Shaping Culture in a Multicultural Organization

Corporate culture is big at my company right now. We have had a pretty high rate of turnover in our executive leadership team in the past year, and we sense that the employees are feeling a distinct lack of culture. I sat down today during lunch with our director of employee relations to get her take on corporate culture in the workplace. She has a master's degree in human resources and has a professional HR certification. We'll call her SE.


LM: First off, thanks for answering a few questions for me. My first question has to do with shaping culture. How do companies shape and define their cultures?


SE: Well culture doesn't start with human resources or the CEO or a manager in one department, but rather it works kind of like a train. It's tough to get momentum behind it, but then once it's going and once it's moving, it's really tough to stop but is also very forceful and has a great impact. In my experience, it has taken a more organic approach and has really been built from the ground up and with strategic leadership buy-in.


LM: How important is it to align corporate culture with company goals and strategy (Sorenson, 2009)?


SE: Well, corporate culture, in our case anyway, is almost automatically built in with who we are. I mean, this is unlike any place I think anybody has ever worked because of the overwhelmingly Korean influence. So that shapes part of it. But aligning culture with strategy should be a priority. I mean, look at us. So, part of our culture is that we demand the best, all the time. Well, look at our industry--if we don't stay at the top of our game all the time, market share slips, revenue slips, morale would drop. 


LM: One point our readings talk about this week are how other people's perceptions can shape your realities (Sorenson, 2009). How big of a plague are employees who bring negative outlooks to the workplace every day.


SE: Oh gosh, plague is the word. You know, no matter where you go, you're going to have the negative Nancies. I think some people are just inherently negative and have this uncanny ability to see the negative in every situation. They're the type of people who would complain about having taxes taken out of a bonus. But having those people tend to draw down the rest of the morale of their coworkers. I know you see it every day, and I see it every day. There are just some people who drag themselves down, and unfortunately drag other people down in the process.


LM: One more question for you. Can organizations maintain their culture, even if they have a high level of turnover?


SE: Hmm. You know, I think once a culture is established, yes. Once a culture is established, you will start hiring not only to fit the job, but to fit the culture also. So, like for us, I don't think we would have any problems hiring a new graphic designer who has visible tattoos up and down his arms. Several years ago yeah, that might have been an issue, but the more comfortable we get in our own skin and in our own culture and feel, the less formal we're requiring out of our employees.


LM: Well thank you so much for spending some time with me today, I really appreciate it.




References: 


Sorenson, J. (2009). Note on Organizational Culture, Harvard Business School, pp. 1-6,

Interview: Occupational Culture and National and Regional Dimensions

As Organizational culture is our topic for this part of our CMGT 500 module, I spoke with an employee who is based in California but like many in this state, are field-based, working out of her home in the Los Angeles area.  I wondered if a company or organization has a strong or weak culture, how does it affect an employee who doesn’t work on campus (like our learning distance program), but works online and travels to the headquarters frequently to occasionally (Hofstede, 2009)?

For the last 20 years, Ms. Melissa De Chandt has worked for large and small pharmaceutical and biotech companies (all based in the Northeast region of the United
States. She has been a field-based employee (works out of her home) for 18 years beginning her home-office work career with Merck & Co., Inc., and is currently a medical science liaison with CSL Behring, a plasma company based in King of Prussia, PA, with R&D and manufacturing in Germany and Switzerland. 

The company (then called Berhringwerke) was founded in 1904 by Emil von Behring, the first recipient of the Nobel Prize in Medicine.  In 1916, the parent company, CSL Limited, was founded to supply vaccines to the people of Australia.  The company has specialized in providing plasma therapies to improve the quality of life for people with rare and serious diseases worldwide.

Her territory is the entire United States.  She works with physicians, both clinical and academic, who are Knowledge Opinion Leaders (KOL) regarding academic research.

Her work puts her in contact with many physicians and patients in medical offices and academic environments on a weekly basis.  Many of her physician contacts are part of her personal social network as many of her interactions do take place at conferences and dinners sponsored by her company.

Since she is field-based, she travels back to her company’s headquarters once a month, and the bulk of her travel is across the country to particular physicians who are members of her companies advisory boards.

In my interview I asked here about what type of culture do she think her company  embodies (Sorensen, 2009)?  “Since we have been acquiring smaller companies and trying to integrate them into our complete structure,  our culture currently  isn’t as strong as with other companies I’ve worked with in my experience."

 

I felt that she embraces more of the academic and company culture of the other liaisons that are based in California mores than perhaps her company, though she receives incentives and formal structure as well as SOPs rules and regulations from her company in Pennsylvania.

 
I believe that for a California-based employee who works for an East Coast-based  company on a permanent basis may be gaining more of a region-based occupational culture  (Hofstede, 2009) infusion that to some extent, partially replacing the east coast work culture, despite the strength a company may have in its headquarters. 

Our situation as students, attending class online with support and from the MCM program and MyUSC, provide us with a modicum of strong organizational culture, but given Sorensen’s assertions on strong culture (2002) I feel we are still able to function within the volatility of what is a full-time student and working professional’s life.

References

Denison, D.R. & Mishra, A.K. (1995). Toward a theory of organizational culture and effectiveness. Organization Science, 6, 204-223.

Hofstede, G. (2006). Dimensionalizing Cultures: The Hofstede Model in Context. Online Readings in Psychology and Culture. 

Sorenson, J. (20092 The Strength of corporate culture and the reliability of firm performance. Administrative Science Quarterly 47, 70- 91

Sorenson, J. (2009) Note on Organizational Culture. Harvard Business School, pp. 1-6

Managing Culture

Interview: Talk to someone in an organization about what you read about. Ask them whether their experiences are consistent with the ideas presented in the readings, how the ideas might be useful in their work, etc.

I interviewed a friend, who runs a successful sports website. His website attracts a lot daily traffic from a specific demographic of men. I chose him because I wanted to gauge how website managers develop and execute their organizational culture. Further, I wanted to learn how he handles internal and external cultural problems (Sorenson, 2009).

Beforehand, I explained this week’s readings.

Interviewer: Sorenson (2009) states that a manager or the employee can influence culture. How has your organization’s culture been created? Did you establish it, or did it naturally develop from your employees?

Participant: I like to think that I established the culture, but I also feel it naturally developed over time with the help of my team members. I put together a group of like-minded individuals. Collectively the company culture organically found its identity.

Interviewer: A strong culture exists when employees of an organization share the same values and beliefs (Sorenson, 2009). Would you consider your culture strong? Why?

Participant: I would consider our culture strong because it is a flat structure. As long as everyone handles their duties, the less bureaucratic it has to be.

Interviewer: Sorenson (2009) also states that organizations with strong cultures have a hard time adjusting to external change. Do you agree with that statement? And, is your organization or staff affected by external pressure from your users, competition, and environment?

Participant: That's tough to answer because we haven't really had to face external change yet. I would like to think we would handle it ok.

Interviewer: Consistent organizations harness strong cultures (Denison & Mishra, 1995). However, there is a downside to consistency because it “is that highly consistent cultures are often the most resistant to change and adaptation” (Denison & Mishra, 1995, p. 215). Do you find yourself constantly changing the landscape of your organization’s culture to fit the demands of being relevant? Or do you remain consistent and true to your original culture?

Participant: We remain consistent and true to our culture because that's what sets us apart from our competitors. We have no constraints with our culture.

Interviewer: Adapting to external pressure for the betterment of your internal structure is a characteristic for effectiveness (Denison & Mishra, 1995). Do you find it hard to adapt to pressure? When do you decide to adapt to external change?

Participant: No, I do not find it hard to adapt to pressure.

Interviewer: Hofstede (2006) has said that masculinity values differ from femininity values. Since your site’s demographics draw a majority of males, do you think your organization’s culture is stronger due to your staff being all male? Do you change your language and verbiage to be more sensitive to your few female users?

Participant: Being that our whole staff is male we find it very easy to relate to our male-heavy demographic. We understand what they want to see.

Interviewer: Overall, please sum up your organization’s culture in one sentence.

Participant: Our culture is the ideal habitat for the nurturing of ideas and exercising imagination.

During the interview, I learned that an organization does not have to be open to adapting to change. Yet, having an open mind about adapting can make a culture stronger. I also learned that an organization should be sensitive to other cultures. Plus, the manager or the employee can shape the culture. I think a culture is best when the employees have an invested interest in the organizational structure and culture.

The participant confirmed that he created his organization’s culture, but that the employees also helped shape it. He hired individuals who already shared the same values and beliefs (Sorenson, 2009). The organization is said to possess a strong culture and has not faced external pressures thus far.

Two characteristics are responsible for his strong culture. Consistency and adaptability, as stated by the individual, allow the organization to run smoothly without any visible hitches (Denison & Mishra, 1995). The organization is resistant to change. Further, he does not have a problem with offending external cultures like femininity because his demographic is male.

His response to the final question summed up his whole organization’s culture. “Nurturing of ideas and exercising imagination” (Interview) is a powerful statement. The statement verifies that he listens to his employees and that his employees’ opinions matter. When employees feel understood by the management, then they work harder for the organization (Sorenson, 2009).

Denison, D.R. & Mishra, A.K. (1995). Toward a theory of organizational culture and effectiveness. Organization Science, 6, 204- 223.

Hofstede, G. (2006). Dimensionalizing cultures: The Hofstede model in context. Online Readings in Psychology and Culture.

Sorenson, J. (2009). Note on organizational culture. Harvard Business School, 1-6.

'Stretching' to Achieve Sustained Excellence

Inevitably, whenever I begin to dive into the readings of each week of CMGT 500, I drift into my imaginary dream world, in which I am the chairman and CEO of an industry leading medical technology company.  If organizational culture is assumed behaviors and/or assumptions (Sorenson, 2009) developed within a firm, what organizational culture would I promote and support within my (imaginary) company?

Immediately upon asking this question, two words come to mind: high performance – distancing my company in market share from the competition – and high margin (Merrill Lynch, 200) – year-over-year sales growth and expansion of capabilities, breadth of offering, and service.  Sure, these are lofty goals, especially considering the ever-decreasing timeframe of competitive advantages in today’s innovative industries (Gailbraith, 2002), but setting the bar high has its advantages.

This “setting the bar high” mentality would characterize the culture developed at my firm.  In order to exceed expectations quarter after quarter, a company must always set ambitious goals.  In the article (see references section), Kerr and Landauer (2004) define this practice as implementing stretch goals, or goals that are seemingly difficult, but not impossible, to reach (Kerr & Landauer, 2004). 

Themes can be drawn between the Kerr and Landauer (2004) article and the readings from CMGT 500 this week.  Hofstede (2006) includes a process oriented v. results oriented paradox as a dimension of organizational culture and this paradox closely resembles the two purposes of stretch goals.  Goldman Sachs implements a process oriented (Hostede, 2006) type of “stretch” culture where the primary purpose of their stretch goals is to develop a strong cadre of future leaders (Kerr & Landauer, 2004).  GE takes a results-oriented (Hofstede, 2006) approach by using stretch goals to improve effectiveness and profitability (Kerr & Landauer, 2004). 

If the rule is that a strong corporate culture inhibits a firm’s ability to change and adapt to a dynamic environment (Sorenson, 2009), then there are certainly exceptions.  GE and GS both enjoyed long periods of growth in dynamic industries by promoting this strong corporate culture of overachievement.  In fact, Denison and Mishra’s (1995) four cultural traits of effective organizations can be integrated with a stretch goal approach because of the “conversations, energy, and activities” (Kerr & Landauer) stimulated by lofty expectations.

Some might argue that there are numerous weaknesses in such a stretch goal culture.  Such a culture could produce perpetually unhappy employees who never reach established goals.  Well, just like any other organizational strategy, stretch goals must be tactfully used in order to be effective.  GE learned that stretch goals could only be positioned for a select number of employees in designated departments (Kerr & Landauer, 2004), and that there should be a scientific way of handling failure in a results oriented stretch goal culture.

For those companies that seek to provide maximum equity for shareholders (Franklin, 2008), stretch goals are devices worth considering.

                                                                                           References

Denison, D.R. & Mishra, A.K. (1995) Toward a theory of organizational culture and effectiveness.Organization Science, 6, 204-223.

Galbraith, J.R. (2002)Designing Organizations, pp. 73-90 (Chapter 6)

Hofstede, G. (2006). Dimensionalizing Cultures: The Hofstede Model in Context. Online Readings in Psychology and Culture. (full article)

Kerr, S. & Landauer, S. (2004).  Using Stretch Goals to Promote Organizational Effectiveness and Personal Growth: General Electric and Goldman Sachs. The Academy of Management Executive, 18 (4).

Merrill Lynch. (2000). How To Read A Financial Report Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated

Sorenson, J. (2009) Note on Organizational Culture, Harvard Business School, pp. 1-6

A local view of culture

I decided for this week’s assignment on culture that it might be fun to look a little closer to home. Austin’s unique local culture is something that gets talked about a lot: “Keep Austin Weird” is a favorite, often used motto. I wondered how the unique Austin culture might be reflected in local companies and turned to an interview conducted by Texas CEO Magazine to see what one local entrepreneur had to say.

Bazaarvoice is a fast growing Software as a Service startup company in Austin. They help companies such as Best Buy and Macy’s to positively impact sales by assisting them in creating and managing programs for online customer reviews (Habel, 2010). It has been voted as one of the best places to work in Austin since 2007, and according to an interview by Texas CEO Magazine, the founder and CEO of Bazaarvoice, Brett Hurt, attributes their success to the organization’s culture (Habel, 2010).

Hurt didn’t reveal too many details about what the Bazaarvoice culture looked like, but he did share an element that he considered important in building the company’s culture (Habel, 2010).  According to Hurt, establishing the culture at Bazaarvoice begins with investing heavily in making sure that they hire the right person for the job (Habel, 2010).  The hiring process includes giving all potential employees a test, which requires 12 to 16 hours of studying on the part of the candidates. If candidates make it through the test, it’s as though they’ve been through a rite of passage and they are included “in the club” (Habel, 2010).

This hiring process creates a strong organizational culture, as described by Sorensen (2009) and is a necessary step for Bazaarvoice because, as Hurt states, “Having high retention is incredibly important for culture” (Habel, 2010). By keeping long-term employees, the company is ensuring that their culture will be maintained (Sorensen, 2009). Interestingly, this seems to be an approach similar to the “socialization” approached used by P&G to onboard new hires (Denison & Mishra, 1995, p. 212).

One of the few specific aspects of the Bazaarvoice culture that Hurt does discuss is the company’s trust based vacation policy (Habel, 2010). The company doesn’t issue any formal vacation policy – no formal accrual or tracking; instead the company relies on the employees to make the right decisions about their time off. Hurt argued that this might be “one of [their] most radical cultural policies” (Habel, 2010). This is reminiscent of how People Express sought to maintain a “highly egalitarian organizational culture” through “innovative human resource practices” (Denison & Mishra, 1995, p. 210).

It may not be possible to determine whether or not the unique Austin culture influenced the practices adopted by Bazaarvoice. It is interesting, though, to find that the CEO views the company’s culture to be a critical element in the success the company has achieved. Based on the brief interview conducted by Texas CEO Magazine, it appears that Bazaarvoice has a strong culture with high levels of involvement (Denison & Mishra, 1995).  Although this is currently serving the organization well, will it ultimately lead, as Denison and Mishra (1995) suggest, to their inability to adapt in the future?

References

Denison, D. R. & Mishra, A. K. (1995). Toward a theory of organizational culture and effectiveness. Organization Science, 6, 204-223

Habel, S. (2010, May). The culture cure – Brett Hurt, CEO, Bazaarvoice. Texas CEO Magazine. Retrieved from http://texasceomagazine.com/features/brett-hurt-from-austins-bazaarvoice-talks-about-the-importance-of-culture/

Sorenson, J. (2009). Note on organizational culture. Harvard Business School, 1-6.

Three questions on Organizational Culture with a college Athletic Director

This week’s readings dealt with organizational culture, so to get a sense of how an organizational culture is implemented and maintained, I interviewed a college Athletic Director with over 15 years experience in the position.  Because this person is still working in their current role as Athletic Director, I have changed their name in this post to ‘YY’.

AM:  One of the primary problems our readings discussed in regards to organizational culture is that managers commonly need to make decisions quickly, without consulting the higher-ups in the organization (Note on Organizational Culture, p. 1).  Because of this, if you have managers with different sets of ideals, it might be hard to complete the basic strategic tasks of your organization (p. 1).  What have you found is the best strategy in regards to training your managers to make the best decision possible quickly while also keeping in mind the organization’s culture and goals?

YY:  I think that if you as the boss believe in the culture you have established, and the organization’s goals and philosophies, that can rub off on your employees.   People can see through phony words, so if you don’t really believe in what you are selling them, they will see right through it.  If you genuinely are behind the culture you’re instilling, it’s evident.  If people believe in you as their boss, they will believe in the culture you are establishing.  So I think the best strategy is to train your employees as best you can in regards to what you want and how you want it done, but with a sense of belief and pride in what you’re teaching.  That can be infectious, and it can cause your managers to make the right decisions for your company.  If you believe, they’ll believe.

AM:  Another problem companies face is maintaining their culture through employee turnover (Note on Organizational Culture, p. 1).  How have you managed to maintain your department’s culture with the high turnover rate you’ve experienced in the past ten years?

YY:  This hasn’t been a real problem for us, because I think the main thing you have to focus on is consistently bringing in the right people to fit your philosophy, and to fit your department’s culture.  Once you have the culture you want and the precedents you want to set, you simply hire people who fit that mold.  It’s much like being a college athletics coach.  You have in mind a style of play you want to implement; a system that you feel will be successful over the long-term and in the short-term.  In order for it to truly be successful, though, you have to consistently bring in players that fit your philosophy, and fit your culture.  That’s what I’ve tried to do in hiring new employees, and so far it has worked.  We are looking for smart, laid-back people who are able to problem-solve and work under tight budgets, because that’s what our current situation dictates.  So if you consistently find those people your organizational culture won’t skip a beat.

AM:  Lastly, an organizational culture is said to be strong wen the basic assumptions are widely shared by the members of the organization itself (Note on Organizational Culture, p. 2).  Based on this statement, do you feel your department currently has a strong organizational culture?

YY:  I think it does, yes.  I do not micro-manage my employees, but I do let them know from the outset what my expectations are, and am quick to correct when I feel they are not being met.  I think that has helped maintain the organizational culture, and has helped it remain strong among our employees.  We are not a high-paying establishment, so people have to be behind what our department stands for, and believe in where they are working, to remain happy with their job.  I think this has been one of the things that keeps us going, the fact that we have found dedicated employees who are not solely motivated by the numbers on their paycheck.  It’s created an organizational culture that is a great fit for our institution, and for college athletics as a whole.  We are a team here, and that’s evident in how we treat each other.  That’s the culture you have to have in this line of work, so it’s certainly nice to see.

Conclusions

I found it very interesting that YY stated that they routinely try to find the best organizational fit in terms of hiring new employees.  This is direct contrast to our readings from this week, which state that ‘an exclusive reliance on selecting new employees based on cultural fit is a difficult (i.e., expensive and time-consuming) means of creating a strong culture, and is difficult to sustain with even moderate levels of employee turnover or growth’ (Note on Organizational Culture, p. 3).  I think this is due to the fact that the department is extremely small, comprised of only 11 full-time employees.  This means there isn’t quite as much turnover as in a larger organization, so it might not be as hard to find the right fits for such a small department. 

Also, I liked the concept of projecting belief in the culture you are setting out as the head of the organization/department.  This is something I feel significantly motivates employees, and creates belief in the system you are implementing.  If you are instituting a culture just because you feel it’s best, people can see that.  But if you truly believe in it, that shows as well, and it’s contagious.  This is what YY has been able to do extremely well, and their employees buy in to the culture.  It’s a powerful motivational tool that ultimately doesn’t cost a dime, and can create an extremely strong organizational culture in the process.

References

Sorenson, J. (2009). Note on Organizational Culture. Stanford Business School, pp. 1-6.

Organizational culture: A wife’s perspective

As we prepare to head down to the stretch this semester, I thought of a rather novel way to get my spouse  involved in my classwork.  My wife Sharon, who should be awarded some type of degree (or medal) for being very patient and encouraging over the last couple of months, has agreed to be interviewed on the subject of organizational culture.  Sharon has had the unique opportunity to work for a medium-sized corporation in the technology field, as well as smaller, faith-based, non-profit organization.  My focus for this discussion is to compare the organizational culture of both groups, especially from the stand-point of the inherent differences that would exist because of diversity in organizational type.  I have changed the names of the organizations that will be discussed for privacy considerations.

When formulating my questions for the interview, I wanted to base those questions on two areas.  First of all, I wanted to explore the idea that organizational culture influences organizational effectiveness (Denison and Mishra, 2010).  The other area would be how an organization’s culture might affect transfer of knowledge and learning within the organization (Lucas & Kline, 2008).

Sharon’s former employer (Company A) was a medium-sized organization based in Birmingham, with approximately 300 employees.  The company specializes in business process management with a focus on electronic document imaging systems.  Company A is an operational division of a larger international corporation (Corporation A), that provides technology and processing solutions to organizations in the public, educational and financial sectors.  Sharon’s position at Company A was Marketing & Events Manager.  Her current employer (Company B) is located in a suburb of Birmingham.  The organization is a local, faith-based, non-profit organization with almost 100 employees.  Her current position is Web & Print Manager for the Communications Department at Company B.

DT: Tell me some of the differences between how you think the culture of Company  A was compared to Company B?  And when I say culture think along the lines of the attitudes, values, beliefs and behavior of the people you have worked for and worked with.

ST:  Okay, I’ll start with Company A. It was basically what anyone would think of a larger company.  It was very “corporate.”  A bunch of “suits.” You sort of got the idea that you were not a person to the company, but just a cog in the wheel.   The attitudes of both managers and other employees were very business-like. Sometimes it was very noticeable that there was little or no concern for us all as people.  And I guess we were all expected to be the same way.  The managers in my area and the upper managers were totally driven by results.  I think a lot of times that was the only thing they cared about.  I would say they did not motivate us to do our jobs for rewards and recognition or for having a happy experience.  They were all about the bottom line and they didn’t care who the stepped on to get that.

DT:  How does that compare to Company B?

ST:  Its night and day!  The reason that Company B exists is to help people in our community, to give them support.  It is not all about money.  I think it’s about a desire to use our work to serve and the rewards that we all get inside by doing that.  And all of the people I work for and work with are very much like me.  And I think it is a much more positive place to work.  We all seem to care about one another and help out when we need to so we can make sure that we get our work done. It is like a  that we are all in this for the same reasons.  Since most of my co-workers and I have a lot of things in common, and we are not just focused on taking home a check every two weeks, I guess we have the same thoughts about what we do and where we are headed.  I love going to work every day not just because I enjoy my work, but because I enjoy being around the people I work with.

DT:  Do you think that the things you just told me about both of the companies (organizational culture) has a positive or negative effect on how you do your job and how successful you are at your job?

ST:  When I feel good about going to work and being around a group of people, that motivates me.  I dreaded going to work every day when I was with Company A.  It became an office full of sad-looking people.  But I love my job now and I love going in everyday and spending time with all the people I work with.  And I think they feel the same about me.  Since we all really work well together without a lot of conflict and knowing we are all working for the same thing, our interactions with each other and even with people outside really are almost always positive, upbeat, cooperative and friendly.  My job allows me to really do my job without a lot of negative influences, that my co-workers trust me to do my job, as I trust them.  Now that’s not to say that there are never disagreements, but even then, I think we work through them much quicker because we usually do work great together.  Maybe it is just that we have compassion about each other as people. And I am talking about co-workers and managers alike.

DT:  Do you think that a positive work environment where everyone is on the same page makes it easier to accomplish the goals that you have personally and the goals that the organization has for everyone?

ST:  Absolutely.  We all work together to make things happen.  And I have been able to learn a lot about things that I did not have any experience in.  I think most everyone else feels the same way.  We get a lot of personal satisfaction from doing our work and we can learn and grow very easily.  We don’t get pigeon-holed into a single thing.  Like I said there is not a lot of conflict. I don’t have some of the tension and stress that I’ve had in other jobs.  We all treat each other with kindness and respect.  Our mangers act like this and I think that they try to set an example for all of us to follow.  We expect this from each other now.  And I don’t mean that we demand it.  I guess since we’ve learned that our work environment has worked so well, that anything other than acting that way would “upset the apple cart.”

DT:  You talk a lot about how much you all think and act alike and that this helps to foster a positive environment.  Do you think that a good work environment like you have helps to keep good people working there?

ST:  Well, I’ve been there seven years and have no desire to leave.  My boss has been there 12 years.  And our creative technical director has been there 10 years.  That is just in my area.  There is very little turnover with the people who have full-time jobs.  And all the part-time workers hang on as long as they can in hopes of a full-time position opening up.  I think when you like where you work, like who you work with and your job makes you happy, there is no reason to go anywhere else.  I don’t think I ever want to go back to work in “corporate America.”  It is just so cut-throat.  Everyone is out for themselves, and there are some selfish and self-centered people out there.  There are so many great things about working at Company B.  I would probably give up a chance to go somewhere else, doing what I do now, making more money.  There are some thing that are worth more than money.  I am happy where I am.  And I feel like that all of our employees are part of something much bigger and more important than ourselves.  That is very satisfying.

DT:  Anything else you’d like to add?

ST:  I think that is about it.  Desperate Housewives is on right now anyway!

DT: Thank you!

From the interview, we can see that a highly-positive work environment that is fostered by a positive organizational culture has many advantages.  It would appear that shared mission and purpose of Sharon’s current employer has a positive impact on organizational effectiveness (Denison and Mishra, 2010).    It can be deduced from her story that Company B’s employees work well individually and collectively to accomplish goals. And, management does not hinder their efforts in any way.  The company’s culture is such that tasks should be easier to complete and  collaboration will usually be cooperative and successful (Denison and Mishra, 2010).    Looking at the knowledge transfer and learning activities of this positive environment, it would most likely result greater levels of learning across the company.  Employees would likely not be resistant to sharing knowledge with others, and this sharing can only serve to make the company stronger (Lucas & Kline, 2008).

 

References

Denison, D.R. & Mishra, A.K., (1995).  Toward a theory of organizational culture and effectiveness.    Organization Science, 6, 204-223.

Sorenson, J., (2009). Note on organizational culture. Harvard Business School, 1-6.

Lucas, C., & Kline, T. (2008). Understanding the influence of organizational culture and group

            dynamics on organizational change and learning. The Learning Organization, 15(3), 277-287.