WHAT IS ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE? There is no single definition for organizational culture.

The topic has been studied from a variety of perspectives ranging from disciplines such as anthropology and sociology, to the applied disciplines of organizational behavior, management science, and organizational communication. Some of the definitions are listed below: A set of common understandings around which action is organized, . . . finding expression in language whose nuances are peculiar to the group (Becker and Geer 1960). A set of understandings or meanings shared by a group of people that are largely tacit among members and are clearly relevant and distinctive to the particular group which are also passed on to new members (Louis 1980). A system of knowledge, of standards for perceiving, believing, evaluating and acting . . . that serve to relate human communities to their environmental settings (Allaire and Firsirotu 1984). The deeper level of basic assumptions and beliefs that are: learned responses to the group's problems of survival in its external environment and its problems of internal integration; are shared by members of an organization; that operate unconsciously; and that define in a basic "taken -for-granted" fashion in an organization's view of itself and its environment (Schein 1988). Any social system arising from a network of shared ideologies consisting of two components: substance-the networks of meaning associated with ideologies, norms, and values; and formsthe practices whereby the meanings are expressed, affirmed, and communicated to members (Trice and Beyer 1984). This sampling of definitions represents the two major camps that exist in the study of organizational culture and its "application strategies." The first camp views culture as implicit in social life. Culture is what naturally emerges as individuals transform themselves into social groups as tribes, communities, and ultimately, nations. The second camp represents the view that culture is an explicit social product arising from social interaction either as an intentional or unintentional consequence of behavior. In other words, culture is comprised of distinct observable forms (e.g., language, use of symbols, ceremonies, customs, methods of problem solving, use of tools or technology, and design of work settings) that groups of people create through social interaction and use to confront the broader social environment. (Wuthnow and Witten 1988). This second view of culture is most relevant to the analysis and evaluation of organizational culture and to cultural change strategies that leaders can employ to improve organizational performance. Effects of Organizational Culture The effects of organizational culture are many and varied. Obviously the affects of organizational culture varies depending on whether the company has a strong culture or a weak culture, but there are some generalities that apply. This article is going to focus on the positive effects that occur when a company makes a concerted effort to establish a strong positive organizational culture at the work place.

Many workers are spending more and more time at work. Depending on the job or company, many workers would put in 50, 60, or even more hours a week. The old axiom goes that a happy worker is a productive worker, and this is one of the effects of organizational culture. Workers want to enjoy work. They want to be interested in whatevers going on that day, or long term goals. Being part of something meaningful that the worker enjoys makes the whole experience of work better, which will make them more productive. The effects of organizational culture should help provide this setting. A strong organization will focus on the environment it creates for its workers because that will help encourage a more efficient and productive company. Focusing on building and sustaining organizational culture shows employees that they are considered an important part of the company. This type of company generally has among the best response from its employees and thus will also have a much better chance of achieving its goals. There are five major reasons for wanting to create an appropriate and positive organizational culture for your company: 1) A strong organizational culture will attract high level talent. The high level talent entering corporations want to go to the companies that offer opportunities for advancement and to show off their talents. The best people can be choosy and they will strongly consider the companies where the organizational culture appears effective and positive and the workers get along with each other and are united in their goals of making the company better. 2) A strong organizational culture will help to keep your top level talent. If workers love the job they are at, and feel like valuable members of a team, then theyre not likely to want to go to another company. A top notch culture will not only attract the best new talent, but help retain them afterwards. 3) A strong culture creates energy and momentum. Once a strong organizational culture is built, it will gain a momentum of its own and will help to allow people to feel valued and express themselves freely. The excitement and energy this will cause will end up being a positive influence that affects every part of the organization. 4) A strong and successful organizational culture should alter the employees view of work. Most people think of work as boring, aggravating, stressful, etc. Instead of thinking of work as a place you have to go, a solid culture can make employees look forward to work. If the workers love coming into the job, they are going to work harder, and put more effort into any job. Everyone wants a job that they enjoy, and most people are willing to work: but its easier to work hard in a job you enjoy than in one you hate. Same principle applies to everyone else, too. 5) A strong and positive organizational culture will help make everyone more efficient and successful. From the lowest mail room worker to the highest CEO, a strong culture helps everyone. You often hear this type of description made with a professional football team. One of the best teams for years is the New England Patriots are known for having team players and a team system and their success has been amazing despite giant turnover. A strong organizational culture can breed success, and its importance should not be discounted.

Effects of Organizational Culture on Employee Morale Every Organization has a culture. It has its own cultural forms that constitute the expected, supported and accepted way of behaving. These norms are mostly unwritten and tell employees the way things really are. These influence everyone's perception of the business from the chief executive to the lowest rank. Employees from all cadres of any organization contribute to the success or failure of the organization, to the norms by accepting and supporting them. ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE: CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK Stanley Davis commented on this concept as follows: corporate culture is the pattern of shared beliefs and values that give the member of an institution meaning and provide them with the rules for behaviour in their organization. Campbell, Dunnelte and Lawler have commented that organizational culture is concerned with how employees perceive the six basic characteristics such as individual, autonomy, structure, reward, consideration and conflict. Every organization will have its own word to describe what it mean by culture, Some of them are core, ethos, ideology, manner, patterns, philosophy, purpose, roots, style, vision and way. CONSTITUTES OF THE CULTURE Davis says that ''People have all sorts of beliefs from profound to trivial''. Corporate culture is made up of the two dimensions, viz guiding beliefs and daily beliefs. Guiding beliefs, they come in two varieties. There are external beliefs about how to compete and how to direct the business and there are internal beliefs about how to manage, how to direct the organization. These are the roots and principles upon which the organization is built the philosophical foundation of the organization. They are held in the realm of universal truths and are broad enough to accommodate any variety of circumstances. Daily beliefs are rules and feelings about everyday behavior. They are situational and change to meet circumstances. They tell people the ropes to skip and the ropes to know. FUNCTIONS OF ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE A growing organization cannot neglect its human side. Employees are the real fortune makers who make the organization a strong and growing unit. It becomes necessary for management to nurture the spirit of oneness and to develop an organizational entity. Organisational culture performs four different types of functions. (i) The fooling of organisational identify No Organization can grow without strong commitment of its employees to the cause of organization. Organisational culture has its own ability to attract develop and keep talented people. (ii) Collective Commitment

Organisational development is the result of group efforts. Culture is that invisible bond of emotions and feeling that ties employees at various levels to develop collective commitment. (iii) Socialization of Members The organizational culture develops uniform system of promotions, remuneration and behaviour patterns which can socialize the employees without any group conflicts and ideological clashes. (iv) Desired Behavioural Pattern The employees must understand their surroundings; they should learn to behave according to basic philosophy of business. No organization can succeed for a long if it has not given proper understanding of its surroundings to its employees. IMPACT OF ORGANISATIONSAL CULTURE ON EMPLOYEE MORALE The nature of corporate culture that exists in a company is going to decide the degree to which the desired results from the employees are obtained. The common perceptions of the individual members about the organisation determines the types of the organisational culture, individuals with realm of universal truths and are broad enough to accommodate any variety of circumstance. An organisation culture consists of two primary components. (i) The primary value of the organization and (ii) The existing management style and systems. These two components significantly determine the degree to which the desired result from the employees is obtained. The value system to which the employees support directly or indirectly or by their behaviour indicates the direction in which organizations are likely to move in the future. A strong culture is a powerful lover for guiding behaviour. It helps the employees to do their job better. The essence of the organizational culture can be stated in its five characteristics namely. (i) Individual autonomy (ii) Organisational Structure (iii) Reward organisation (iv) Consideration and (v) Conflict Organisationals culture is concerned with how employees perceive each of the five characteristics slated above whether it may be positive or negative. An effective culture is a system of informal rules that spell out how employees are behaving most of the time. It also enables people to feel better about what they do, so they are more likely to work harder. It provides a sense of common direction and guidelines for day to day behaviours.

CONCLUSION Culture helps the organization to accomplish what it desires to achieve. The corporate culture as a management programme has great motivating impact to motivate employees to improve their own and organizational performance. Organizational Culture's Effects on a Manager's Role Each business has an organizational culture no matter how big or small. A business can informally develop a culture without the guiding hand of management or ownership, or the company can create its own culture using a system of values and performance standards. A manager's role in a company's culture depends on how the business wants the manager to interact with other employees and how much authority the business gives the manager. Manager as Disciplinarian A small business' organizational culture may force a manager into the role of disciplinarian to police and correct employee behavior. A manager functioning in this role may issue verbal or written warnings to employees not operating according to the company's mission statement or operational standards and conduct performance reviews to make employees aware of what areas require improvement. A manager in a disciplinarian role may have a difficult time establishing interpersonal relationships with other employees because workers see the manager as an authority figure first and a coworker a distant second. Interaction With Employees Conversely, an organization with a disseminated leadership culture where each employee takes part in a company's business strategy may install managers in roles indistinguishable from floor-level employees. A small business with only a handful of employees can accomplish this easily. A disseminated leadership culture allows managers to build better working relationships with employees while still supervising employee performance and reporting to company owners. Managers in this model achieve a more relaxed form of interaction with subordinates because employees see them as actual human beings and not simply the manifestation of the employer's will. Setting the Example Regardless of the organizational culture, a manager must serve as the model for that culture for other employees to emulate. For example, a small-business owner wishing to see more employee teamwork must have a manager who is able to work directly with employees and foster a team atmosphere. Since the culture of a business may shift over time, this also requires a manager to be versatile and easily adaptable to change. The quicker a manager can illustrate the proper model of a company's desired culture, the faster employees will adopt it. Rewarding Proper Behavior A manager's role within a small business' culture may require her to reward employees who properly display the company's desired qualities. Rewards can take the form of simple praise within the workplace or may include higher grades on performance reviews, which can lead to promotions and higher rates of pay. Rewarding employees for perpetuating proper organizational culture shows workers that owners and management value each worker's place in the company and are serious about maintaining standards. Organizations have formally stated values, often posted on the wall. But organizations can also have informal values that run counter to the overall success of the organization. These dysfunctional messages sabotage performance, almost like a living Dilbert cartoon.

Examples are practices such as screw up and move up where managers promote their problem employees into other departments. Or organizational insanity where nothing changes but management keeps expecting different results. The lesson? You need to identify and correct dysfunctions in your informal culture. Research the types of dysfunction in organizations, and investigate what employees believe is dysfunctional in your organization. This can be determined through both quantitative and qualitative methods. Then meet to go over the list, identify examples that have occurred, and figure out how to eliminate them. As difficult as this task is to imagine, the task of transforming an organizational culture is just as overwhelming. The culture of an organization is like a river. It can be fluid, strong and consistent, serving as a lubricant while guiding its members in the right direction. In contrast, a river can become stale and toxic, silently killing those who drink at its shore (Kaufman 2002). Regardless of the state of the river, it is nearly impossible to turn its direction. Whether vibrant or toxic, changing the culture of an organization is a daunting task! As an organization develops, successes and failures can be measured. When dysfunction is detected and cultural change is called for, cultures do not readily adjust. When a toxic culture exists, major overhaul is needed. An organizations culture can endure while change is going on all through the organization. "Leaders die, products become obsolete, markets change, new technologies emerge, management fads come and go. but core ideology in a great company endures as a source of guidance and inspiration" (Collins and Porras 1998). The transformation of an organization is often seen as the leaders responsibility to address but the subordinates task to receive and implement. On paper this seems ideal. The leader will cast a new or improved vision. Supposedly, as told by many trainers, the subordinates may resist at first but with consistent, forceful and at times manipulative motivation techniques they will eventually give in. Zap! A new culture will emerge. But in reality this has proven to be a false notion. Most 'transformation leadership' has resulted in pseudo and temporary change, which in fact simply serves as a thin veneer over a new superficial, frustrated, and increasingly toxic culture. A serious mistake made by many leaders is to try to forcefully change the mindsets of those within an organization. Managers often force, rather than lead, change. However, organizational transformation imposed on followers first is resisted and resented by the followers. Successful leaders first impose change on themselves and then cultivate it in others. The Center for Organized Change in San Diego identifies several pitfalls when implementing organizational change: 1) Managers lack integrity. Their words and actions are inconsistent. 2) Unrealistic expectations are set with no system to measure success or failure. 3) Systems remain unchanged. 4) Managers are impatient with the process. Most managers want results immediately and are not committed to investing years to see results. 5) Management often tries to force the issue through buzzwords and force. 6) Leaders resort to training as the main tool of transformation.

Again, note from the above pitfalls the problem of imposed transformation and subordinate compliance. In reality no one is really changing! The leaders are imposing and the subordinates are 'giving in'. When attempting to implement change, such leaders assume there is something wrong with the commitment and values of the subordinate. This is the main fallacy in most transformation models. There is an unhealthy emphasis on analyzing what is wrong in othersparticularly those below the leader in the hierarchy and their subordinates. This wrong emphasis results in creating or intensifying a toxic culture within the organization. Many managers have been affirmed in the philosophy that the manager is right and the subordinates are wrong. This is not only seen in business organizations, but in schools, church organizations and in the home. Parenting 101 at its finest can be seen in the boardroom, classroom, and pulpit. Popular transformation theory involves treating people like machines that need to be fixed. It places all responsibility for real change on the subordinates while the leader spends his or her time rethinking systems, analyzing breakdowns, destroying morale, and recasting the vision. This skewed concept is incorrect in its emphasis, process, and results. Legitimate transformation is organic. It must be cultivated and nourished. The leader sets the example in the transformation process. Anything short of this simply creates a culture of compliance rather than commitment. Peter Senge greatly impacted the way we view organizations when he introduced us to a new paradigmcreating organizations that are built around learning. In an interview with Fast Company he said, "Perhaps treating companies like machines keeps them from changing, or makes changing them much more difficult. We keep bringing mechanics when what we need are gardeners. We keep trying to drive changewhen what is needed is to cultivate change." (Webber 2002) In order to be a leader who cultivates change there must be digging and discovery. The self-mastery mindset of the gardener is developed in the first of Senge's five learning disciplines (Senge 1990). Senge's approach brings the leader to a place of self-analysis, reeducating the way the leader thinks regarding organizational culture. The leader is called to distinguish him or herself as the trendsetter within the organization. The truly liberated leader, who is championing the cause of transformation, reaches for the garden shovel rather than the presentation pointer, the mirror versus the magnifying glass. The transformational leader wears the mantle of humility, and has the mindset of a farmer rather than a mechanic. Senge says, "Leaders must approach change as if they were growing something rather than changing something". True transformation begins within the heart and mind of the leader. The leader sees the organization as a garden where life can spring forth. Through personal development the leader becomes a true learner. Change begins where learning and unlearning begins. Senge admits, "Most people in the organization other than the leader can't make deep changes; they act out of compliance rather than commitment." Organizations rely on the transformation of its leaders rather than the transformation of subordinates or systems. The process that actually implements change often moves from the leader to small groups and then to the rest of the organization. However transformation can only leave paper and theory and come into reality once the leader of the organization is liberated in his or her

own learning and self development. The leader becomes a learning leader and then the learning leader cultivates a learning organization. In that garden transformation is inevitable!