environment. Interaction between the management and the employees would also be in conformity with rules and regulations. In fact the dress code would also provide valuable hints about the organizational culture.

Organizational culture can also be understood from the dealings of an organization with the external world. Does the organization guarantee prompt delivery to the customer? Does it promise regular payments to the supplier? These questions if answered can provide valuable clues that might help understand the organizational culture. An organization which can provide an affirmative answer to the above queries is most likely a company where people stick to deadlines. Work is taken seriously and work, earn and reinvest are a part of the organizational culture. Whether this organization is one that encourages personal growth or whether the job is so demanding that people quit, would again depend on the answers to the first 2 questions.

This write up is meant to provide a few guidelines that might be helpful in assessing the culture of an organization. In addition to these questions a number of other queries need to be answered before understanding the culture of an organization.