Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa organizational culture

ASIAN BUSINESS SCHOOL

A STUDY ON ORGANIZATION CULTURE OF COMVIVA TECHNOLOGIES

‘A comparison between the cultures as perceived by Middle and Lower”

management’

PROJECT REPORT FOR THE SUBJECT OF ORGANIZATION DEVELOPMENT

IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF

MASTERS IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

(2011 - 2013)

Submitted by: Submitted to:

Remya Mohan Preeti C.Sharma

Submitted on:

Compiled by: Remya Mohan, Scholar, ABS, Noida Page 1

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The completion of any project is not complete without thanking the people behind the venture

& this project is no exception. Racing against the time & fast approaching deadlines, the fact

that I am able to successfully complete the project just in time would not have been possible

without the help and support of many people. Their constant guidance & encouragement

coupled with my commitment were the cornerstones for the successful completion of the

project.

I express my thanks to the Dean, Ms. Latika Sahani of ASIAN BUSINESS SCHOOL, Noida

for extending her support.

It gives me immense pleasure to acknowledge the teachers whose help gave the needed

confidence, enthusiasm, and perseverance. I express our gratitude to Preeti C Sharma

providing us the excellent guidance and Opportunities to complete this project.


Chapter1.0: INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW

1.1 Introduction

Organizational culture is a set of understandings or meanings shared by a group of people

that are largely tacit among members and are clearly relevant and distinctive to the particular

group which are also passed on to new members. Organizational culture is the collective

behaviour of humans that are part of an organization, it is also formed by the organization

values, visions, norms, working language, systems, and symbols, it includes beliefs and

habits. It is also the pattern of such collective behaviours and assumptions that are taught to

new organizational members as a way of perceiving, and even thinking and feeling.

Organizational culture affects the way people and groups interact with each other, with

clients, and with stakeholders.

Ravasi and Schultz (2006) state that organizational culture is a set of shared mental

assumptions that guide interpretation and action in organizations by defining appropriate

behaviour for various situations. At the same time although a company may have "own

unique culture", in larger organizations, there is a diverse and sometimes conflicting cultures

that co-exist due to different characteristics of the management team. The organizational

culture may also have negative and positive aspects

While not always easy to capture or define, culture is an observable, powerful force in any

organization. Made up of its members’ shared values, beliefs, symbols, and behaviours, culture
guides individual decisions and actions at the unconscious level. As a result, it can have a potent effect on a

company’s well being and success.


Corporate Culture

Corporate culture is one of those focus areas that are not always fully understood and are not

optimally utilized either in an organization.

A basic definition of organizational culture is the collective way we do things around here. It

involves a learned set of behaviours that is common knowledge to all the participants. These

behaviours are based on a shared system of meanings which guide our perceptions,

understanding of events, and what we pay attention to. As Sun Tzu, a Chinese military

general from 3000 BC, indicated in his explanation of strategy, culture forms an integral part

of any organizational strategy. It consists of Tao - the created and shared beliefs, values, and

glue that holds an organization together, and it also involves the very nature of the

organization. Culture is about individuals in a group sharing patterns of behaviour. There is


no cultural absolute. Because culture is relative, we have the power to create a culture that is

the best fit for an organization’s future direction.

Observing Culture

Culture plays out in a variety of ways. We can identify the specifics of it from how

information is communicated, feedback is given, performance is managed, and projects are

co-coordinated within the organization. It is reflected in the way the corporation or institution

is structured; whether work is conducted cross-functionally or within silos, how the

hierarchical levels are set up, and the types of job titles used. Culture is often defined by the

systems that are used, the processes that are followed, and the rituals, symbols, and stories

that abound in the organization. It is even reflected in how meetings are held in an

organization.

Corporate Culture as an Obstacle

When working towards company goals or when trying to effect change in the organization,

your organizational culture can be the very thing that trips you up. If insufficient effort is put

towards identifying aspects of the culture that may impact on what you are trying to achieve,

then insufficient actions will be taken to circumvent obstacles in a timely manner or harness

the way things are done in an opportune direction. This is best explained through an example.

An organization espouses that “people are our most important asset” as part of its new

philosophy. However, employees witness a senior executive being escorted off site with his

belongings by security guards after being laid off. They receive an e-mail explaining where

they will be sitting and who they will be reporting to in the future restructure - with no fore-

warning or personal contact. Training and development opportunities for employees are

stopped in order to cut costs. Actions that consistently reflect a certain core culture will more


effectively emphasize to employees what the leadership’s true values are than any widely

publicized statement. If a direction is truly desired, then all actions that will reflect the

required culture need to be considered and instituted accordingly.

Aligning Culture for Success

Once a strategy is set for the organization, the way deliverables are produced in the

organization needs to be examined and challenged. This is to ensure that every process is

geared towards achieving the strategy.

Every component of the corporate culture needs to underpin what is required from all

stakeholders in order to realize the strategic goals. There must be a reinforcing stream of

communications. All the actions in the organization need to translate into the cultural

realities. A culture can be created or reinforced through the use of socialization. Avenues for

socialization abound in functions like selection, placement on the job, job mastery, the

measurement and rewarding of performance, and recognition and promotion. Reinforcing a

culture can emerge through the stories told and the folklore propagated and, most

importantly, through the adherence to chosen important values. The key to the success of the

above is to ensure that the culture you wish to socialize others into is an ideal one, necessary

for breakthrough performance in your work area or organization. If it is not, then you need to

involve everyone in the evaluation and creation of a more suitable culture.

Strong Leadership is required

One of the surest ways to align the culture to the organization’s strategy is to apply leadership

practices that are also aligned. The leaders, at all levels, need to know what the required

culture is and then determine ways of establishing practices and procedures in all operations

that will closely reflect the desired culture. They also need to role model the very behaviours

they wish exhibited by everyone in the organization and provide the necessary support to

others that will enable them to function accordingly as well. Particular attention also needs to

be given to all communications.

Leadership needs to be front and centre to create a corporate culture that works.

The Role of Culture and Climate

Some consider culture the glue that holds everyone together. Others compare it to a compass

providing direction.

Operating largely outside of our awareness, culture creates a common ground for team

members. It reduces uncertainty by offering a language for interpreting events and issues. It

provides a sense of order so that all team members know what is expected. It contributes to a

sense of continuity and unity. And it offers a vision around which a company can rally.

At the observable level, culture is manifested in an organization’s climate — the behaviours

and strategies that can be managed in support of organizational goals.

Understanding an Organization’s Culture

Anthropologists have spent decades developing methods for categorizing and diagnosing

organizational culture. Today, to identify culture, we look for clues in the climate — people,

products, and processes we can observe — as well as leadership’s espoused values, and

perhaps most difficult, the unconscious, underlying assumptions shared by the team.

Based on decades of study, professors Kim Cameron and Robert Quinn have identified four

basic types of organizational culture: Collaborate, Create, Control, and Compete. Each one

carries different attitudes, behaviours, and work patterns that must be recognized to enhance

effort and performance.


FORMULATING STRATEGIES FOR TRANSFORMING CULTURES IN

ORGANIZATIONS

Strategic leadership needs to be transformational if it is to serve the organization.

Transformational leaders must operate from a foundation of high morality and ethical

practices.They must personally act in accord with productive values and beliefs, and they

must teach others to do the same. They must promulgate the culture. The key method strategy

leaders should follow to transform cultures is to teach symbolically. This type of strategy

involves the artful crafting of new stories, new symbols, new traditions, and even new

humour so that the ambiguities surrounding organizational life can be productively managed

by all members of the organization. Without collective understanding-shared networks of

revised meaning- the new ways of acting and thinking cannot be internalized by

organizational members.

Culture is deep seated and difficult to change, but leaders can influence or manage an

organization's culture. It isn't easy, and it cannot be done rapidly, but leaders can have an

effect on culture. Schein outlines some specific steps leaders can employ:

• What leaders pay attention to, measure and control? Something as simple as what

is emphasized or measured, over time, can have an effect on an organization's culture.

One example of this is an emphasis on form over substance. If leaders pay more

attention to form, an organizational culture can develop where people start to believe

that the substance of a recommendation is less important than the way it is presented.

One can recall when more attention was paid to the format of viewgraphs used in a

briefing than what was said; what we characterize as "eyewash."


• Where do you think people will focus their effort once it becomes accepted that a

slick presentation is what the leaders are looking for? How could you go about

changing that aspect of the organization's culture? Consider cultural assumptions and

beliefs underlying a "zero defects" organizational mentality. "You must always be

perfect; mistakes aren't allowed." If this assumption reflects a dysfunctional aspect of

an organization's culture, how would you go about changing that perception?

• Leader reactions to critical incidents and organizational crises. The way leaders

react to crises says a lot about the organization's values, norms and culture. Crises, by

their nature, bring out the organization's underlying core values. Often, this is where

rhetoric becomes apparent. Reactions to crises are normally highly visible, because

everyone's attention is focused on the incident or situation. Disconnects between

actions and words will usually be apparent, and actions always speak louder than

words. Additionally, a crisis not only brings a great deal of attention, it also generates

a great deal of emotional involvement on the part of those associated with the

organization, particularly if the crisis threatens the organization's survival. This

increases the potential for either reinforcing the existing culture, or leading to a

change in the culture. Such a crisis can provide an opportunity for a leader to

influence the organization's culture in either a positive or a negative way.

• Deliberate role modelling, teaching, and coaching. Nothing can take the place of

leaders "walking their talk." The personal example of a strategic leader can send a

powerful message to the members of an organization, particularly if it is ethical and

consistent. Reinforcing that example with teaching and coaching will help others to

internalize the desired values.


• Criteria for allocation of rewards and status. The consequences of behaviour-what

behaviour is rewarded and what is punished-can significantly influence culture. If the

organization reacts to new ideas by ridiculing the ideas and those who propose them,

it won't take long before people believe that new ideas are not welcomed or desired.

One belief of perceived organizational culture is reflected in the statement: "Don't

raise questions or suggest improvements, because nothing will come of it and you will

just get in trouble." If you were in an organization's strategic leader, what steps could

you take to alter the reward system to change this aspect of the culture?

• Criteria for recruitment, selection, promotion, retirement and excommunication. One

of the powerful ways of changing an organization's culture is through the type of

people brought into, retained, and advanced in the organization. You should be able to

establish a desired culture base in an organization by bringing in and advancing

individuals with the values you want, and eliminating those with undesired value

bases.

That is what organizations are attempting when they propose tightening up admissions

standards to screen out undesirables. This strategy is consistent with the belief that the

problems experienced by the organization result from a few "bad apples" and do not reflect

systemic problems. However, if a strong culture bias exists, it may be too strong to be

changed by selection alone.

The military academies are organizations which change over one fourth of their membership

every year, which should provide an opportunity for changes to the organizational culture as

new members are brought in. The catch, however, is that the socialization of those new


members rests in the hands of those who are already part of the existing culture. How could

the military academies make systemic culture changes not negated by the socialization

process new members go through?

• Organizational design and structure. As we mentioned earlier, modifying the

organization's basic structure may be a way of changing the existing norms, and hence

the culture. For example, a culture of mistrust between the leaders and the members of

an organization may be exacerbated by a "line" structure that discourages vertical

communication.

• Organizational systems and procedures. The simplest definition of culture is "that's

the way we do things around here." Routines or procedures can become so embedded

that they become part of the culture, and changing the culture necessitates changing

those routines. We can all think of organizations where a weekly or monthly meeting

takes on a life of its own, becomes more formalized, lengthy, and elaborate, and

becomes the only way information moves within the organization. Changing the

culture to improve communication may only be possible by changing the meeting

procedures or eliminating the meetings altogether.

• Design of physical space, facades, and buildings. The impact of the design of

buildings on culture can easily be illustrated by considering the executive perks in an

organization. Which organization do you think will have a more open and

participative culture, one where top executives have reserved parking spaces, top floor

offices, a special elevator and an executive dining room, or one where the executive

offices are not separated from the rest of the company and executives park and eat in

the same place as their employees?


• Stories about important events and people. This is a way that culture is perpetuated

in an organization, in that it helps define and solidify the organization's identity. By

what events and stories they emphasize, leaders influence that identity.

• Formal statements of organizational philosophy, creeds, and charts. This is the

way leaders most often try and influence their organizations, and encompasses the

vision or mission statement and statements of the organization's (or the leader's)

values and philosophy. By themselves, however, formal statements will have little

effect on the organization's culture. They must be linked to actions to affect culture.

• Schein has five guidelines for the leader:

• 1. Don't oversimplify culture or confuse it with climate, values, or corporate

philosophy. Culture underlies and largely determines these other variables. Trying to

change values or climate without getting at the underlying culture will be a futile

effort.

• 2. Don't label culture as solely a human resources (read "touchy-feely") aspect of an

organization, affecting only its human side. The impact of culture goes far beyond the

human side of the organization to affect and influence its basic mission and goals.

• 3. Don't assume that the leader can manipulate culture as he or she can control many

other aspects of the organization. Culture, because it is largely determined and

controlled by the members of the organization, not the leaders, is different. Culture

may end up controlling the leader rather than being controlled by him or her.

• 4. Don't assume that there is a "correct" culture, or that a strong culture is better than a

weak one. It should be apparent that different cultures may fit different organizations


and their environments, and that the desirability of a strong culture depends on how

well it supports the organization's strategic goals and objectives.

• 5. Don't assume that all the aspects of an organization's culture are important, or will

have a major impact on the functioning of the organization. Some elements of an

organization's culture may have little impact on its functioning, and the leader must

distinguish which elements are important, and focus on those.

Types of Organizational Culture

He diverse organizational cultures that mould the structure of business acumen are as

follows:

Normative Culture

In a normative organization, the organization stresses on implementing the

organizational procedures in the correct manner, and according to the norms and rules

defined. This kind of culture is perceived to portray a high standard of business ethics.

Pragmatic Culture

In contrast to normative cultures, stress is laid on satisfying the wish of their clients.

In this type of organizational structure, the client is virtually deified. The prime

concern of every employee is to cater to the needs of the client, attain, and retain the

business they may invite through the clients.

Academy Culture


In this kind of culture, employees are highly skilled, and the organization provides an

environment for the development, and honing of employee skills. Examples of this

kind of culture are hospitals, universities, and large corporations. Employees tend to

stay with the organization, and grow within it.

Collaborate Work Culture

Often referred to as clan culture, an organization that adopts a collaborate culture

offers a congenial and amiable environment to work in. The feeling one derives while

working in this type of organization is that of comfort and coercive motivation. This

organization consists of superiors who provide more of guidance, and less of

governance. The organization is based on worker-welfare, where you have the

employees' interest in the foreground with his skills valued, and performances

handsomely rewarded. Insinuating and developing teamwork is the most vital element

of the organization.

Adhocracy Work Culture

It is a type of organization that is tampered to provide an environment to accrue one's

creative acumen. Ideas are encouraged, and out-of-the-box thinking is an appendage-

cum-motto. Dynamism is defined best when the workforce has the free will to

conceive an out-of-the-ordinary idea; the development of which, may lead to success;

inadvertently, to higher levels of morale, and monetary incentives.

Baseball Team Culture

In this kind of culture, the employees are 'free agents', and are highly prized. These

employees find employment easily in any organization, and are highly in demand.


There is, however, a considerable amount of risk attached to this culture, as it is very

fast-paced. Examples of this kind of culture are advertising, and investment banking,

to name a few.

Club Culture

Usually, the employees stay with the organization for a long time, and get promoted

to a senior post, or level. These employees are hand-picked, and it is imperative that

they possess the specific skills required and desired, by the organization. Examples of

this kind of organization are law firms, the military, etc.

Fortress Culture

Employees are not sure if the will be laid off or not by the organization. Very often,

this organization undergoes massive changes. Few examples of this type of culture are

loans and savings, large car companies, etc.

Macho Culture

The most important aspect of this kind of culture is big rewards, and quick feedback.

This kind of culture is mostly associated with quick financial activities; like,

brokerage, and currency trading. It can also be related to activities, like, a sports team,

a police team, or branding of an athlete. This kind of culture is does not eschew high

levels of stress; instead they are known to reach the apotheosis of efficiency. The

employees are expected to possess a strong mentality for survival in the organization.


Work Hard/Play Hard Culture

This type of organization does not involve much risk, as the organizations, already,

consist of a firm base coupled with a strong client relationship. This kind of culture is

predominantly opted by the large-scaled organizations that have gained their

customers' trust and support; subsequently rolling out a steadfast customer help

service. The organization, with this kind of culture, is equipped with specialized

jargons, and is qualified with multiple-team meetings.

Bet Your Company Culture

In this kind of culture, the company makes big, and important decisions over high

stake endeavours. It takes time to see the consequence of these decisions. Companies

that postulate experimental projects, and researches as their core business proposition,

adopt this kind of culture; for instance, a company designing experimental military

weapons may implement the said type of culture.

Process Culture

This type of culture does not include the process of feedback. In this kind of culture,

the organization is extremely cautious about the adherence to laws, and prefers to

abide by them. This culture bestows consistency upon the organization,

predominantly meant for public services.

One of the most difficult tasks to undertake in an organization, is to change its work

culture. A change in the organizational culture requires an organization to make


amendments to its policies, workplace ethics, and management system. It needs to

start right from its base functions; including, support functions, operations, and the

production floor, which finally affects the overall output of the organization. It

requires a complete overhaul of the entire system, and not many organizations prefer

it as the process is a long, and tedious one, which requires patience, and endurance.

However, when an organization succeeds in making a change on such a massive level,

the results are almost always positive, and fruitful. The different types of

organizational cultures aforementioned, surely, must have helped you to understand

them. You can also adopt one of them for your own organization; however,

persistence, and patience, ultimately, is the essence.

1.2 Rationale

The rationale for taking this is to help the industry know as to what makes the

employees empowered and in turn makes the organization more productive.

1.3 Scope of the study

The study would help the industry in designing an organizational culture that

will be more productive where the employees are encouraged to be more

creative and also the employees are empowered and all the decision making is

shared among all employees.

1.4 Research Assumptions

1) Empowerment

2) Creativity


3) Clear lines of communication

4) Shared goals and mission

5) Leadership

6) Decision Making

7) Lesser Conflicts

8) Goal setting

1.5 Limitation of the study
1) Could not cover sufficient samples.


1.6 Introduction to Company

Comviva Technologies Ltd is one of India’s largest providers of value-added services for

mobile operators and one of the top 3 providers of "integrated value added solutions" and

"mobile financial solutions" for mobile operators in rapidly growing markets. Comviva has

customers in over 90 countries, predominantly in Asia, the Middle East, LATAM and Africa

and offers an "integrated portfolio of services" including messaging, mobile Internet, content,

mobile commerce, prepaid and "business support solutions". Headquartered and with its main

R&D and network operation centre in Gurgaon , Haryana, Comviva also has offices in

Bangalore and Mumbai. Comviva has international offices in South Africa, Dubai,

Singapore, Thailand, the UK and the USA.

Products and services

Comviva sells a broad range of stuff for mobile operators. These include mobile apps, such as

Caller Ring Back Tone (cRBT), voice & video apps, web apps and self-care apps ; platforms

and ecosystem enablement solutions such as integrated messaging solutions, which include

SMS, MMS, USSD, Messaging Service delivery Platform and mobile Internet solutions;

AVAN (Aggregated Voice Applications Network); mobile commerce solutions based on

Comviva’s award-winning mobiquity mCommerce platform; the widely deployed PreTUPS

electronic recharge solution; business support solutions for provisioning, customer care and

loyalty management; mobile device solutions for provisioning and messaging. Comviva is a

leading player in the managed services space having won major deals with India's largest

mobile operator, Airtel to manage over 2000 VAS nodes and with Airtel Sri Lanka to manage

the operator's entire VAS portfolio. Managed services include hosted and non-hosted

solutions, including Hub solutions, an award-winning solution.

Industry Telecommunications

Founded New Delhi, India (July 1999)

Headquarters Gurgaon , India

Number of locations UAE, UK, South Africa, Singapore, USA

Area served Worldwide

Key people Manoranjan Mohapatra (CEO)

Rakesh Bharti Mittal (Chairman)

Products cRBT , SMSC, USSD, Roaming, messaging, MMS,

Mobile Internet, mobile commerce, business support, mobile

apps

Services Managed Value-added services, deck management

Employees 3000


Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa organizational culture

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (20)

Similar to Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa organizational culture

Similar to Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa organizational culture (20)

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa organizational culture