Organizational Studies and Culture
Culture is an integral part of life. Organizational culture is the personality of any firm, co-operation, company or any kind of a business. Culture is that kind of a term which is extremely difficult to express distinctly, but everyone knows it when they sense it or have some sort of experience with it. On the other hand it can be a common perception of the members of an organization.
Ways of looking at organizational culture originally come out of anthropology. Here are some aspects of culture:
· Historical: Culture is social heritage, or tradition, that is passed on to future generations
· Behavioral: Culture is shared, learned human behavior, a way of life
· Normative: Culture is ideals, values, or rules for living
· Functional: Culture is the way people solve problems of adapting to the environment and living together
· Mental: Culture is a complex of ideas, or learned habits, for social control
· Structural: Culture consists of patterned and interrelated ideas, symbols, or behaviors
· Symbolic: Culture is based on arbitrarily assigned meanings that are shared by an organization. Adapted from Bodley, (1996)
The Hewlett-Packard [HP] video featured in the lecture, pictures that Hewlett-Packard practices a highly innovative style of management known as the HP Way. The HP Way follows an extremely open and informal corporate culture. In track with this the company has developed a matrix style of organization rather than a formal pyramid management structure which is highly common among many companies around the globe.
Basically, HP follows the "Culture has" concept i.e.
The HP management uses a variety of strategies and practices that helps them grip control over its culture. The prominent one is the MBWA [Management by Wondering Around].
HP follows a very simple, relaxed and a laidback attitude i.e. an informal culture. Here the managers and employees work together, there is no particular or separate place for managers, and they work with open
Ways of looking at organizational culture originally come out of anthropology. Here are some aspects of culture:
· Historical: Culture is social heritage, or tradition, that is passed on to future generations
· Behavioral: Culture is shared, learned human behavior, a way of life
· Normative: Culture is ideals, values, or rules for living
· Functional: Culture is the way people solve problems of adapting to the environment and living together
· Mental: Culture is a complex of ideas, or learned habits, for social control
· Structural: Culture consists of patterned and interrelated ideas, symbols, or behaviors
· Symbolic: Culture is based on arbitrarily assigned meanings that are shared by an organization. Adapted from Bodley, (1996)
The Hewlett-Packard [HP] video featured in the lecture, pictures that Hewlett-Packard practices a highly innovative style of management known as the HP Way. The HP Way follows an extremely open and informal corporate culture. In track with this the company has developed a matrix style of organization rather than a formal pyramid management structure which is highly common among many companies around the globe.
Basically, HP follows the "Culture has" concept i.e.
The HP management uses a variety of strategies and practices that helps them grip control over its culture. The prominent one is the MBWA [Management by Wondering Around].
HP follows a very simple, relaxed and a laidback attitude i.e. an informal culture. Here the managers and employees work together, there is no particular or separate place for managers, and they work with open
Bibliography: · Bodley, J. (1996) Cultural Anthropology: Tribes, States, and the Global System. Mountain View, CA: Mayfield Read more: http://www.ukessays.co.uk/essays/management/aspects-of-organizational-culture.php#ixzz2baHmoTxC