LESSON 3

Organizational Behavior and Culture

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Social System
What is a Social System?
A Social System is a complex set of human relationships interacting in various
ways.
In a single organization, the social system includes all the people in it and their
relationships to one another and to the bigger outside world.
Two points that stand out in the complex interactions among people in a social
system:
o The behavior of the individual
o His relation to any other individual
v Social Systems are Open Systems that:
It keeps on interacting with their environments awareness of the nature of
their surroundings
Has an impact on other members both within and outside their own social
system.
Equilibrium in the Social System
A social system is a state of equilibrium when all the variables in an
organizational system operate in a dynamic working balance with its independent
parts.

Can be compared to a sea: there is continuous motion and disruption

occasionally form storms, but the seas basic character, even with violent and
rugged waves, changes very little and goes back to normal.

Changes in Social System

Minor- they are absorbed by adjustments sub-system within the system which
eventually regains its equilibrium state.

Major- the untimely death of a key executive, or a series of smaller but faster
changes, may throw an organization out of balance; and consequently, impede
its progress until it reaches a new equilibrium.

Disequilibrium its subparts are not working in harmony

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v One major function of management is to evaluate the actual and proposed

changes in the social system to determine their possible functional and
dysfunctional effects, so that appropriate responses can be anticipated.

Functional effects
o creative
o enthusiastic
o productive
o constantly seek to improve the quality of the organizations product or
service

Dysfunctional effects
o tardy
o frequently absent
o uncooperative
o poor attitude to share their talents and most often, resistant to
organizational changes.

For works to demonstrate functional behavior, they need to receive clear

expectations and promises of rewards and commitment towards the goals of the
organization.
v The unwritten psychological contract

Economic contract time, effort, and talent are use in exchange of wages
and reasonable working conditions.

Psychological contract - involvement and commitment in terms of loyalty,

creativity and determined effort; in return he expects more economic
rewards from the organization. e.g. better wages and other material
benefits, job security, fair treatment, organizational support for his
development.

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Organizational Behavior and Culture
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CULTURE AND ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Culture according to Taylor is:
A complex whole includes knowledge, beliefs, law, art, morals, customs and
other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society.

It is mans social heritage which has been transmitted from one generation to
another through language.

It tells man what to do, what not to do and how to do things.

It represents the design of living, the interrelated network of norms and roles.

It encompasses modes of thinking, feelings, and acting commonly found in

society that includes everything man has acquired as a member of that
society.

Culture
Is indispensable to an organization which is composed of workers who share a
common culture or one that is made up of different people who are interacting on
the basis of shared beliefs, customs, values and activities.
As an organization becomes more established, its organizational culture
becomes more developed and stable. This is so because as the workers realize
the importance of preserving their cultural values, the more cooperative they
become.
Organizational culture

It is a set of assumptions, beliefs, values and norms that are shared by the
members.
It represents an important element of the work environment in which workers
perform their tasks.

Organizational culture affects workers because of the ff. reasons:

1. It gives an organizational identity to workers.
2. It defines the vision of what the organization represents.
3. It is a source of stability and continuity to the organization which provides a

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sense of security to its members.

CHARACTERISTICS OF ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE
v Organizations are like fingerprints are unique; each has its own history,
patterns of communication, systems and procedures, mission statements
and vision, and institutes its distinctive culture.
v Culture is relatively stable in nature, usually changing only slowly over time.
(Except when major crisis threatens an organization or when two
organizations merge) a careful blending of the two in order to avoid culture
clash.
v There is no best culture for all organizations; it depends on the firms
goals, industry, nature of completion, and other factors in its work
environment. Most culture evolve directly from top management, who has
tremendous influence on their works.
The characteristics of organizational culture may be summarized as distinctive,
stable, no one best, integrated, accepted, a reflection of top management and
of varying strength.

SOCIALIZATION OF WORKERS
Socialization
The process whereby the individual is converted into the person. As a process,
the individual learns to conform with the norms of his social group, acquire a
status and play a corresponding role.

As an educational process greatly influences the shaping of a workers

personality which is accordance with the standard values and norms of his work
environment.

Knowledge of socialization of workers is important because managers will have

an opportunity to understand their workers beliefs and backgrounds.

Socialization greatly affects the entire cultural practices of a work environment,

and it also shapes the images that workers and management value.

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Workers learn to depend on their culture for it gives them stability and security,
because they can better understand what is going on in their cultural
environment and know how to respond accordingly.

Values and Social Responsibility

Values are the expressions of ultimate ends, goals, or purpose of social actions:
these involve the quality or power of expressing ones attitude and emotion
towards a thing.

Social responsibility is the recognition that organizations have significant

influence on the social system. It is important that this influence be properly
considered and balanced in all organizational transactions.

The presence of strong social values, such as social responsibility, has a power
influence in organizations and their actions. This, in effect, leads these
organizations to use a socioeconomic model of decision-making, considering
both social costs and benefits.
Social responsibility reflects the assumptions that the values of the workers can
be a potent force in the accomplishment of organizational goals. These values,
although intangible, can immediately influence a workers positive behavior.

Philippine Value System and Social Acceptance

Filipinos attach a great value to pakikisama, or smoothly interpersonal relations
(SIR). Persons resort to SIR patterns by using polite language, soft voice, and
persuasive and gentle manners to avoid open disagreement with others even under
difficult circumstances. These are three ways to attain SIR; e.g., concessions, the use of
euphemism in speech, and the use of go-betweens. Concessions, as a behavioral
response, means that when one is confronted with a request or demand, he will go
along with that request even though he may not be interested in the suggestion.
Euphemism, is a behavioral response, means that an idea which is unpleasant. Gobetween, as a behavioral response, means that the anticipation of situation that may
negatively affect SIR.
This interpersonal relation, Mary Hollenteiner emphasized that exchange in
goods and services is contractual, a recipient is to develop a feeling of utang-na-loob
to the giver of such goods or services. Inability to repay utang-na-loob will result in the
individuals being labeled as walang utang-na-loob or walang hiya

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Social acceptance is the basic considerations that motivate and control an

immense amount of Filipino behavior. Social acceptance is enjoyed when one is taken
by ones fellows for what he is, or believes he is, and is treated in accordance with his
status.
Filipinos usually overt signs of approval and liking
In Philippine society, getting along with others in a respectful manner is a highly
valued style of action.
SIR, as a functional value as a practiced in many organizational systems in the
Philippines, is a dynamic force that may lead to more development-oriented activities;
however, as a highly ranked value it could become dysfunctional.
Social Culture Values
Work Ethic
Workers tend to like work as a central life interest and consequently, derive
satisfaction from it.
Usually, workers have an unwavering commitments to the ideals and goals of the
organization; especially so, when the organizational climate is healthy. These
characteristics of the work ethic make it highly appealing to workers.
Evidence on how committed the employees are:
o Attendance records
o Concern for quality performance
o Willingness to work beyond unusual work hours
Cultural Adaptations
Culture differs in terms of:
o Language
o Religion
o Food
o Personal orientation
o Social behavior
o Other customs and traditions of the place

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Classification of Culture

High context - people from high context cultures use situational cues to
develop a complete picture of a visitor.
Ex: China, Japan, Korea- tends to emphasize personal relation by placing
high value on trust.

Low context - people from low context cultures tend to interpret cues
more literally.
Ex: Germany, United States they tend to rely no prescribed rules and a
legal document, business like relationships, and puts a high premium on
expertise and performance.

Figure 1
Paradigm of Inhibiting Forces and Cultural Adaptation

INHIBITING FORCES

SUPPORTING FORCES

Individual difference

Careful selection

Parochialism

Cultural

Compatible assignments

Ethnocentrism

Adaptation

Pre-departure training

Cultural distance

Orientation and support

Cultural shock

Preparatory for re-entry

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Individual Differences

The complex sets of norms and values function as built-in mechanisms that
make an individual learn in early life.
o Example: of Behavioral norms: reciprocal exchange of foods and services,
emphasis on word of honor, self-esteem and other super-naturally
oriented forms of social controls.
o Example of Basic values of a person: cultural attitudes, opinions, mores,
customs and traditions which have been a part of his life and, to a great
extent, his behavior.

Social class differences affect an individual's personal inter relationship with

other persons.
o Religious beliefs, food preference, diverse family background, mental
capacities, habits and attitudes, and community influences greatly affect a
person's behavior.

Ethnocentrism
It is the tendency to use oneself and one's own culture as the standard for
judging others.
In order to integrate the imported and local systems, migrant workers need to
develop cultural empathy. This is awareness and understanding of
differences across cultures.
Cultural Distance
Range of difference between two social systems.
Migrant tend to be somewhat ethnocentric and to judge conditions in a new
country according to the standards and practices of their homeland. Migrant
workers should be able to adjust to the new environment.
Cultural Shock
A feeling of surprise and disorientation that is experienced when people
witness cultural practices different from their own.
They are conscious about their behavior and might be lose their confidence
when the wrong responses are made.
Example, when migrant workers went to another country:

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o They are often excited and stimulated by the challenge of the new job,
new environment and new culture: Every day is filled with new
discoveries.
o Their attitudes may soon be followed by disillusionment when they
start to discover various problems they had not anticipated and
expected.
o They suffer severe culture shock caused by the insecurity and
disorientation brought about by different cultures.
o Usually; if they can survive the extreme melancholy during the first few
weeks, they start to accept the new culture; regain a sense of selfesteem; and positively to their new surroundings and become adopted.
Culture shock is universal
It occurs in response to dramatic differences in language, religion, customs
and traditions, and cultural orientations.
It is interesting to note that social customs vary widely among countries.
Some factors that contribute to culture shock:
1. Different management philosophies
2. An unfamiliar language
3. New foods, styles of dress, modes of social patterns, and driving patterns
4. An unfamiliar currency system
5. Reduced availability of goods
6. Different attitudes toward work and productivity
7. Separation from family, friends and work colleagues
Guidelines to Overcome Barriers to Cultural Adaptation
1. Careful selection.
Workers who may be low in ethnocentrism can be chosen. The desire to go to
other places and to experience another culture may be an important prerequisite
attitude worth considering. Potential workers may be considered on the learning
attitudes they demonstrate during the selection process.
2. Compatible assignments.
Workers, who are likely to be assigned to a new work environment similar to their
culture, may find adjustment easier. Some cultures are relatively similar and can
be grouped together.

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3. Pre-departure training and orientation.

Many organizations try to hasten adjustment to a host country by encouraging
their workers to learn the local language. The host country offers language
training prior to the assignment. The ability to learn the language seems to pay
off, because it helps avoid misunderstandings that may arise due to a
communication problem.
4. Orientation and support in the new country.
When the workers arrive in the new country, adjustment is encouraged. A special
and determined effort is made to help the migrant worker adapt to the new
equipment. Assistance includes housing, transportation, shopping, recreation,
and the provision of a mentor. The mentor who is a local national working for the
same organization is available to answer some questions from the migrant
workers and can provide advice regarding culturally accepted behavior.
5. Preparation for re-entry.
Contract workers usually return to their home country after working in another
country for one or four years, and need to be repatriated. The observation is that
they often tend to suffer a culture shock in their own homeland. After adjusting to
the culture of another country, while he was working there and enjoying its
uniqueness, it is quite difficult for the expatriates to readjust to the surroundings
of their home country. Perhaps because of the rapid changes that has occurred
since they left the place. These changes may be brought about by population,
science and technology and other social and economic institutions.
Technological developments contribute immensely to the expansion of social
change.
Note:
Contract workers must recognize that their organizational behavior practices
cannot be transferred directly from one country to another, especially if the host
country is less developed. Understanding and managing various types of people
need to be adapted to the particular social culture of the environment.

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