1 Defining organisational culture
1.1 Definition
Culture is expressed by Handy as being: ‘the way we do things around here’. By this Handy means the sum total of the belief, knowledge, attitudes, norms and customs that prevail in an organisation.
§ Organisations have distinctive cultures, and behaviour acceptable in one organisational culture may be inappropriate in another – think about the different cultures in the different accountancy firms.
§ Also cultures develop over time or can change instantly as a result of a single major event, e.g. death of company founder, threatened takeover, etc.
1.2 Components of culture
The key elements of organisational culture are:
§ Norms guide people’s behaviour, suggesting what is or is not appropriate (the ‘done thing’.)
§ Symbols or symbolic action, e.g. rituals such as buying the office a cake on your birthday.
§ Beliefs underlie the culture by identifying what is important, e.g. a belief in the importance of people as individuals.
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