Culture encompasses the values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviour of an organisation. Culture is how things get done in organisations. It is an intangible asset and a specific collection of values and norms that are shared by people and groups in an organization and that control the way they interact with each other and with stakeholders outside the organization. Here, organizational values are beliefs and ideas, about, what kinds of goals members of an organization should pursue and the appropriate kinds or standards of behavior organizational members should use to achieve these goals.
From organizational values develops organizational norms, guidelines or expectations that prescribe appropriate kinds of behavior by employees in particular situations and control the behavior of organizational members towards one another. Culture as learning ‘A pattern of shared basic assumptions that a group learned as it solved it problems of basic adaptation and integration that has worked well enough to be considered valid and therefore to be taught to new members as the best way to percieve , think and feel in relation to those problems’ It is also a well-known factthat an organisation’s culture shapes its learning orientation. It is therefore important to understand the cultural aspects of the organisation. Organisation culture as an important determinant of organisation sucess: Organizational culture is possibly the most critical factor determining an organization’s capacity, effectiveness, and longevity. It also contributes significantly to the organization’s brand image and brand promise. Organizational Culture creates energy and momentum. The energy will permeate the organization and create a new momentum for success.
The above-mentioned relevance of organizational culture supports the proposition that, in this competitive and globalized corporate scenario, there is huge need of organizational development strategy at various workforce departments, as this can improve the company’s culture. Commonly used dimensions: OC refers to a set of some commonly experienced stable characteristics of an organization which constitutes the uniqueness of that organization and differentiates it from other. Some of these common dimensions are listed below: )Individual Autonomy: This refers to the individual’s freedom to exercise his or her responsibility. In other words, individual autonomy is the degree to which employees are free to manage themselves; to have considerable decision making power; and not to be continually accountable to higher management. 2)Position Structure: This refers to the extent of direct supervision, formalizations and centralization in an organization. In other words, position structure is the degree to which objectives of the job and methods for accomplishing it are established and communicated to the individual by supervisors. )
Reward Orientation: This refers to the degree to which an organization rewards individuals for hard work or achievement. An organization which orients people to perform better and rewards them for doing so, will have an OC characterized by high reward orientation. 4)Consideration, Warmth and Support: This refers to the extent of stimulation and support received by an individual from other organization members. In other words, if there is a sense of team spirit among the members of an organization, the OC is likely to be perceived as considerate, warm and supportive. )Conflict: This refers to the extent to conflict present between individuals and the willingness to be honest and open about interpersonal differences. 6)Progressiveness and Development: This aspect refers to the degree to which organization conditions foster the development of the employees, allow scope for growth and application of new ideas methods. 7)Risk Taking: The degree to which an individual feels free to try out new ideas and otherwise take risks without fears of reprisal, ridicule or other form of punishments, indicate the risk-taking dimension of OC.
This dimension is akin to “cautious” versus “venturesome” quality of an organization. 8)Control: This dimension refers to the degree to which control over the behavior of organizational members is formalized. In a highly bureaucratic organization, control systems are well defined. In a low- control organization, most of the controls are self-regulated, i. e. , individuals monitor their own behavior. You can think of this dimension as “tightness” versus “looseness” of an organization.
