1. Cultural Approaches Chapter 5
Marina Santana

2. A Definition of Culture
“… a pattern of shared basic assumptions that the group learned as it solved its 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.” pg. 105

3. Cultural Approaches Overview
Prescriptive Views of Culture
Deal & Kennedy’s “Strong Cultures”
Peters & Waterman’s “Excellent Cultures”
Alternative Approaches to Culture
Four types of Organizational Cultures
Schein’s Model of Organizational Culture
Three levels of cultural elements
Methods for Studying Organizational Culture

4. Prescriptive Views of Culture
Deal and Kennedy’s “Strong Cultures”
Four components of a strong culture:
(1) Values
(2) Heroes
(3) Rites and rituals
(4) Cultural networks
Peters and Waterman’s “Excellent Cultures”
Themes (see pg. 98)

5. Peters & Waterman’s Themes for Excellent Organizations
Theme Description
1. A Bias for Action
2. Close Relations to the Customer
3. Autonomy and Entrepreneurship
4. Productivity through People
5. Hands-On, Value-Driven
6. Stick to the Knitting
7. Simple Farm, Lean Staff
8. Simultaneous Loose-Tight
Properties
Excellent organizations react quickly and do not spend excess time planning and analyzing.
Excellent organizations gear decisions and actions to the needs of customers.
Excellent organizations encourage employees to take risks in the development of new ideas.
Excellent organizations encourage positive and respectful relationships among management and employees.
Excellent organizations have employees and managers who share the same core value of productivity and performance.
Excellent organizations stay focused on what they do best and avoid radical diversification.
Excellent organizations avoid complex structures and divisions of labor.
Excellent organizations exhibit both unity of purpose and the diversity necessary for innovation. Pg. 98

6. Alternative Approaches to Culture
1. Organizational Cultures Are Complicated
“Markets”
Rites
Ceremonies
Values
Beliefs systems
Metaphors
Stories
Communication rules
Hallway talk

7. Alternative Approaches to Culture
2. Organizational Cultures Are Emergent
Cultural performances
(1) interactional
(2) contextual
(3) episodic
(4) improvisational

8. Alternative Approaches to Culture
3. Organizational Cultures Are Not Unitary
Sites of cultures and cultural penetration
Differences in power and interests
4. Organizational Cultures Are Often Ambiguous
Fragmentation

9. Schein’s Model of Organizational Culture
A Definition of Culture
(1) group phenomenon
(2) pattern of basic assumptions
(3) emergent and developmental
(4) socializing
“learning the ropes”

10. Schein’s Model A Model of Culture pg. 107 Level 1: Artifact
Most visible level
Level 2: Espoused Values
(a) Organizations do not have values, individuals do.
(b) Values and behaviors do not always match.
Level 3: Basic Assumptions
“taken for granted”
Six areas of basic assumptions that are typically revolve pg. 110.

11. Levels of Culture & Their Interaction
Artifacts and Creations . Technology Art Visible and audible behavior patterns
Values Testable in the physical environment Testable only by social consensus
Basic Assumptions Relationship to environment Nature of reality, time, and space Nature of human nature Nature of human activity Nature of human relation
Visible but often not decipherable
Greater level of awareness
Taken for granted' Invisible Preconscious

12. Cultural Artifacts & Behaviors
Is public art classical? Modern? Impressionistic? Do employees decorate their own spaces with posters and photos? What do those personal spaces look like?
Forms of address
Are titles or first names used? Do forms of address vary by job level? Do forms of address change over time? Does everyone follow the same rules for address?
Network configuration
Who talks to whom? Does the network pattern vary for work and social communication? Has the network pattern changed over time? Pg. 108

13. Methods for Studying Organizational Culture
Ethnography= Writing of culture
The goal is to minimize the distance between the researcher and the culture being investigated.
Through personal experience
Creates a mini-theory
Then the culture can be written
Three kinds of cultural tales
(1) realist tale
(2) confessional tale
(3) impressionist tales
Addition critical tale