Defining the Components of Organizational Culture

Abstract

This paper will first look at the different parts of what is considered to be organizational culture. I will discuss the different components or categories of organizational culture. Next we will look at models of organizational culture and which organizational model would be most like the TUIU model. Then we’ll look at organizational change and how some organizations can make changes easier than others and what type of organizations must implement changes at a slower pace. And finally we look at the line of thinking that we have been studying with regards to looking at organizations as a machine, an organism, a brain and now as a culture.

Keywords: organizational culture, change, component, model, metaphor.

Introduction

This paper is going to start off by defining organizational culture. It will look at the different parts that make up a corporate culture and ways in which those cultures change and are reshaped. In looking at these parts we’ll look specifically at the Denison Cultural Inventory and how it breaks down the different parts of a culture. Next it will look at the different models that are studied and which one fits the model used by TUIU and what some of the advantages and disadvantages are of these different models. It will briefly look at change within an organization and the need for that change to be managed in order to keep the organizational culture healthy. And finally it will look at the line of thinking that has been in each module so far which is how looking at organizational culture as a metaphors like the previous modules where we used the metaphors of an organization as a machine, as an organism and as a brain.

Defining the Components of Organizational Culture

Organizational culture is most similar to what we think of as a personality is to a person. Culture is made up of the assumptions, values, norms and tangible signs of organization members and their behaviors (McNamara, 2000). The Denison Cultural Inventory breaks the parts down into six different components. These components are teamwork-conflict, climate-morale, information flow, involvement, supervision, and meetings (Glaser, Hacker and Zamanou, 1987).

The definitions of these components or categories will show what each consists of. Each can have it’s own effect on organizational culture. The first component, involvement, is defined as reported input and participation in decision making; respondents feel that their thoughts and ideas count and are encouraged by top management to offer opinions and suggestions (Glaser, Hacker and Zamanou, 1987). Denison (N.D.) goes on to say that in a successful organizational culture, involvement will clarify those areas where employees can make decisions, have input, or those