more on organizational culture

When I teach COMM 144 in person one activity I have students do is examine different aspects of SJSU culture, such as metaphors, language/jargon, rituals and rites, stories, artifacts, and practices. Students work in small groups and although there's some overlap, there are always differences. Some can be attributed to not noticing the more taken-for-granted aspects of culture. Other differences are due to co-cultures at the university based on role (faculty, student, staff, administrator), major or discipline, membership in student organizations, and similar groups. Analyzing the culture of an organization in which you're deeply embedded can bring to light cultural beliefs, values, and practices that you hadn't really paid attention to before.

Bejeweled alludes to this idea that we're often not aware of cultural norms until we examine them, as evident when reflecting back on a sushi restaurant where Bejeweled used to work in. Power dynamics can also be revealed in a cultural analysis. For example, what does the family metaphor reveal about power in an organization? Do children (employees) have the same power as parents (top management)? sp1028 also blogged about cultural indicators, in this case, applied to Macys. The organization's dress code provided a way to differentiate between who's in the organization and who is not.

Fábio blogged about Schein's approach to organizational culture. I read his book (first edition), Organizational Culture and Leadership, in the organizational culture course I took as a doctoral student (mentioned yesterday). I also read his very early work, Process Consultation: Its Role in Organizational Development, which foreshadows his thinking about organizational culture. Schein's work does suggest that culture can be changed, generally from the top down. As I asked, yesterday, Can management change organizational culture? Fábio says he avoids organizations with a "fabricated culture." Who does the fabricating? How do we know?

Just a few more things to think about this week as you work through Chapters 5, 6, and the web lecture.

--Professor Cyborg