How Culture Affects Productivity
The lunch-hour lecture may be a great idea, but it is not what we have in mind when we say that culture influences productivity. Mozart in the morning does not necessarily mean that five extra tonnes of ore will be produced per employee per shift.
When we speak of the culture of an organization, we refer to the behaviour patterns and standards that bind it together. Some organizational cultures encourage productivity; many do not.
Culture should not be confused with climate. Climate is the short-term mood of an organization. Unlike culture, it is fragile and subject to change.
How Beliefs Affect Culture
An organization ' 's culture encompasses everything it does and everything it makes. That is, it not only affects the manner in which managers manage (and consequently shape employee behaviour), but it also affects the way in which the organization processes its product and provides services to its customers.
Culture is influenced by an organization ' 's beliefs. For example, if we believe, as many managers still do, that the blue-collar worker is capable only of operating a machine, and this belief permeates the company, then the organization is overlooking the possibilities of collaborative goal setting, positive feedback, open dialogue and innovation. A navigator who believes the world is flat will refuse to explore the far horizon for fear of falling off the edge. So too these tradition-bound managers resist exploring new ways to manage. They have been thrust into an authoritarian style of management.
Actions Speak Louder That Words
A company ' 's culture tells the people who work for it what is right and wrong, what to believe, what not to believe, how to react and how to feel. And its actions speak louder than its words.
For example, many companies cite quality as their main goal. But when the production and quality control managers make arrangements to increase the speed of the manufacturing line while reducing the quality tolerance
When we speak of the culture of an organization, we refer to the behaviour patterns and standards that bind it together. Some organizational cultures encourage productivity; many do not.
Culture should not be confused with climate. Climate is the short-term mood of an organization. Unlike culture, it is fragile and subject to change.
How Beliefs Affect Culture
An organization ' 's culture encompasses everything it does and everything it makes. That is, it not only affects the manner in which managers manage (and consequently shape employee behaviour), but it also affects the way in which the organization processes its product and provides services to its customers.
Culture is influenced by an organization ' 's beliefs. For example, if we believe, as many managers still do, that the blue-collar worker is capable only of operating a machine, and this belief permeates the company, then the organization is overlooking the possibilities of collaborative goal setting, positive feedback, open dialogue and innovation. A navigator who believes the world is flat will refuse to explore the far horizon for fear of falling off the edge. So too these tradition-bound managers resist exploring new ways to manage. They have been thrust into an authoritarian style of management.
Actions Speak Louder That Words
A company ' 's culture tells the people who work for it what is right and wrong, what to believe, what not to believe, how to react and how to feel. And its actions speak louder than its words.
For example, many companies cite quality as their main goal. But when the production and quality control managers make arrangements to increase the speed of the manufacturing line while reducing the quality tolerance