Organisational Culture: Interconnectivity of Subcultures in Dynamic Environments.

University of New England

Graduate School of Business

GSB 656 Methods in Organisational Research

Trimester 1, 2010

Assignment 3

Draft Research Proposal

Organisational Culture: Interconnectivity of subcultures in dynamic environments.

Due Date: Monday 19 April 2010

Student Name: Nathan Post

Student Number: 98072167

Assignment Word Count: 3,687

Table of Contents

1. Introduction

1. Research proposal summary
2. General background of the study
3. Purpose of the study and aims
4. Delimitations and limitations
5. Guiding questions
6. Significance of the study

1. Methodology

1. Theoretical framework
2. Type of design and assumptions
3. Data collection strategies
4. Data analysis strategies
5. Methods of achieving validity
6. Ethical-legal issues

1. Management plan, timeline and feasibility
2. Conclusion
3. Bibliography

        This draft research proposal aims to determine to what extent organisation culture and organisation subculture interconnect when organisations, during an economic downturn, move from a stable environment to a dynamic environment.  

The researcher will investigate Joanne Martin’s (1992) model of cultures and subcultures and will reconsider the developed theory that distinguishes conceptualisations of organisational cultures when exposed to change in the business environment. Joanne Martin (1992) establishes a distinction between culture and subculture, and, identifies organisational culture as either integrated, differentiated or fragmented. Fragmented culture is defined as ambiguous and open to interpretation by its members. Integrated culture is cohesive and unitary while a differentiated culture is characterised by being a collection of subcultures. These distinctions imply that an integrated culture precludes differentiated subcultures and that subcultures preclude an integrated culture, or that an organisation may either have a single culture with no subcultures, or subcultures without an overall organisational culture. This typology does not consider that there may be an assimilation, or, collaboration of subcultures to the overall organisation culture. Through the application of Edgar Schein’s (1988) model of pivotal and peripheral core values, an ethnographic study will explore the interconnectivity between core values of subculture members with a strong organisational culture in a dynamic business environment. Pivotal values are central to an organizations functioning; members are required to adopt and adhere to the behavioural norms derived from these values, and, are typically rejected from the organisation if they do not. Peripheral values are desired but are not believed by members to be essential to an organisations functioning. Members are encouraged to accept peripheral values, but can reject them and still function fully as members.