Work Culture Values

Hillton’s Transformation

Ivana Rogic

MBA 530: Organizational Behavior

Professor Jim Schiro

April 22, 2012

Abstract

The city municipality of Hillton recently changed their long-standing work culture values. Hillton’s old culture was based on job security, seniority, autonomy, and inside hires. This paper contrasts Hillton’s earlier work culture with the emerging set of work cultural values. It also tells how Hillton’s new culture has been successful. This paper identifies two other strategies that Hillton might want to consider when supporting the new sets of values in the culture.

Keywords: culture, deculturation, assimilation, integration

Hillton’s Transformation

Contrast Old Culture vs. New Cultural Values

Hillton’s old culture valued its “employees like family and gave them a great deal of autonomy in their work” (McShane & Von Glinow, 2010, p.438). Hillton typically promoted their employees from within, so outsiders were rarely hired for upper management positions. Hillton’s main focus was “outside” municipality services, which was road building, utility construction and maintenance, fire and police protection, recreational facilities, and land use control. In turn, “inside workers” like taxation and community service was given less priority. However, Hillton’s new culture was the reverse. They treated employees as employees. They hired people for the job regardless of background or whether they are in the company or not. Hillton’s main focus also changed, “soft” municipal services like libraries, social activities, community services became the emphasis. Hillton also became customer oriented for citizens and business owners (McShane & Von Glinow, 2010, p.438-439)

Successful Transformation

By replacing the upper management with people whose backgrounds are similar with the new culture, the management team had new room to expand and change the old...