SOCIAL SYSTEMS and

ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE
Organizational Culture Overview
 Organizational culture is a pattern of basic
assumptions –discovered or developed by given
group as it learns to cope with the problems of
external adaptation and internal integration It
has worked well enough to be considered and
therefore to be taught to the new members as the
correct way to perceive, think, and feel in
relation to the problems.
Socialization and Culture
 Socialization is the process by which an organization
brings new employees to the organization. It said that
socialization is a continuous process throughout an
individual’s career. It is the transmittal of values,
attitudes, practices, and traditions in the workplace
from older to younger employees.
Stages of Socialization

1. Anticipatory Socialization. These include the

activities that the individual undergoes prior to
entering an organization. The possible new
recruits tries to acquire as much information as
possible about the prospective job and the
organization.
2. Accommodation. The
individual is now accepted on
the job and tries to fit in the
organization’s culture. The
newly hired employee
establishes new relationships
with co-workers and superior
and begins to blend and adapt
the new culture by clarifying
his/her role in the organization
and by learning the assigned
tasks and responsibilities. To
be effective, the company
should offer orientation and
training programs, challenging
tasks, and performance
evaluation practices.
To be effective, the company
should offer orientation and
training programs, challenging
tasks, and performance
evaluation practices.
3. Role Management. The new hire
tries to deal with conflicts between
work or home himself and a co-
employee or a superior. To be
effective, an organization should
provide counseling sessions in
times of conflict. The company
should also deal with stress
effectively. Job satisfaction is also
necessary to minimize employee
conflicts, absenteeism, and
turnover.
The socialization process
must be managed effectively.
If not, the company will lose
its overall effectiveness since
employees will have a hard
time finding their role in the
organization. It may also lead
to faulty recruitment and
wasted hiring efforts as well
as high employee turnover.
Can Organizational Culture be changed?

 An organizational culture is made up of a set of

characteristics which had been developed over the years. An
organizational culture is deeply rooted from highly held
values, customers, traditions, and norms that are further
strengthened and maintained through the company’s
mission/vision statements, corporate philosophy,
administrative practices, physical structures, organizational
set-up, activities and programs, and performance and
promotion criteria, among others.
It is extremely difficult to
change a company’s
culture. Yet,
organizational culture can
be changed. Cultural
change can take place in
an organizational when
some, if not most, of the
following conditions exist:
 A crisis or state of emergency. This is a situation
characterized by a sudden setbacks that challenges and
weakens the status quo. Specific examples may include: a
heavy financial loss; a below par standing; a loss of a major
customer or a dramatic breakthrough in technology which
determines the company and strengthens its primary
competitor.
 Turnover in leadership. When an incompetent leader exits
and a new leader comes in, the organization can have a new
set of values that are more capable to responds to the present
crisis.
 Young and small organizations. Management of young and
small organizations can communicate new set of values.
 Weak culture. It is easy to change a weak culture, where
values are not deeply entrenched among its members.

There are five intervention strategies to bring about

cultural change in an organization:
a. Change in people’s behavior.
b. Explain the reasons and benefits for the change.
c. Communicate through memos, stories, and other
forms to motivate others to change.
d. Socialize to new members.
e. Remove existing members who deviate from the
culture.
 It is believed that employee’s attitudes cannot be
changed overnight but it is possible in due time.
Change can be implemented if top management
can explain the reasons for implementing the
change. Communication plays a key role here.
There is also a need to reach out to all employees
especially the new ones. It is important for them
not to be culture shocked.
 While it is not good to remove some employees
who may deviate from the corporate culture or
have not adapted to the culture despite of many
attempts, top management may decide to
terminate such employees. Yet, this can be done
gradually. Providing terminated employees with
excellent packages can avoid employee grievances
and conflicts.
 The culture of an organization can be a source of
competitive advantage and this can be developed to
provide this competitive edge.

 The first element is the development of a corporate

culture that gives importance to the organization’s
history and heritage. When a company is rich on past
experiences that have shaped the company to what it
is today, that sense of accomplishment in the past and
the continuous valuing of these experiences will help
in developing a sense of appreciation of the company’s
past. Key people who have contributed greatly to the
organization would become role models of present
employees.
 The second element is the development of unity and
oneness among employees. This is where corporate
values would come in.

 In relation to oneness is the feeling of

belongingness. Employees should fell that they are
important. What can make them feel important is of
course how they are trained and rewarded for their
efforts. They will feel good inside and this will
create a culture where satisfaction and loyalty to
the company emanate.
 Last, the organization should create an empowered
mindset where employees can participate in certain
decisions and they are allowed to work on their
own. This environment is conducive to open
communication and employees will be happy to
share their talent and skills and work the
achievement of corporate goals.
Credo and Corporate Social Responsibility
 The credo of the organization exemplifies the basic culture of
an organization. It summarizes the values, attitudes,
practices, and ethics of the organization.

 An organization should have corporate social responsibility

which means that the company is not pre-occupied with
profits but also has long-term goals for the good of the
society. In doing so, the business should behave ethically and
at the same time contribute to the improvement of the
economy and the quality of life of its employees. This creates
a balance between the satisfaction of its stakeholders and the
interests of the society at large.
Workplace Spirituality
 Workplace spirituality is not about God, religious
practices or theology, but on recognizing the
importance of an inner life to people. The inner life
is strengthened and nourished by meaningful work
not only in the organization but most especially in
the community and the society at large.
Workplace Spirituality
 The earliest models of management disregarded
spirituality as part of an individual’s working life.
In fact, a well-run organization propagated rational
thinking and eliminated the concept of “feeling” or
emotion.
 Today, the study of emotions has generally
improved our understanding of organizational
behavior. With workplace spirituality, OB specialist
can better understand employee behavior and
attitude in the 21st century.
Cultural Characteristics of Spiritual Organizations

 Workplace spirituality includes discussions on values, ethics,

motivation, and leadership. Spiritual organizations are
believed to be more humane and they encourage people to
work hard, and help them develop and reach their full
potential.
Cultural Characteristics of Spiritual Organizations

 One of the benefits gained by spiritual organizations is their

ability to handle conflicts better than non-spiritual
organizations because of the inner power they draw from
faith and optimism. Such organizations are also known for
fairness in dealing with employees and have generous
provisions for good benefits.
 Strong sense of purpose. Spiritual organizations provide
clear vision and mission, which revolve around a meaningful
purpose. They are not only after profits but also look after
the welfare of employees. They build strong values which can
be a good foundation for employees to emulate.

 Focus on individual development. Spiritual organizations

recognize the abilities of people. They want employees to
learn and grow. They build cultures that employees can feel
secure and be comfortable with while working in the
company.
 Employee empowerment. Spiritual organizations
empower employees to be accountable for their
own actions. With a strong sense of trust,
empowerment promotes learning and growth.
Employees are allowed to make most of the work-
related decisions. On the other hand, managers
trust their employees to deliver results.
 Toleration of employee expression. Spiritual
organizations do not suppress individual emotions.
Managers provide counseling to their subordinates
when needed.
Terminologies:
 Accommodation is the socialization stage when the individual
is now accepted in the job and tries to fit in the organization’s
culture.
 Anticipatory socialization includes the activities that the
individual undergoes prior to entering an organization.
 Corporate social responsibility is the duty of an organization
to exercise corporate citizenship by going beyond profits and
working toward long-term goals for the society at large.
 Credo summarizes the values, attitudes, practices, and ethics
of the organization.
 Organizational culture is a pattern of basic assumptions –
invented, discovered or developed by a given group as it
learns to cope with the problems of external adaptation and
internal integration – that has worked well enough to be
considered valid and therefore, to be taught to new members
as the correct way to perceive, think, and feel in relation to
those problems.
 Role management is the socialization stage when the
individual tries to deal with conflicts between work and
home and between himself and a co-employee or a superior.
 Socialization is the process by which an organization brings
new employees to the organization.
 Workplace spirituality recognizes the importance of an inner
life, strengthened and nourished by meaningful work not
only in the organization but most especially in the
community and society at large.