Organisational Culture

1. Organisational Culture and
Work Ethic
By: Abigael Mbagaya- Mukolwe

2. Objectives
 What is Organizational culture and Work
Ethic?
 How does a culture evolve?
 What is my corporate culture?
 How to cultivate a positive culture.
 What is my role in cultivating and maintaining
a positive culture?

3. Introduction
There is an adage that:
 ‘When you go to Rome, do like the Romans
do’.
What do you make of this saying?
 Reflect on the culture in our society and in
your community
 How has it impacted on you?

4. 1.What is Culture?
1. A culture cannot be precisely defined, because it
deals with:
 The state of mind, feelings, perceptions
 Values
 Beliefs,
 Attitudes & Assumptions - which are intangible
 Culture manifests itself through dress, food, dance,
language, norms, beliefs and practices.

5. Culture Defined
 Shared social values on what is right, good, true,
desirable and most important in life,
 Norms of behaviour: unwritten rules of conduct
that are passed by word of mouth and enforced
through reactions of people
 Customary way of doing things
 The accepted ways of behavior/ way of life
especially the general customs and beliefs, of a
particular people at a particular time.

6. Culture cont’d
1. Culture is learned
2. Culture is shared
3. Culture evolves with time
4. Culture is transmitted from generation to generation
5. It determines how people of a society think, and feel
6. It directs actions and defines a people’s outlook to life-
behavior
7. Cultures can be emotional when change is threatened.

7. Organisational Culture
 Organisational Culture simply means: “The way
things are generally done here”
 The culture of an organisation evolves over time.
employees may not even be aware that it exists
 It can be positive or negative; an asset or a
liability to an organisation
 Within an organization, there are subcultures.
 Once Organizational culture has formed, It takes
time, and real effort to change .

8. Expected Corporate culture
 Profitable
 Efficient
 Innovative
 Corporate Social Responsibility
 Determinant of socio-economic and political
environment
 Quality
 Quality training of professionals
 How do you compare to other institutions locally,
COMESA, internationally
 What do you admire from these other companies

9. Aspects of culture
Two critical aspects of Organisational culture
are that it influences:
 The way work is done
 The way people relate in an organisation

10. 2. How organizational culture evolves
and is transmitted
Values of MGT,
(movers and shakers)
Ceremonies & Rites
Organizational Culture
Socialization Stories & language
Vision & mission Informal groups

11. Informal groups
 The informal groups too contribute to the
development of a culture,
 They support it or break it
 Can act as resistance agents or support forums.
 You as an individual are a part of the group, and
have an important role to play.
 Is your contribution positive and building or negative
and damaging.

12. Levels of Organizational Culture
1. Invisible level: values, beliefs. These persist over time
and are resistant to change.
1. Visible level: Artefacts - awards, dress
 Artefacts are those visible and tangible aspects of
culture that one can feel, hear or see on entering an
organization.
 They include such things as the tone, language used,
manner of dress & style of addressing others during
meetings, welcome given to visitors …

13. Verbal Artifacts
 Man eateth where he worketh
 Amelalia maskio
 Chunga unga Mzee
 Mbio Zako zitaisha
 Urefu ni wa mungu, upana ni wa kujifatutia
 Panya wa kanisa hula kanisani
 AIE- Authority to initiate eating
 Wacha Wazee Wakule

14. 3.Assessing your organizational culture?
 The easiest way to know your corporate culture is
to listen to what people inside and outside say
about your organization.
 However, the spoken and the unspoken can vary
widely.
1. How do you feel on entering your offices/building
every morning?
2. What is it that you observe/see and hear?
3. How do you treat each other?
4. How do you treat customers?
5. On what basis are decisions made?

15. Negative culture is a liability-
Undesirable
 Bribes/Corruption Kitu Kidogo
 Revolutionary –opposes the
status quo
 ‘Dressing’
 Declining production
 Lateness to work/
absenteeism
 Favouritism/tribalism
 Delay in accomplishing set
programs
 Biased promotions
 Corruption
 Gossip/Idleness
 Leakage of confidential
information
 Lack of procedures
 Poor communication of
official information
 Unethical behavior
 False claims
 misuse of water, power,
stationary, telephone)

16. What factors encourage a negative culture?
 systemic weaknesses and loopholes
 Biased reward and punishment systems
 unnecessary competition
 When Individual interests override institutional
interests
 Where the prevailing perceptions and attitudes are
unfavourable
 Lack of clear polices and procedures
 Lack of role model
 Failure to enforce the prescribed rules and
regulations

17. Positive Org. Culture is an asset
 In a positive culture people know what is expected
of them
 They waste little time in deciding what to do and
how to act in a given situation
 A positive culture enables people to feel better
about what they do
 Conveys a sense of identity for organizational
members and unity of purpose.
 A positive culture positively influences employees
‘way of life’

18. Work Ethic
Work Ethic is about our attitude and values towards work.
It’s a set of values based on hard work and diligence held by
employees.
 Why we work: do we just work for money or for the intrinsic value-
for its own sake
 What we do: doing our job and doing it right, having a sense of
purpose and being part of the greater vision.
 What values we uphold: work ethics involve characteristics such
as:
 honesty,
 integrity,
 Accountability
 commitment
 Keeping things above board

19. Work Ethic cont’d
4. How we do our work: are there specific, recognizable and
measurable outcomes?
5. Who benefits: is it both the employer and the employee?
6. How we handle institutional assets: ethical behavior is also
demonstrated in the way we treat property /assets that do not
belong to us.
7. How we get along with others: respect, communication and
interaction
8. Work ethic includes how one feels about their
job/responsibilities- it is about whom and how a person is.
Work Ethic is like a double edged sword that must be handled with
care – over indulgence. Let us not be hammered out of
shape.

20. What influences our attitude towards
work?
 Socialization towards work during childhood
and adolescence
 Motivation-praise or blame,
 Interactions with others
 Role modeling by parents- their attitude
 Socialization in the workplace
 Occupational culture = inner fraternity of
colleagues
 Schooling- inculcation of good attitudes

21. Where a culture and work ethic has been changed
Positively, you will find:
 Accountability
 Humility
 Adherence to rules and regulations
 Diligence
 Self discipline
 Honesty
 Diligence in work
 Initiative
 Integrity-trustworthiness, honesty and truthful
 Responsiveness
 Positive Attitude
 Courtesy, professionalism
 Team spirit
 Refusal to participate in any form of corruption

22. 4. How to promote a positive
Organizational Culture and Work
Ethic
 Defining the organizations Vision and mission
statement
 Compliance to codes of conduct/Service charters
 Identifying the core values of the organization and
making them known to the employees-Institutional
Integrity
 Promote personal/professional integrity.
 Motivating the members of the organization by
involving them
 Reinforcing traditions that promote the values of the
organization
 Leading by example

23. Pertinent Questions
 Does your department/organization have identifiable values and
attitudes?
 What aspects of your organizational culture are positive and
ethical, which are undesirable?
 Does the culture of your department support the overall
organizational culture that is desirable?
 What is being done in your organization to create a positive
culture?
 What methods have you put in place to pass key messages to
your staff/clients and customers?
 What policies are in place to influence ethical behavior?

24. Individual Responsibility
 Doing right things and doing them right
 Doing the best that you can-do
 Being internally driven, & innovative
 Having a vision and motto in your life
 Correcting situations when they are wrong
 Leave a signature in your org

25. Remember
 Organizations/corporations /institutions have values
and beliefs to pass along not just products
 They have stories to tell not just profits to make.
 The question is: what values, beliefs and stories
does your institution pass or tell?