Organizational Culture

Excerpt

Organizational culture (OC) is composed of beliefs and expectations shared by members of an organization. Organizational culture consists of common norms, values, and beliefs of individuals within that group. In a historical context, this could be considered the cultural equivalent of the rituals, rites, symbols, and stories of a people. By today’s standards, organizational culture usually refers to the mutual outlook, assumptions, and standards of an organization’s membership. Organizational culture determinants include an organization’s structure, leadership, mission, and strategy. Organizational culture can give employees a feeling of unity and purpose and can help a team cope with complex and dynamic changes. A strong organizational culture can serve as an asset in helping team members accomplish goals and to experience fulfillment in their careers. In fact, an analysis of a company’s OC can be a predictor of factors such as job satisfaction, employee commitment to the organization, or the likelihood of success of a quality improvement initiative.