The Meaninglessness of Organizational Culture
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Why • Much of the corporate world is fixated on the concept of organizational culture • In academia alone there are 4,664 1 articles and 164 2 definitions I hypothesize that the prominence of the topic is a result of employees’ basic order needs and resulting motivation for acceptance; while the organization is driven by a desire to regulate behavior. As a result, the term is ultimately rendered meaningless and what’s left is a question of what a better alternative might look like. How Extensive research and analysis of… 12 online articles and resources 10 academic books 9 scholarly papers and journals 3 well known organizations …was done to: • Assess the strengths and weaknesses of existing academic theories • Evaluate social behavior theories to account for the roles of behavior and motivation • Apply the analyses to existing companies Gratitude I would not have made it to this point without my husband, Paul Knepper’s unwavering love and support; my son Brodie, being the best baby; the patience and encouragement of my family, friends and colleagues; the comradery of my cohort; and guidance of my HDO advisor, John Traphagan. What So… Organizational culture: • Fundamentally exists to drive a type of behavior that yields specific desired organizational outcomes Ø This purpose is sometimes obscured by inconsistency of the term’s meaning • Has three components: 1. Motivation 2. A dynamic process of social construction whereby experiences are interpreted and then given significance 3. Drives and is driven by behavior These components have both independent and co-constructed impact and application for the employees and the organization: 1. Motivation • Employees are motivated by need for belonging • Organizations are motivated by desired outcomes (also known as their Mission) 2. The social construction process • Involves beliefs or values for employees; reward or punishment for the organization • Is used to drive desired behavior and in both cases has a recursive relationship with the resulting and evolving behavior 3. Behavior • Ultimately ties back to meeting the original motivation • Impacted by ongoing employee experiences A better way forward: • One unified definition of organizational culture: An organization has a mission that is tied to an incentive structure that supports behaviors to achieve that mission, as well as meet employee needs/motivation: Stacey E. Winning, Master of Arts Candidate Human Dimensions of Organizations, The University of Texas at Austin Citations 1 http://www.lib.utexas.edu/ 2 Sathe, V. “Implications of corporate culture: A manager's guide to action.” Organizational Dynamics, 12(2), 1983, pp. 5-23. A New Model for Defining Organizational Culture: The Meaninglessness of Organizational Culture Organization Employee Motivation Behavior Interpretation Beliefs or Values What needs cause employees to follow or adhere to organizational rules and norms. Potential sources: • Basic or higher order needs • DNA / survival • Conformity • Loss aversion The way employees act as a result of embodying certain values and beliefs. • Acts as an outcome and an input • Bidirectional impact on the dynamic process to further iterate the resulting behavior Motivation An organization’s desire to drive certain types of behavior that lead to specific business outcomes. This can also be known as their MISSION and it may include: • Behaviors • Attitudes • Business focus Interpretation Reward or Punish Behavior The way an organization incentivizes employees to act in the desired way. • May be a result of positive reinforcement (reward) or negative (punishment) • Impacts future behavior that employees experience Mission Incentive Needs
Transcript of The Meaninglessness of Organizational Culture
Why
• Much of the corporate world is fixated on theconcept of organizational culture
• In academia alone there are 4,6641 articlesand 1642 definitions
I hypothesize that the prominence of the topic isa result of employees’ basic order needs andresulting motivation for acceptance; while theorganization is driven by a desire to regulatebehavior.
As a result, the term is ultimately renderedmeaningless and what’s left is a question ofwhat a better alternative might look like.
HowExtensive research and analysis of…
12 online articles and resources
10 academic books
9 scholarly papers and journals
3 well known organizations
…was done to:• Assess the strengths and weaknesses of
existing academic theories• Evaluate social behavior theories to
account for the roles of behavior andmotivation
• Apply the analyses to existing companies
Gratitude I would not have made it to this point without my husband, Paul Knepper’sunwavering love and support; my son Brodie, being the best baby; thepatience and encouragement of my family, friends and colleagues; thecomradery of my cohort; and guidance of my HDO advisor, John Traphagan.
What So…Organizational culture:• Fundamentally exists to drive a type of behavior
that yields specific desired organizationaloutcomes
Ø This purpose is sometimes obscured byinconsistency of the term’s meaning
• Has three components:1. Motivation2. A dynamic process of social construction
whereby experiences are interpreted andthen given significance
3. Drives and is driven by behavior
These components have both independentand co-constructed impact and applicationfor the employees and the organization:
1. Motivation• Employees are motivated by need for belonging• Organizations are motivated by desired outcomes
(also known as their Mission)
2. The social construction process• Involves beliefs or values for employees; reward
or punishment for the organization• Is used to drive desired behavior and in both
cases has a recursive relationship with theresulting and evolving behavior
3. Behavior• Ultimately ties back to meeting the original
motivation• Impacted by ongoing employee experiences
A better way forward:• One unified definition of organizational culture:
An organization has a mission thatis tied to an incentive structure thatsupports behaviors to achieve thatmission, as well as meetemployee needs/motivation:
Stacey E. Winning, Master of Arts CandidateHuman Dimensions of Organizations, The University of Texas at Austin
Citations1http://www.lib.utexas.edu/2Sathe, V. “Implications of corporate culture: A manager's guide to action.” Organizational Dynamics,12(2), 1983, pp. 5-23.
A New Model for Defining Organizational Culture:
The Meaninglessness of Organizational Culture
Organization
Employee
Motivation Behavior
Interpretation
Beliefsor
Values
What needs cause employees tofollow or adhere to organizationalrules and norms.
Potential sources:• Basic or higher order needs• DNA / survival• Conformity• Loss aversion
The way employees act as a resultof embodying certain values andbeliefs.
• Acts as an outcome and an input • Bidirectional impact on the
dynamic process to further iterate the resulting behavior
MotivationAn organization’s desire to drivecertain types of behavior that leadto specific business outcomes.
This can also be known as their MISSION and it may include:• Behaviors• Attitudes• Business focus Interpretation
Rewardor
Punish
BehaviorThe way an organizationincentivizes employees to act inthe desired way.
• May be a result of positive reinforcement (reward) or negative (punishment)
• Impacts future behavior that employees experience
Mission
IncentiveNeeds
