Organizational Culture-Part 3-Emergent View 2

Organizational Culture : 

copyright Marshall Scott Poole Organizational Culture Part 3: The Emergent View of Culture (Continued)

III. Emergent Views of Organizational Culture : 

copyright Marshall Scott Poole III. Emergent Views of Organizational Culture D. Elements of Culture Rituals Structure life in the organization Eagle Army Oath Maintain social fabric Spark Plug Meetings

III. Emergent Views of Organizational Culture : 

copyright Marshall Scott Poole III. Emergent Views of Organizational Culture D. Elements of Culture 2. Stories Functions include: Information about the organization Provides a “map” of how things happen Humanizes the organization

III. Emergent Views of Organizational Culture : 

copyright Marshall Scott Poole III. Emergent Views of Organizational Culture D. Elements of Culture 2. Stories Carl Platou, Head of Fairview Hospitals, Minneapolis, MN Frugality: Instead of spending millions on a center for MRI scans, Fairview acquired a portable scanner which is shared with several other hospitals Personal Style: “He would be the first to call after a death in the family, a birth, offering whatever help he could.” He seemed to know most employees by name. “When he heard that the carpenters, painters, and electricians were having a weigh-in for a weight-loss contest, Platou packed some weights in his pants pockets and headed for the scale…He did quite well in the contest”

III. Emergent Views of Organizational Culture : 

copyright Marshall Scott Poole III. Emergent Views of Organizational Culture D. Elements of Culture 2. Stories Uniqueness Paradox

III. Emergent Views of Organizational Culture : 

copyright Marshall Scott Poole III. Emergent Views of Organizational Culture D. Elements of Culture 3. Metaphor Portrays organization or some part of it as like another familiar phenomenon Theme underlying multiple performances

III. The Emergent View of Organizational Culture : 

copyright Marshall Scott Poole III. The Emergent View of Organizational Culture An Example: Disneyland Two metaphors: Drama (management) Family (employees) Ruth Smith & Eric Eisenberg (1987).Conflict at Disneyland: A Root-Metaphor Analysis. Communication Monographs, 54, 367-380.

III. Emergent Views of Organizational Culture : 

copyright Marshall Scott Poole III. Emergent Views of Organizational Culture D. Elements of Culture 3. Metaphor (cont) Mfgco: Eagle Team

III. Emergent Views of Organizational Culture : 

copyright Marshall Scott Poole III. Emergent Views of Organizational Culture D. Elements of Culture 4. Mission Statements Defines organizational fundamental purpose Sets it apart from other organizations States organization’s business approach

III. Emergent Views of Organizational Culture : 

copyright Marshall Scott Poole III. Emergent Views of Organizational Culture D. Elements of Culture 4. Mission Statements Dayton-Hudson (Target) Dayton Hudson is a diversified retailing company whose business is to serve the American consumer through the retailing of fashion-oriented quality merchandise. Serving the consumer over time requires skilled and motivated employees, healthy communities in which to operate and maximum long-range profit. We are committed to meaningful and comprehensive employee development, to serving the business, social, and cultural needs or our communities, and to achieving levels of profitability equivalent to the leading firms in our industry.

III. Emergent Views of Organizational Culture : 

copyright Marshall Scott Poole III. Emergent Views of Organizational Culture Comments on Performances

III. Emergent Views of Organizational Culture : 

copyright Marshall Scott Poole III. Emergent Views of Organizational Culture E. Culture Change Difficult to plan and execute Cultures change slowly Founder’s influence Cultures tend to be embedded in multiple elements, and therefore firmly anchored Subcultures complicate culture change Must enlist most members of the organization—cannot be done from the top down

Question: Which view of organizational culture would assume it can be designed and changed? : 

copyright Marshall Scott Poole Question: Which view of organizational culture would assume it can be designed and changed? The Emergent View The Prescriptive View