What is Organizational Culture?
Organizational culture is an expression of human interactions and the artefacts that result from those interactions.
Therefore, culture is an expression of the story unfolding (C-suite through managers to the employees) and enfolding (employees through managers to the C-suite) among people as they experience organization transition.
Explaining organization culture is like explaining air to a child.
Everyday organizational culture influences organization transition just as organization transition influences organizational culture. You cannot have one without the other. However, it is through cultural assessment the type and anticipated outcome of how people will work together is identified and used to help everyone work well together in the transition.
If organizational culture can be studied, then organization transition can be guided.
Staff Engagement, Manager Involvement
9 Relevant Insights
1. Organizational culture is about shared beliefs and assumptions coupled with opinions and perceptions that bind mission, vision and values together.
2. Organizational culture is about the consequence of the organization’s prior experience and applied learning.
3. Organizational culture frames continuing capacity for personal, group/team and organization learning-for-action.
4. Organizational culture shapes the work and lives of those involved in the organization. Often, those who fit in, stay; those who do not, agitate or leave.
5. Organizational culture is what people will define as customary.
6. Organizational culture helps employees make sense of the symbols and events in organization.
7. Organizational culture is generated through collective activity not at the hands of manager-leaders.
8. Organizational culture exists in consensus, where those involved foster the development of meaningful pattern recognition.
9. Organizational culture permeates, fills in
There is no centre to culture.
