CULTURE Definition

Broadly, social heritage of a group (organized community or society). It is a pattern of responses discovered, developed, or invented during the group's history of handling problems which arise from interactions among its members, and between them and their environment. These responses are considered the correct way to perceive, feel, think, and act, and are passed on to the new members through immersion and teaching. Culture determines what is acceptable or unacceptable, important or unimportant, right or wrong, workable or unworkable. It encompasses all learned and shared, explicit or tacit, assumptions, beliefs, knowledge, norms, and values, as well as attitudes, behavior, dress, and language. See also organizational culture.

ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE Definition

The values and behaviors that contribute to the unique social and psychological environment of an organization. Organizational culture includes an organization's expectations, experiences, philosophy, and values that hold it together, and is expressed in its self-image, inner workings, interactions with the outside world, and future expectations. It is based on shared attitudes, beliefs, customs, and written and unwritten rules that have been developed over time and are considered valid. Also called corporate culture, it's shown in (1) the ways the organization conducts its business, treats its employees, customers, and the wider community, (2) the extent to which freedom is allowed in decision making, developing new ideas, and personal expression, (3) how power and information flow through its hierarchy, and (4) how committed employees are towards collective objectives. It affects the organization's productivity and performance, and provides guidelines on customer care and service, product quality and safety, attendance and punctuality, and concern for the environment. It also extends to production-methods, marketing and advertising practices, and to new product creation. Organizational culture is unique for every organization and one of the hardest things to change.

Meaning of Organisational Culture

Its a system of shared meaning and beliefs held by organizational members that determines, in large degree, how they act. It represents a common perception held by the organizations members. Just as tribal cultures have rules and taboos that dictate how members will act toward each other and outsiders, organizations have cultures that govern how its members should behave. In every organization, there are systems or patterns of values, symbols, rituals, myths, and practices that have evolved over time. These shared values determine to a large degree what employees see and how they respond to their world. When confronted with problems or work issues, the organizational culture the way we do things around hereinfluences what employees can do and how they conceptualize, define, analyze, and resolve issues. Research suggests that there are seven dimensions that capture the essence of an organizations culture that are described in the figure. Each of the characteristics exists on a continuum from low to high. Appraising an organization on these seven dimensions gives a composite picture of the organizations culture. In many organizations, one of these cultural dimensions often rises above the others and essentially shapes the organizations personality and the way organizational members do their work.

ROLE OF CULTURE
Universal needs create strong pressure for a global strategy. Universal needs exist when the tastes and preferences of consumers in different countries with regard to a product are similar. Products that serve universal needs require little adoption across national markets; thus, global integration is facilitated. The role of culture plays an important role in this context. In many ways, cultural issues represent the most elusive aspect of international business. In an era when modern transportation and communication technologies have created a global village, it is easy to forget how deep and enduring the differences among nations actually can be. The fact that people everywhere drink Coke, wear blue jeans, and drive Toyota doesnt mean we are all becoming alike. Each country is unique for reasons rooted in history, culture, language, geography, social conditions, race and religion. These differences complicate any international activities, and represent the fundamental issues that inform and guide how an organization should conduct business across borders. Managers who ignore culture put their organizations at a great disadvantage in the global marketplace. Because each culture has its own norms, customs, and expectations for behavior, success in an in