Shahbaz Islam

Corporate
Culture
 Dimensions of
Organizational Culture
1. Values

2. Organizational stories that have underlying meaning

3. Myths

4. Degree of stability

5. Resource allocation and rewards

6. Traditions, rites, and rituals

7. Ownership culture

8. Corporate/organizational spirituality
What is organizational culture?

The system of shared actions, values, and

beliefs that develops within an organization
and guides the behavior of its members.

Called corporate culture in the business

setting.

No two organizational cultures are identical.

 Organizational culture affects virtually all
aspects of organizational life from the ways in
which people interact with each other, perform
their work, and dress, to the types of decisions
made in a firm, its organizational policies and
procedures, and strategy considerations.
 There are 3 basic factors that make a significant
difference in how influential a culture will be in
shaping the attitudes and behaviors of its members.
1. Cultural strength is based on the extent of shared beliefs
and values that exist in an organization. The greater the
degree of shared beliefs and values, the stronger the
culture’s influence since there are more assumptions that
guide behavior.
2. Organizational cultures whose beliefs and values are more

widely shared across organizational members tend to have a

more powerful effect because a greater number of personnel

are guided by them

 3. In cultures where beliefs and values are clearly ordered,

the effect on member behavior will be more pervasive since

there is less ambiguity about which beliefs and values should

prevail in conflict situations.

 The ability to diagnose an organization’s
culture is important since it is difficult on the
surface to predict whether a company will
have a strong or weak culture.

As a general rule, smaller organizations

that operate on a localized basis tend to
have strong cultures since it is easier for
beliefs and values to become more widely
shared between members.
 Functions of Organizational Culture

1. Culture provides a sense of identity to members and increases

their commitment to the organization

2. Culture is a sense-making device for organization members

3. Culture reinforces the values in the organization

4. Culture serves as a control mechanism for shaping behavior

 Theories about the
relationship between
organizational culture
and performance

Strong
Culture
Perspective

Adaptive
Perspective

Fit
Perspective
 Strong
An organizational culture with a Culture
Perspective
consensus on the values that
drive the company and with an
intensity that is recognizable
even to outsiders

Strong cultures facilitate performance because

• They are characterized by goal alignment

• They create a high level of motivation because of shared

values by the members

• They provide control without the oppressive effects of

bureaucracy
 Adaptive
Perspective
Argument that a culture is
good only if it fits the
industry’s or the firm’s
strategy.

Organizational characteristics that may affect

culture
 Customer requirements

 Competitive environment

 Societal expectations
 Fit
Perspective
An organizational culture that
encourages confidence and risk
taking among employees, has
leadership that produces change,
and focuses on the changing
needs of customers

Adaptive Non-Adaptive
Most managers care Most managers care
Core about customers, about themselves,
Values stockholders, and their work group, or
employees an associated product

Managers pay close Managers tend to

Common attention to all behave somewhat
Behavior their constituencies, Politically,
esp. customers and bureaucratically
Five Most Important Elements
in Managing Culture

What leaders pay attention to

How leaders react to crises

How leaders behave

How leaders allocate rewards

How leaders hire and fire individuals

 The Consequences &Implications
of Organizational Culture
Competitive Advantage and Financial Success
Productivity, Quality, and Morale
Organizational Innovation
Culture Compatibility of Mergers and Acquisitions
Person-Organization Fit
Direction of Leadership Activity

Reasons That Change Is Difficult

1. Assumptions are often unconscious

2. Culture is deeply ingrained and behavioral norms and

rewards are well learned
 Hiring and Removing
socializing Culture members who
members who reject the
fit in with the new culture
4 new culture 5

Cultural Changing
3 1
communication behavior

Examining
justifications
for changed Interventions for
behavior Changing
2
Organizational
Culture
Matching Culture & Strategy Entails

Openness to new ideas

Challenging status quo

Energizing employees to make new strategy

happen

Repeating new messages again & again

Rewarding people exhibiting new cultural norms

Creating events where all managers must listen

Culture & Strategy Execution:
Ally or Obstacle?
• Culture can contribute to,or hinder,
successful strategy execution

• Requirements for successful strategy

execution may, or may not, be
compatible with culture

• A close match between culture and

strategy promotes effective strategy
execution
Benefits of a Good Culture-
Strategy Fit
– Shape mood and temperament of the work
force, positively affecting organizational
energy, work habits, and operating
practices

– Provide standards, values, informal rules

and peer pressures that nurture and
motivate people to do their jobs in ways that
promote good strategy execution

– Strengthen employee identification with

the company, its performance targets, and
strategy
Transforming Organizational
Culture

CASE STUDY
 North Vancouver City Library Staff
John Black Karen Coyne
Jane Watkins Librarian, Collections Senior Clerk
Chief Librarian and Info Services Children’s Services
 Program Overview
To share our experience of the importance of
acknowledging, valuing and dealing with issues
relating to organizational culture to achieve your
Vision and effectively lead and manage change.
The Context
 Our Vitals
• Serving a population of 46,000
• Single site library system – the Heart of the City
• Open 69 hours per week
• 43 staff, 30 unionized staff
• 100,000+ items
• Circulation 600,000+ per year
• 14,000 square feet facility
• New 35,000 square foot facility planned
 Our Vitals
Everyday on average…

• 1,400 people visit the Library

• 1,800 items are checked out and 1,800 are checked in
and shelved
• 75 reserves are processed
• 175 information questions are answered
• 100 children attend literacy based programs
• 375 sessions are booked on internet stations
The Background
New Director hired in 2018
• Clear mandate to modernize operations,
build relationships with Library staff, City
staff, Council and the community

• Lead the process to expand/build a new

library facility
 First Impressions

• No leadership from the top

• No vision
• No standards or expectations of performance
• No effectiveness or efficiency measures
• Strong informal leaders who did not work together
• Bitter infighting and longstanding inter-personal relationships
• Glass half-empty mentality
• No pride in place of employment
• Dark, crowded, disorganized environment
• Services set up for convenience of staff and not customers

There was a lot to do!

Transforming the Organization
• Strategic Gap Needs Analysis conducted
• Vision and Roles established
• Need for new library facility established

• Strategic Plan revised and updated

• Operational Review conducted

• implementation plan established
 Key Recommendations
• Measure all activities by asking “What business are we
in?”
• Move from a task oriented to a customer focussed
organization
• Address duplication of effort and rationalize division of task
• Restructure staffing complement to public service
Transforming and Marketing
Our Image

• Modernized our look with a New Logo

• Established a Customer Newsletter

 Transforming the Staffing
Structure
• Rationalize departmental tasks and where
possible, reallocate staff to public services

• Revisit organizational structure with each

retirement and resignation
 Transforming the
Library Environment
Seismic Upgrade
From overcrowded and
disorganized
……..To clean
and clearly labelled
A Splash of Colour Brightened
the Environment
From hidden service point
To accessible service points
that are always staffed
From underwhelming new
materials display
……To exciting displays
…that please our customers
From uninviting seating
……To a “Room with a View”
Age appropriate furniture
From crowded public computer
stations
…..To customer friendly
personal stations
Self-service features
Self-service features
Self-service features
Self-service features
 So far, we had…

• Employed all the proven management

strategies
• Included staff in all these processes
• Held change management workshops

… It still wasn’t enough.

 Transforming the
Organization’s Culture
 What to do?
• Address culture shock

• Gain senior staff buy-in and team

commitment

• Gain staff support to achieve the common

goal of delivering excellent customer service
Transforming the culture
is a work in progress,
one day at a time.
 Strong cultures promote good

strategy execution where there’s

strategy-culture fit and hurt execution

where there’s little fit!