2. The Issues
The functions of culture
The nature of & roles of the hidden
elements of culture
The nature of & roles of the visible
elements of culture
Building a learning culture
3. Organizational Culture
Definition of Culture
The set of values, guiding beliefs,
understandings, ways of thinking, and
norms shared by members of an
organization
Functions of culture
Internal integration
External adaptation
4. The Strength of Culture
Depth: The degree of agreement among members
about the importance of specific cultural values,
beliefs, norms (i.e., how many people agree & how
strongly)
Breadth: The number of cultural elements (values,
beliefs, norms) on which there is agreement
The healthy culture vs. the unhealthy culture
Can organizational culture predict performance?
6. Hidden Elements
Values about what is important
Assumptions & beliefs about what is true
Attitudes toward others and issues
Norms about appropriate & inappropriate behavior
8. Language and Slogans
Intended to convey cultural meaning to
employees and/or stakeholders
Easy to pick up, remember, & repeat
Work
Smarter
Not Harder
At Speedy
You’re Somebody
Quality is Job 1
10. How Symbols Can be Dysfunctional
How did the
organization intend
to use this symbol?
How was the
symbol actually
received?
What should the
organization have
done differently?
11. Rituals and Ceremonies
Celebrations of an organization’s values
Provide dramatic examples of culture
Types of Rituals & Ceremonies
Passage: Facilitates
transition into new role or
status.
Enhancement: Increases
social status.
Renewal: Refurbishes and
improves.
Integration: Encourages
common feelings.
12. Heroes
Company role models
whose ideals,
character, and
support of the
organizational
culture highlight the
values and norms a
company wishes to
reinforce
Our
Founder
13. Stories, Legends, & Myths
Narrative examples
repeated among employees
to inform (often new)
employees about culture
Stories: based on fact
Legends: based on facts
but embellished
Myths: consistent with
culture but not based on
fact
14. Roberta: A True Story
Is this story
believable? Why
or why not?
What message
about culture
does this story
tell?
Is this a stronger
message than just
talking about the
culture? Why or
why not?
15. Building a Learning Culture
The “learning organization”:
promotes communication and collaboration so
that everyone is engaged in identifying and
solving problems, enabling the organization to
continuously experiment, improve, and increase
its capability
16. Knowledge Management
Knowledge is a valuable asset
Competitive advantage (tacit vs. explicit knowledge)
Can far exceed physical/financial assets
Replacing a knowledge worker can cost 20-30 times that
person’s salary (Peter Drucker)
Can be gaps when someone leaves
Chief Knowledge Officer?
Knowledge Management: To enhance organizational
performance by explicitly designing and implementing tools,
processes, systems, structures and cultures to improve the
creation, sharing and use of all types of knowledge that are
critical for decision making
17. Cultural Influences
on Knowledge
How can an organization build an effective “learning
culture?”
Culture can impede or enhance knowledge creation,
sharing, leverage.
Shapes assumptions about which knowledge is important
Industry specific
Creative knowledge in advertising
Process knowledge in manufacturing
Subcultures can exist
Accounting point of view
Engineering point of view
19. The Issues
The functions of culture
The nature of & roles of the hidden
elements of culture
The nature of & roles of the visible
elements of culture
Building a learning culture
