Organizational Behavior

As organizations evolve over time, they face the challenges of integrating individuals into an effective whole, and adapting effectively to the external environment in order to survive. As groups find solutions to these problems, they engage in a kind of collective learning that creates the set of shared understanding, assumptions, and beliefs known as culture. During the process of forming groups and entire organizations, various cultural manifestations take place such as cultural forms, formal and informal practices, and content themes.

Rituals are common in most organizations, which signify the collective interpersonal behavior and values as demonstrated by that behavior. Rituals can come many shapes, from various repeated events such as staff meetings, awards and promotion ceremonies. These rituals server the purpose of reinforcing one or more underlying values each time they are performed (Shafritz, Ott, & Jang, 2011, p. 368). For example, U.S. Navy Sailors partake in numerous rituals to include, morning and evening flag ceremonies, daily muster instruction and inspection, well orchestrated production and quality control meetings, awards quarters, and promotion ceremonies. The reinforced value in Navy rituals is to reinforce the Navy's desired core values of honor, courage, and commitment. Another cultural form which is widely discussed throughout the military is their frequent use of jargon, which is often contains specific branch of service slang and acronyms for long military terms. For example, terms like scuttlebutt and geedunk are used to identify rumors and candy. The longer a Sailor has been serving, the more jargon they use in their everyday language, which is oftentimes is so outlandish, that newcomers or anyone outside the organization cannot comprehend what they are saying. Once newcomers learn to understand and military jargon, they are generally more accepted and feel a part of a unique team. Sea stories are another way military members relate internal values to junior Sailors. Senior leaders are full of sea stories that they enjoy sharing with junior Sailors that often end with the morale being to take care of their shipmate. Although most stories are true, the person telling the story often was never in that situation, but they adopt the story as their own personal experience.

Formal practices that influence culture include rules, procedures, reporting structures, and financial controls which are published, written, and controlled by senior leadership as a means to display and enforce the organizations desired values. The U.S. Navy has a directive, instruction, or policy that governs just about everything from how one should behave on liberty to equal opportunity guidance. If something is not covered