A Critic on the Article: Company Culture, What It Is and How to Change It by F.

John Reh

Culture is the conventional behavior of society, and it influences actions even though it seldom enters the conscious thoughts of the people. Culture can be seen everywhere, in the nation, society, and even in the companies. The article defines culture as values and practices shared by the members of the group. Therefore, company culture is the shared values and practices of the companys employees. People Shape the Culture. Personalities and experiences of employees create the culture of an organization. For example, if most of the people in an organization are very outgoing, the culture is likely to be open and sociable. If many artifacts depicting the companys history and values are in evidence throughout the company, people value their history and culture. If doors are open, and few closed door meetings are held, the culture is unguarded. If negativity about supervision and the company is widespread and complained about by employees, a culture of negativity, that is difficult to overcome, will take hold. Therefore, it is imperative for the manager to have knowledge of social cultures to address the need to understand and appreciate the backgrounds and beliefs of all members of their company or work unit. Based on studies, people learn to depend on their culture that is why it very important to know ones company culture because it can make or break the company. It gives the people stability, and security, since they can understand what is happening in their cultural community and how to respond while in it. However, this one cultured dependency may also place intellectual blinders on

employees, preventing them from giving the benefits of exposure to people from other cultural backgrounds. Employees need to learn to adapt to others in order to capitalize on the opportunities they present while avoiding possible negative consequences. As the article says, company culture evolved and they change over time. As employees leave the company and replacements are hired, the company culture will change. If it is a strong culture, it may not change much. However, since each new employee brings their own values and practices to the group culture will change. Meanwhile, as the environment in which the company operates changes, the company culture will also change. These changes may be positive, or they may not. The changes in company culture may be intended, but often they are unintended. They may be major or minor ones. The company culture will change so it is important to be aware of the changes. Furthermore, these changes can be brought about by cultural diversity. Based on research, employees in almost any organization are divided into subgroup of various kinds. Formation of groups is determined by two broad sets of condition: (a) job related (organizationally created) differences and similarities, such as type of work, rank in the organization, and physical proximity to one another, sometimes it cause people to align themselves into group. (b) non-job related conditions (those related to culture, ethnicity, socioeconomics, sex, and race) arise primarily from an individuals personal background; these conditions are highly important for legal, moral and economic reasons. Finally, the article also tackled on the steps to adopt the change in a company. First is to assess the company culture. There are many ways to assess your company

culture. There are consultants who will do it for the company, for a fee. The easiest way to assess the company's culture is to look around. How do the employees act; what do they do? Look for common behaviors and visible symbols. Listen. Listen to the

employees, the suppliers, and the customers. Pay attention to what is written about the company, in print and online. These will also give the company clues as to what the company's culture really is. Second is to determine the desired company culture. The company should know what they desire for their company culture. Before the company can change the company culture, the employees have to decide what you want the company culture to look like in the future. Different companies in different industries will have different cultures. Look at what kind of a culture will work best for the organization in its desired future state. Review the mission, vision and values and make sure the company culture is designed to support them. Third is, align the company culture. It is best to align the company culture with the strategic goals. Align The Company Culture only a company culture that is aligned with their goals, one that helps the company anticipate and adapt to change, will help the organization to achieve superior performance over the long run.