organisational

• Culture

  The shared patterns of behaviours and interactions, cognitive constructs, and affective understanding that are learned through a process of socialization. These shared patterns identify the members of a culture group while also distinguishing those of another group.
• Culture


  The way things are done around here
• Levels of culture


  • National culture
  • Organisational culture
  • Professional culture
• Hofstede on national culture

  Culture is the collective programming of the mind distinguishing the members of one group or category of people from others
• How national culture influences values in the workplace

  Compare your country with the UK
• Country Comparison


  • China and UK
  • Italy and UK
• Critiques of Hofstede = Limited number of women and social minorities participated in his research • Research was focused on IBM employees • What about other elements of culture? • Doesn’t account for the individual and individual differences
• Organisational culture


  • What makes an organisation distinctive and different from the others
  • Unwritten rules that influence individual and group behaviour in the organisation
  • System of shared assumptions, values and beliefs, which govern how people behave in organisations
• Organisational culture elements (Deal and Kennedy)


  • History: Shared narrative of the past keeping people grounded in core values
  • Values and Beliefs: What an organisation stands for
  • Rituals and Ceremonies: What employees do everyday that bring them together
  • Stories: Stories repeated in an organisation that exemplify how employees should behave
  • Heroic Figures: Role models that have higher status because they embed what the company stands for
  • Cultural Network: storytellers/ gossipers/ whisperers/ spies/ priests
• Cultural Network


  Informal network where information is learned
• Deal and Kennedy in practice: BBS

  • History: Part of Brunel's history is we were the first to come up with the sandwich course – strong focus on employability
  • Values and beliefs: BBS values and beliefs include: student first, supportive culture, valuing diversity and inclusion
  • Rituals: One of BBS rituals is no e-mail Fridays – fitting with a supportive culture
  • Stories: Think about student and staff needs in everything you do
  • Heroic figures: Role models that have received rewards for teaching (particularly pastoral care)
• Schein (1990)


  • A pattern of basic assumptions
  • Invented, discovered, or developed by a given group
  • Can be taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think, and feel in relation to those problems
• Schein's three levels of culture

  • Artefacts and behaviours: visible organizational structures and processes
  • Espoused values: strategies, goals and vision
  • Basic assumptions and beliefs: unconscious beliefs, perceptions, thoughts and feelings
• Schein in practice: in a tech company

  • Artefacts and behaviours: Open office layout, casual dress code, ping pong tables, bean bags, flexible working hours
  • Espoused values: Innovation, collaboration, flat hierarchy, shown in mission statements
  • Basic assumptions and beliefs: Unconscious beliefs of importance of continuous learning and disrupting traditional way of doing things through technology
• Schein in practice: in university

  • Artefacts and behaviours: Layout of classrooms, actual use of classroom layout, class with fixed beginning and end times
  • Espoused values: People who have knowledge have more power than people who don't
  • Basic assumptions and beliefs: Unconscious belief of knowledge transfer taking place in the classroom
• Think of a company you have worked in or a place you have studied and apply Schein's three levels of culture which are Artefacts and behaviours: visible organizational structures and processes  Espoused values: strategies, goals and vision  Basic assumptions and beliefs: unconscious beliefs, perceptions, thoughts and feelings
• Why is organisational culture important?

  • Healthy organisational culture leads to innovation
  • Common values and goals promotes clear direction for employees
  • Higher efficiency and productivity
  • Higher employee retention rates
  • A dynamic corporate culture celebrates diversity
  • Long term commitment to excellence