Organizational Culture Analysis

Organizational Culture Analysis

Kathleen Woods

EDU 610

Instructor Davis

February 29, 2016

Organizational Culture Analysis

Every organization has a culture within, which is called an organizational culture. You ask, what is an organizational culture? We already know what a culture is; a set of beliefs, values, symbols, and behavior of a group of people which are usually passed along by communicating and demonstrating for others to follow. This paper will explain what organizational culture is. Then a example of an organizational culture in a past employment will be given. Within the example observable artifacts, espoused and enacted values will be given.

So, what is organizational culture? According to Baack (2012), Organizational culture is “a set of shared meanings and values held by a set of members in an organization that distinguishes the organization from other organizations and determines how it perceives and reacts to the larger environment” (glossary). According to May (n.d.) ‘an organizational cultures shapes its daily activities, how it understands its past and future the relationships between the people within and the relationships with outsiders – and the decisions that are made over time” (para. 1). Organizational culture is how organizations do things in the organization. Organizational culture is the ‘glue’ that keeps the organization together with their values and beliefs. Organizational culture is ‘a company’s prevailing ideas, values, attitudes, and beliefs guide the way in which its employees think, feel, and act – quite often unconsciously” (Tharp, n.d. pg. 2). These values and beliefs contribute to the social and psychological environment of the organization. It is also considered the civilization in the workplace.

Organizational culture comes with observable artifacts and two sets of values: espoused and enacted. “Artifacts are the observable symbols and signs of an organization’s culture, such as the way visitors are greeted,...