Organisational Culture In The World Of Work

Organisational Culture

An organisation’s culture can most simply be thought of as “the way things are done around here” (Deal & Kennedy, 2000). It’s a term that’s used to describe what it feels like to be part of an organisation and which tries to condense the complex and systematic web of human emotions and interactions within an organisation into a simple summary.

Others though have described organisational culture as “much more than simply the way things are done around here”.

We actually quite like Davis’ definition of culture, which is “The pattern of shared beliefs and values that give members of an institution meaning, and provide them with the rules for behaviour in their organisation”, though we know lots of people have their own preferred definitions.

Many organisations now seek to “improve” their organisational cultures or to change them in one way or another. The do so knowing that improving their culture can lead to better results for the business. They often look to change and improve their cultures through delivery of a range of organisational development programs.

The result sought often include improving employee experience and thus employee engagement. They also seek to improve talent attraction and retention, innovation, customer service or to reduce risk.

In fact, in some views there is no end to what culture can achieve. An organisation’s culture and ways of working is one of the biggest competitive advantage that any organisation can have. To quote Peter Drucker, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast“.

Unfortunately, some organisations only pretend to improve their cultures through a process of “culture washing“, as opposed to really improving.

Ways to Think About Organisational Culture In The World of Work

There are many different ways for organisations to think about culture.

It’s possible to think about different types of culture (i.e. is a culture hierarchical or empowered). There are several different frameworks that have been pulled together to categories organisational cultures. A good starting point for further reading is Quinn and Cameron’s four types of organisational culture. You might also enjoy Deal and Kennedy’s Culture Model and Johnson and Scholes Culture Web.

It’s also possible to think about how the components of a culture appear within an organisation, and how important these different factors are. For example, what role does a “company charter” play in an organisations culture, or what role does a poster in the entrance hallway to a building play. Edgar Schein’s Culture Triangle is a good tool to learn about as a starting point for thinking about culture in this way.

There are also many ways to think about measuring organisational cultures, and also to think about changing them. You’ll find more information on by browsing our our articles on culture. If you’re curious about the culture in your team, you might consider using an Organisational Culture Assessment Questionnaire.

organisational culture is hugely important for the success of organisations. From our perspective, organisational culture is one of the most important things that influences the ability of an organisation to be truly purpose driven and to help make the world a better place.

In our view there is no “right” culture for organisations to aspire to achieve. Emulating the cultures of others isn’t a recipe for success. Instead, each organisation needs to understand what its purpose is and what’s important to it, then create a culture that first with these factors.

As much as we are loath to say it, while it’s possible for a culture to rise from the grass-roots of an organisation, most organisations are hugely shaped by the values and behaviors of their senior leaders. If a culture is toxic, the root cause may be the leadership. Similarly, if it’s benign, the praise may be due to the leadership.