Analyzing Organization Cultures

Description

Certain consultants argue leaders can quickly, easily, and considerably alter their organization cultures to improve performance. Conversely, field researchers have described situations where leaders could do little to alter the existing organization culture. Between these extreme positions, a spectrum of varying degrees of leader influence exists, and organizations fall at various places along this spectrum. This book presents five field studies dealing with team, service, and sales cultures where both expected and unexpected outcomes arose. In multiple instances, leaders hoped showing some employee appreciation would compensate for offering below market average wages. Several leadership groups were prospering based on cost cuts or increased sales. Those below often had their work intensified and they were experiencing greater stress. Eight paradoxical situations were uncovered and the interpretations of the participants were based in part on their personal work histories and the history of their current organization. In each case, evidence of employee informal organization and managerial operating cultures were documented. Analyzing Organization Cultures uses detailed case studies of five work organizations to offer a comparative approach to analyzing organizational culture. It shows the latest state of knowledge on the topic and will be of interest to researchers, academics, and students in the fields of organizational studies, management history, human resource management, and organizational theory. Cover Half Title Series Page Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Contents Acknowledgments Preface References 1. The Migration and Mutation of "Culture" Introduction Grasping the Idea of "Culture" The Existence of Subcultures Political Processes Impact Culture Cultures Are Always in a State of Flux The Human Relations Perspective Era (1920s-1960s) The Hawthorne Studies Some Subsequent Human Relations Contributions The Performance Perspective Era (1980s-Date) A Summary of Some Classic Performance Perspective Literature A Few Additional Performance Perspective Contributions Some Key Similarities and Differences in Recent Orientations The Critical Theorists (1990s-Date) Some Concluding Observations The Subsequent Chapters References 2. Self-Directed Teams and Peer Discipline at Finos Introduction Peer Discipline Theory Development Prior Fieldwork on Peer Discipline Peer Discipline in a Unit of Finos The Organization Culture at Finos Shifting to a Self-Directed Team Culture Peer Discipline Experiences Concluding Observations Conclusion References 3. The Team Culture at Value Stores Introduction The Human Relations Fieldwork on Sears (1940s-1950s) The Organization Culture of Walmart The Value Stores Field Study The Official Value Stores Organization Culture Some Employee Experiences Tim Barr's Story George Sanchez's Story Julia Hammond's Story Yvonne Owens' Story Pat Wood's Story The Cultural Comparisons Drawn by Our Participants Comparing the Culture at Value Stores to the Prior Literature Evidence of Employee Informal Organization Evidence of Store Operating Cultures Conclusion References 4. Melding Six Sigma into the Organizational Culture at Insuro Introduction Human Relations Era (1930s-1960s) Background Material Fieldwork Dealing with Employee Suggestion Programs Fieldwork Dealing with Budgeting and Cost Containment Japanese Management Techniques and Six Sigma Programs The Issues Involved in Trying to Transplant Japanese Management Methods The Introduction of Six Sigma Programs The Insuro Case The Historic Context A Benchmarking Study Reveals High Administrative Costs Conflicting Interpretations of the Reorganizations Teams Offered Suggestions Competitive Managerial Behaviors The Expression of Appreciation and Unanticipated Employee Discontent Leaks to the News Media A Productive Informal Contest or a Breach of the Ethical Code? Female Career Progression: Could Some of the Women Break the Glass Ceiling? Closing Observations Reasons the Cultural Similarity Hypothesis Did Not Apply The Six Sigma Literature and Insuro's Management Practices Does Six Sigma Alleviate or Create Paradoxical Managerial Behaviors? A Conceptual Map of the Organizational Culture at Insuro Cell 1: The Formal Organization and the Official Culture Cell 2: The Operating Cultures Within the Official Culture Cell 3: Informal Organization Within the Formal Organization Cell 4: The Operating Cultures and Informal Organization Using the Conceptual Map as an Analytic Tool Conclusion References 5. The Yin and Yang of Introducing a Sales Culture: The Amalgam Bank Case Introduction The Introduction of a "Sales Culture" in Banks Different Conceptions of Organization Culture The Heritage of the Integration Perspective The Heritage of the Differentiation and Fragmentation Perspectives The Yin and the Yang Metaphor The Amalgam Bank Case Study Methodology The Original Customer Service Cultural Orientation The Introduction of Selling Some Amalgam Bank Employee Experiences and Reactions Customer Irritation and Slower Service Pressure to Sell Voiced Employee Concerns and Silencing Behaviors Double Standards Inadequate Rewards and Recognition Juicing the Numbers Lessened Upward Mobility and Increased Turnover Discussion Conclusion Note References 6. The Organization Culture at Balbec's Housing Department Introduction Some Relevant Private and Public Sector Organization Culture Literature Acts of Commission and Acts of Omission The Balbec Housing Department Field Study Creating the Official Culture via Acts of Commission Official Culture Statements The Rewards and Recognition Ceremony Mixed Acts Reflecting the Housing Department's Formal Organization Teamwork Disciplinary Situations Reorganization Valuing Diversity Acts of Omission to Please a Customer Customer Service Local Political Oversight The Aftermath Ambiguity Conflicting Norms Closing Observations Conclusion References 7. Anticipating Reactions to Managerial Decisions Introduction The Anticipation of How Others Will Respond Managerial Decision Making in Organizations The Influence of Those on the Lower Levels The Way Organization Culture Fits into the Process The Influence of Consultants on the Process The Influence of Stockholders, Other Investors, Board Members and Stock Analysts Considering the Legal and Regulatory Context The Influence of the Media and the General Public The Activities of Competitors Influence the Process Additional Influences Such as Customers, Suppliers and Special-Interest Groups Anticipating "Chain Reactions" Anticipatory "Tunnel Vision" Cost-Savings "Tunnel Vision" at Insuro Sales Pressure "Tunnel Vision" at Amalgam Bank Sales Pressure "Tunnel Vision" at Wells Fargo Closing Observations Conclusion References 8. The Unifying Goal of Pleasing Customers Introduction Pleasing Customers in the Performance Perspective Some Relevant Prior Literature Some Recent Customer Satisfaction Fieldwork Some Recent Media Coverage What Our Fieldwork Revealed About Satisfying Customers "Client Focus" at Finos Being "Quick and Warm" at Value Stores "Our Customers Are Our Reason for Being" at Insuro Adding Selling to the Service Culture at Amalgam Bank Serving Customer Interests at the Balbec Housing Department Some Closing Observations Conclusion References 9. Conducting Organization Culture Analyses Introduction The Stances of Fieldworkers and Consultants The Human Relations Perspective Era (1920s-1960s) The Performance Perspective Era (1980s-Date) Comparing and Contrasting These Two Historic Eras Descriptive Versus Prescriptive Work The Degree of Emphasis Placed on History and Informal Organization The Proper Role of Scholars and Researchers The Contributions of Our Field Studies The Vertical Issues Personal Work Histories Organizational History The Horizontal Issues Evidence of Local Operating Cultures Evidence of Informal Organization Contextual Interpretations of Global Cultural Recommendations Mixed Results and Unexpected Trade-offs Measurement and Revision Some Closing Observations Clues from the Grapevine A Few Concluding Thoughts References Appendix: The Methods Used References Biographies Index