Organizational Culture Theory Summary

Fundamental Tenants of the theory

Edgar Schein (1992), who adopts the functionalist view and described culture as a pattern of basic assumptions, invented, discovered, or developed by a given group, as it learns to cope with its problems of external adaptation and internal integration, that has worked well enough to be considered valid and, therefore is to be taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think, and feel in relation to those problems.

In Schein’s (1992) model, culture exists on three levels:

 Artefacts and symbols

Artefacts mark the surface of the organization. They are the visible elements in the organization such as logos, architecture, structure, processes and corporate clothing. These are not only visible to the

1. Eric Eisenberg and H. L. Goodall (1993) observe that Organizational Culture Theory relies heavily on the shared meaning among organizational members. They comment that "most cultures show considerably more alignment in practice than they do in the attitudes, opinions, or beliefs of individual members" (p. 152). (West & Turner, 2004)

2. Organizational Culture Theory suffers from expansive boundaries. Cultural performances constitute a critical part of an organization 's culture, and when you consider that performances may address almost any topic, the vastness (and potential vagueness) of the theory becomes apparent. (West & Turner, 2004)

3. Organizational Culture Theory may view organizational life as too unique. Pacanowsky and O 'Donnell-Trujillo argue that organizational cultures differ because the interactions within those cultures differ, so generalizing about life in organizations is nearly impossible. Each is a unique organization with unique organizational environments. (West & Turner, 2004)

4. Stephen Littlejohn (2002) argues the theory presupposes that organizations must be studied independently, and in doing so, generalizing across organizations is difficult. (West & Turner,

According to Edgar Schein, it’s sensible to have discussions with as many employees as possible to discover the underlying backgrounds and aspects of the organizational culture. These could be a basis for cultural change. People should be aware that cultural change is a transformation process; behavior must be unlearned first before new behavior can be learned in its place. When a difference arises between the desired and the prevailing culture, cultural interventions should take place. The responsibility lies with senior management supported by a personnel department. This requires a comprehensive approach. A new logo, corporate style or‘customer-orientation’ training will not suffice. It is important that results are measured and that good performance is