Exam 14: Organizational Culture

A major consulting firm is offering a special service whereby it is able to determine the organization's dominant culture and some of its subcultures.The firm says that it does this by statistically analyzing the words and phrases in the company's annual reports,news releases and public speeches by the company's senior executives.The consultancy claims that this is an effective way of identifying the organization's culture because it does not collect any information inside the organization and,consequently,doesn't take time from any employees.Discuss the merits and limitations of this consultancy's ability to determine an organization's culture.

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Question 1

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Understanding an organization's culture requires painstaking assessment of many artifacts because they are subtle and often ambiguous.Consequently,we should be skeptical about claims that a consultancy can assess an organization's culture quickly through an analysis of public statements.Moreover,public statements are more likely to express an organization's espoused values-the values people say they believe in-rather than its enacted values-the values that actually guide individual decisions and behaviour in the workplace.To effectively analyze an organization's culture,consultants need to investigate subtle artifacts,ranging from daily rituals to the physical workspace.

Values represent an important invisible part of an organization's culture.

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Question 2

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True

Employees with a transactional psychological contract:

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Question 3

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An organization's culture can either support or undermine ethical conduct among employees.

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Question 4

The attraction-selection-attrition (ASA)theory may explain why people who don't fit the culture are often weeded out.

(True/False)

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Question 5

The two types of psychological contracts are transactional and reciprocal.

(True/False)

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Question 6

Reality shock occurs when you perceive a discrepancy between your pre-employment expectations and on-the-job reality.

(True/False)

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Question 7

The best way to determine an organization's shared assumptions is to:

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Question 8

Corporate cults are preferred,because they help suppress subcultures within organizations.

(True/False)

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Question 9

Most studies have found that reward systems have little or no effect on strengthening corporate culture.

(True/False)

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Question 10

A strong corporate culture exists when employees are forced to abide by a particular set of organizational values whether or not they believe in those values.

(True/False)

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Question 11

In corporate cults,the culture is so strong that it focuses employees so much on one mental model that they may fail to see issues from different perspectives.

(True/False)

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Question 12

Some recently-graduated engineering students mentioned that they are disillusioned with their first full-time jobs following graduation.These students claim that this disillusionment mainly occurs because organizations aren't honest with job applicants.Use your knowledge of the pre-employment stages of organizational socialization to explain whether or not their allegations are true.

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Question 13

Values represent the deepest part of an organization's culture.

(True/False)

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Question 14

Organizational culture serves what purpose in organizations?

(Multiple Choice)

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Question 15

Organizational culture defines what is important and unimportant in the company and,consequently,directs everyone in the organization toward the "right way" of doing things.

(True/False)

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Question 16

One of the first steps in a bicultural audit is to identify cultural differences between the merging companies.

(True/False)

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Question 17

Employees are willing to tolerate obligations that are not necessarily balance in the short-run when their psychological contract is:

(Multiple Choice)

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Question 18

Which part of organizational culture is closest to the "surface" (i.e.observable indicators)?

(Multiple Choice)

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Question 19

Organizational culture includes:

(Multiple Choice)

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Question 20

Showing 1 - 20 of 183

Values represent an important invisible part of an organization's culture.

Employees with a transactional psychological contract:

An organization's culture can either support or undermine ethical conduct among employees.

The attraction-selection-attrition (ASA)theory may explain why people who don't fit the culture are often weeded out.

The two types of psychological contracts are transactional and reciprocal.

Reality shock occurs when you perceive a discrepancy between your pre-employment expectations and on-the-job reality.

The best way to determine an organization's shared assumptions is to:

Corporate cults are preferred,because they help suppress subcultures within organizations.

Most studies have found that reward systems have little or no effect on strengthening corporate culture.

A strong corporate culture exists when employees are forced to abide by a particular set of organizational values whether or not they believe in those values.

In corporate cults,the culture is so strong that it focuses employees so much on one mental model that they may fail to see issues from different perspectives.

Values represent the deepest part of an organization's culture.

Organizational culture serves what purpose in organizations?

Organizational culture defines what is important and unimportant in the company and,consequently,directs everyone in the organization toward the "right way" of doing things.

One of the first steps in a bicultural audit is to identify cultural differences between the merging companies.

Employees are willing to tolerate obligations that are not necessarily balance in the short-run when their psychological contract is:

Which part of organizational culture is closest to the "surface" (i.e.observable indicators)?

Organizational culture includes:

Introduction to the Field of Organizational Behaviour

Individual Behaviour, Personality, and Values

Perceiving Ourselves and Others in Organizations

Workplace Emotions, Attitudes, and Stress

Foundations of Employee Motivation

Applied Performance Practices

Decision Making and Creativity

Team Dynamics

Communicating in Teams and Organizations

Power and Influence in the Workplace

Understanding and Managing Workplace Conflict

Leadership in Organizational Settings

Designing Organizational Structures

Organizational Change Additional Cases

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