first day Week 3

I just finished reviewing all the blogs and comments from last week and posting those grades. I've taught this course online many, many times (this is the 21st time, to be exact), and each class is different due to different students with different interests and changing times.

Discussions of organizational culture, however, continue to remain one of the most popular. When I first started teaching at SJSU in 1990, I asked students to describe the various elements of the university's culture (such as rituals, metaphors, vocabulary, stories, and the like), giving me some insight into the educational institution I'd recently joined.

As a large bureaucratic organization within two other large bureaucratic organizations (the CSU and State of California), SJSU's culture tends to remain fairly stable. However, outside forces have impinged on the organization, leading to some changes. For example, the CSU was sued over lack of accessibility. As a result, CSU schools are implementing practices that focus on making all aspects of university life--especially informational technologies--accessible for all students. The Communication Studies Department was one of the first departmental websites to convert to a completely accessible platform.

Organizational culture can change, but it often takes some major event, outside force, or new personnel to start the change process. In addition, cultural change doesn't always lead to positive results. Finally, changes in organizational culture may go unnoticed as the organization slowly evolves over time, with old members leaving and new members entering--with new ideas and new ways of doing things.

~ Professor Cyborg