Learning Team Deliverable: Structured Organizational Culture

Learning Team Deliverable
Organizational culture consists of different traditional ways, values, and certain beliefs when setting out the rules for making a decision, power, and formation of a company. The organizational culture focuses more on leadership values. Culture determines the way we as people handle business and also for one’s own success. By having a structured organizational culture, it allows the employees to feel that if they do what is right, they will be rewarded for their actions. The following paragraphs will discuss the impact of leadership and the mores of senior management and how they affect both the culture and the application of power. We as a group have chosen a law firm as the “model” company.
Coercive
Law Partners enjoy reward power since it allows them to control negative repercussions by doing well. Partnerships use reward power to help encourage partners to perform high and meet the firm’s goal. For example, bonuses given at the end of each year could motivate all partners to do well. Reward powers usually benefits all parties involved.
Legitimate Power The most common access to one or more of the power bases is legitimate power. “Legitimate power represents the formal authority to control and use organizational resources based on structural position in the organization.” (Stephen P. Robbins, Timothy A. Judge, 2011) In a law firm, that structure is driven by the board of directors, then to the partners. Those that are lawyers are submissive to the partners in hopes to become one someday themselves. We associate power with hierarchy, so employees infer leaders as powerful and comply when an executive order is placed. Although, legitimate power is the most recognized, having expert power is just as
However, in order for the firm to be successful, the board of directors and partners must possess strong leadership skills, and abide by an even stronger code of ethics when exerting their powers. Leaders of the partnership use their reward and legitimate authority to motivate others, encouraging growth, and further development of skills. Expertise is used to contribute to the growth of the firm, and not used as a ransom for personal gain. In addition, a strong sense of values in leaders of the firm will bring about an atmosphere of respect and trust, thus upper levels of the partnership use reference and personal influence within ethical confines. The use of all power bases for individual gain will not bring about sustainable growth and should be avoided. Furthermore, use of coercion power will create fear and distrust, and if the other powers are also being misused, partnership’s culture can be affected stress, lack of motivation, loss of staff, and corruption, and even