The document discusses organizational culture, defining it as including expectations, philosophy, values, self-image, interactions, and future expectations expressed through behaviors and shared attitudes, beliefs, rules and habits. Culture also includes an organization's vision, values, norms, systems, symbols, language, assumptions and habits. Simply put, organizational culture is "the way things are done around here." The document then profiles different types of organizational cultures like innovative, aggressive, outcome-oriented, stable, people-oriented, team-oriented and detail-oriented cultures. It also lists qualities of a great culture like alignment, appreciation, trust, performance, resilience, teamwork, integrity, innovation and psychological safety. Finally, it provides examples of Google's culture
2. DEFINITION
Organizational culture includes an organization’s
expectations, experiences, philosophy, as well as the
values that guide member behavior, and is expressed in
member self-image, inner workings, interactions with the
outside world, and future expectations. Culture is based
on shared attitudes, beliefs, customs, written and
unwritten rules that have been developed over time and
are considered valid (The Business Dictionary).
Culture also includes the organization’s vision, values,
norms, systems, symbols, language, assumptions, beliefs,
and habits (Needle, 2004).
Simply stated, organizational culture is “the way things
are done around here” (Deal & Kennedy, 2000).
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4. ORGANIZATION CULTURE PROFILE
INNOVATIVE CULTURES - companies that have innovative cultures are
flexible and adaptable, and experiment with new ideas. These
companies are characterized by a flat hierarchy in which titles and
other status distinctions tend to be downplayed.
AGGRESSIVE CULTURES - companies with aggressive cultures value
competitiveness and outperforming competitors.
OUTCOME-ORIENTED CULTURES – companies that emphasize
achievement, results, and action as important values.
STABLE CULTURES - these organizations aim to coordinate and align
individual effort for greatest levels of efficiency. When the
environment is stable and certain, these cultures may help the
organization be effective by providing stable and constant levels of
output.
5. ORGANIZATION CULTURE PROFILE
PEOPLE-ORIENTED CULTURES – companies that value fairness,
supportiveness, and respect for individual rights. These organizations
truly live the mantra that “people are their greatest asset.” In addition
to having fair procedures and management styles, these companies
create an atmosphere where work is fun and employees do not feel
required to choose between work and other aspects of their lives.
TEAM-ORIENTED CULTURES - companies with team-oriented
cultures are collaborative and emphasize cooperation among
employees. Here, members tend to have more positive relationships
with their co-workers and particularly with their managers.
DETAIL-ORIENTED CULTURES - organizations with detail-oriented
cultures are characterized as emphasizing precision and paying
attention to details. Such a culture gives a competitive advantage to
companies in the hospitality industry by helping them differentiate
themselves from others.
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7. QUALITIES OF A GREAT ORGANIZATIONAL
CULTURE
ALIGNMENT comes when the company’s objectives and its employees’
motivations are all pulling in the same direction. Exceptional organizations
work to build continuous alignment to their vision, purpose, and goals.
APPRECIATION can take many forms: a public kudos, a note of thanks, or a
promotion. A culture of appreciation is one in which all team members
frequently provide recognition and thanks for the contributions of others.
TRUST is vital to an organization. With a culture of trust, team members can
express themselves and rely on others to have their back when they try
something new.
PERFORMANCE is key, as great companies create a culture that means
business. In these companies, talented employees motivate each other to
excel and, greater profitability and productivity are the results.
RESILIENCE is a key quality in highly dynamic environments where change is
continuous. A resilient culture will teach leaders to watch for and respond to
change with ease.
8. QUALITIES OF A GREAT ORGANIZATIONAL
CULTURE
TEAMWORK encompasses collaboration, communication, and respect
between team members. When everyone on the team supports each
other, employees will get more done and feel happier while doing it.
INTEGRITY, like trust, is vital to all teams when they rely on each
other to make decisions, interpret results, and form partnerships.
Honesty and transparency are critical components of this aspect of
culture.
INNOVATION leads organizations to get the most out of available
technologies, resources, and markets. A culture of innovation means
that you apply creative thinking to all aspects of your business, even
your own cultural initiatives.
PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY provides the support employees need to
take risks and provide honest feedback. Remember that psychological
safety starts at the team level, not the individual level, so managers
need to take the lead in creating a safe environment where everyone
feels comfortable contributing.
11. What’s so great about Google
OPENNESS – this cultural characteristic refers to the sharing of
information among Google’s employees. The company’s objective in
promoting openness is to encourage the dissemination of valuable
knowledge that can support further innovation.
INNOVATION – is a critical success factor in Google’s business. The
company’s organizational culture motivates employees to contribute
to the overall innovation of the business and its products.
EXCELLENCE – this cultural characteristic focuses on achieving
excellent results from all areas of Google’s business. This
characteristic of the organizational culture is integrated in human
resource development programs to inculcate an appreciation for
excellence among employees.
12. What’s so great about Google
HANDS-ON APPROACH – through its corporate culture, Google applies
a hands-on approach to human resource development. This cultural
characteristic focuses on using experiential learning as an effective
way of improving employees’ knowledge, skills, and abilities.
SMALL-COMPANY-FAMILY SUPPORT – Google is known for its support
for small-company-family rapport in its workspaces. This cultural
characteristic focuses on the social interactions among workers. The
objective in this case is to use the corporate culture as a way of
optimizing internal communications and idea generation.
13. Reasons why Google’s company culture works today
BUILT ON DATA – Since the company’s inception, Google has based
most of its decisions on data. In every choice they make, whether big
or small, qualitative and quantitative data are considered in the
decision-making process.
FUN WORK ENVIRONMENT – Google is known for making the
workplace feel like more than just work. Regardless of working longer
hours and even weekends, employees at Google still claim to truly
enjoy going to work.
ENCOURAGES CREATIVITY – Google is a firm believer in the notion
that, happier employees are more productive and creative. Therefore,
Google strives to create an environment where employees are free to
express their creativity, whether by offering new solutions for the
same problems or simply in the way they work.
14. Reasons why Google’s company culture works today
HIRES FOR CHARACTER AND SKILLS – While it’s necessary to hire the
right skill sets that align with the existing company culture, Google
places a huge emphasis on a candidate’s character as well, searching
for people who are fun, humble, innovative, and team-oriented, yet
self-starting.
OPEN COMMUNICATION POLICY – Google has a flat organizational
structure, thus encouraging all employees to share their voice. In
Google, company culture starts with hiring employees who are eager
to share ideas and collaborate. They then allow their employees the
freedom to do so in the workplace, whether with fellow employees or
the CEO.
FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR EMPLOYEES – Google doesn’t only pay its
employees well. They also provide them with personal finance
assistance to ensure they stay in good financial health while getting
what they want and need.
15. Reasons why Google’s company culture works today
COMMUNICATES CORE VALUES CLEARLY – One of the biggest reasons
Google continues to be an innovator and leader in their industry is
that they have a clear idea of their values and goals.
1. Focus on the user and all else will follow
2. It’s best to do one thing well
3. Fast is better than slow
4. Democracy on the web works
5. You don’t need to be at your desk to need an answer
6. You can make money without doing evil
7. There’s always more information out there
8. The need for information crosses all borders
9. You can be serious without a suit
10. Great just isn’t good enough