Assessing Organizational Culture - Essay Example
Assessing Organizational Culture 1
Running head: ASSESSING ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE
Assessing Organizational Culture
BADM 6123, Master in Business Administration – Health Care
Southern Nazarene University
Dr. Liesa Persaud
Rick Lawrence
March 31, 2012
Assessing Organizational Culture 2 Almost every organization, whether public or private, on paper or in practice, has a culture that fairly dictates its everyday functioning. The term culture has many definitions but in this discussion it is defined as shared beliefs, values, symbols, and behaviors. Culture binds a workforce together and is its control mechanism, or purpose, to facilitate its functioning. These items are powerful driving forces in the success of an organization and their value to the community they serve whether it is a public or private entity will affect the success of any organization.
While cultures are found in some organizations more prominently than in others, there are those organizations where the culture of that specific organization’s ideal stands out above others. Police departments, military units and religious organizations all have a strong, centralized culture that forms its base and permeates its entire existence. Many times people outside of those professions do not understand the mentality or job commitment a person from one of these career fields shares with his/her co-workers. An example would be the duty and honor commitment of a United State Marine, especially when considered by a person who was anti-military; the Marines belief or core value system is not understood.
The medical profession and more specifically hospitals, demonstrate a common goal that simply stated, is the care and
Running head: ASSESSING ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE
Assessing Organizational Culture
BADM 6123, Master in Business Administration – Health Care
Southern Nazarene University
Dr. Liesa Persaud
Rick Lawrence
March 31, 2012
Assessing Organizational Culture 2 Almost every organization, whether public or private, on paper or in practice, has a culture that fairly dictates its everyday functioning. The term culture has many definitions but in this discussion it is defined as shared beliefs, values, symbols, and behaviors. Culture binds a workforce together and is its control mechanism, or purpose, to facilitate its functioning. These items are powerful driving forces in the success of an organization and their value to the community they serve whether it is a public or private entity will affect the success of any organization.
While cultures are found in some organizations more prominently than in others, there are those organizations where the culture of that specific organization’s ideal stands out above others. Police departments, military units and religious organizations all have a strong, centralized culture that forms its base and permeates its entire existence. Many times people outside of those professions do not understand the mentality or job commitment a person from one of these career fields shares with his/her co-workers. An example would be the duty and honor commitment of a United State Marine, especially when considered by a person who was anti-military; the Marines belief or core value system is not understood.
The medical profession and more specifically hospitals, demonstrate a common goal that simply stated, is the care and