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Organization Culture

Within every formal organization of prescribed jobs and structural relationships lies an informal organization of unofficial rules, procedures and interconnections. This informal organization arises as employees make spontaneous, unauthorized changes in the way things are done. As these adjustments shape and change the formal way of doing things a culture of attitudes and understandings emerges that is shared among coworkers. This culture is a pattern of basic assumptions, discovered or developed to cope with problems of external adaptation and internal integration - that has worked well enough to be considered valid and therefore to be taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think and feel in relation to those problems.

An organization's culture is thus an informal shared way of perceiving life and membership in the organization that binds members together and influences what they think about themselves and their work.

In the process of helping to create a mutual understanding of organizational life, organizational culture fulfills four basic functions. First, it gives members an organizational identity. Sharing norms, values and perceptions gives people a sense of togetherness that helps promote a feeling of common purpose. Second, it facilitates collective commitment. The common purpose that grows out of a shared culture tends to elicit strong commitment from all those who accept the culture as their own. Third, it promotes organizational stability; By nurturing a shared sense of identity and commitment, culture encourages lasting integration and cooperation among the members of an organization. Fourth, it shapes behavior by helping members make sense of their surroundings. An organization's culture serves as a source of shared meanings to explain why things occur the way they do. By performing these four basic functions, the culture of an organization serves as a sort of social glue that helps reinforce persistent, coordinated behaviors at work.

In Sum

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The End