1. Future Trends and Directions
What do you feel are current trends in studying, creating or changing
organizational culture?
The global economy that we now work in drives change in
organizational culture. The days of "this is how we've always done it"
are virtually over if a business wants to compete and/or be
profitable. Organizational culture is changing as the current generation
retires and the millennials enter the workforce. I know someone that
works at one of the world's largest wine and spirits companies. She
recently told me that they have incorporated new manager training on
how to manage millennials. She said that the culture is changing and
they now have to learn to manage individuals that may have a very
different work ethic than they were accustomed to as well as ever-
changing attitudes. Therefore, I believe that as the generations change,
workplace culture will change. Additionally, the workplace is now more
diverse. Leaders have to understand that in the changing organizational
culture, everyone will not look or behave like that leader. Nonetheless,
the multicultural groups have to develop trust for one another in order
for the group to work harmoniously together (Schein, 2010). Leaders
have to know how to navigate such groups and understand that
subcultures, microcultures and macrocultures will also form. As
organizational change continues to occur, "leaders .. need... the insight
and skill to help the organization evolve into whatever will make it most
effective in the future" (Schein, 2010, p.375). Without studying
organizational culture, leaders cannot help the organization evolve as the
leader will not know what needs to change or that change is needed.
Cultural trending organizations are hiring more mature workers than
younger workers. I believe this trend has to be studied as well.

2. There are cases where younger individuals are placed in leadership
positions. How does the young leader manage the mature worker?
I have had some of the more mature workers in my previous
departments in industry tell me not to be like them. Some employees
think and say that the baby-boomer culture are set in their ways and are
too old to change. An unskillful leader might not know how to handle
this kind of worker.
Another trend of the changing organizational culture is when mergers
and acquisitions take place. Companies that buy other companies could
impose their culture on the new company. Then, one day the company
that was bought by a foreign company will have a culture conflict.
Thousands of people will be let go while others will just leave the
company. A study needed to be done to see how to merge the very
different cultures of the two companies and countries. Without doing
such a study, the cultures could sharply clash causing great financial ruin
(Schein, 2010).
Do you feel "learning organizations" (which promote a learning
culture) are the wave of the future?
o If so, why?
o If not, why not?
I do believe learning organizations are the wave of the future. I recently
went to a workshop on social learning. There were many companies
both large and small represented at the workshop. Many people there
talked about how they had recently formed corporate universities at their
respective companies and all the hard work that was done to form a
"learning organization". Attendees also discussed how it took lots of
hard work and change management to get employees to think with a
learning mindset. Because the leaders were committed to learning,
employees eventually adapted to the new learning culture.

3. In current trending departments are learning cultures. Leaders need to
work toward helping the companies to become a learning organization.
Additionally, technology is constantly changing, so we have to keep
abreast of technological changes. As we learn, we are able to be
"proactive problem solvers" (Schein, 2010) which allows us to design
creative ways to complete projects. I have found that organizations are
studying various ways to create learning organizations, through blended
learning, gamification, more virtual and online learning and social
learning. Change is the only constant, so companies must eventually
adapt to being/becoming a "learning organization" in order to compete
in this global economy.
References
Schein, E. (2010). Organizational Culture and Leadership. (4 ed.). San
Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.