Beliefs, Values, and Norms

The unseen core of every organization

Introduction

Beliefs, values and norms within an organization

are a part of what is commonly referred to as
organizational culture.
Norms and beliefs are expressions of values.
Every organization develops distinct beliefs and
patterns over time. Many of these are
subconscious or taken for granted. They are
demonstrated in the beliefs, values and norms of
an organization as seen in the rituals, stories,
ceremonies and other symbolic forms.

Beliefs - Theory

An organizational belief system embodies the

myths, values, and ideologies of the
organization.

While these taken-for-granted ways of

seeing the world (beliefs) are often invisible
to those who hold them, they shape
organizational practices, guide how people
do things, and, in turn, determine what skills
and capabilities people develop based on
those organizational practices. (Senge,2006,
p. 285)

Beliefs Theory Continued

To really understand culture, we have to get

to the deepest level, the level of assumptions
and beliefs. (Schein,1985)
National cultures influence those of the
organization. (Hofstede, 1997, 2001)
The beliefs (and values and assumptions)
shape behaviors and help individuals
understand the organization. (Shafritz, Ott,
and Jang, 2005)
Organization cultures emanate from norms,
values and beliefs.

Beliefs - Positive Impact

Beliefs and assumptions, established practices, skills and

capabilities, relationships, and awareness and sensibilities are
five elements of culture that influence one another and impact
the success of an organization. (Senge, 2006)
The beliefs . shape behaviors and help individuals
understand the organization. (Shafritz, Ott, & Jang, 2005)
Strong organization beliefs, when pronounced and made
visible, help to shape the character (internal) and the perception
(external) of the organization. Example: Southwest Airlines
You are now free to fly
Culture (beliefs, values, norms) informs employees of exactly
what is expected of them. In a strong culture, employees waste
little time in deciding how to act in a given situation. The
impact on productivity is remarkable. (Deal & Kennedy, 1982)

Beliefs - Negative Impact

Culture (beliefs, values, norms) is often so strong and so powerful

that when there is a discrepancy between the current culture and
goals of organizational change, the culture will win, and status quo
will prevail. (National Defense University, n.d.)
Significant changes in the organizations environment are often
ignored when the organization is too entrenched in its beliefs and
inflexible. Example: US intelligence community prior to 9/11.
Culture informs employees of exactly what is expected of them.
In a strong culture, employees waste little time deciding how to act
in a given situation. In a weak culture, the reverse is true. The
impact on productivity is remarkable. (Deal & Kennedy, 1982)
An organizations culture is directly related to its effectiveness
and has everything to do with its success or failure. (Center for
Organizational Effectiveness, n.d.)

Beliefs What to look for

Look around. What do the headquarters and other

buildings look like? How are people dressed? How much
interaction is there? Who is talking to whom? How does
the place feel?
Read newsletters and other internal documents. What
values are emphasized? Who is held up for praise? Are
parties, celebrations, or other ceremonies mentioned?
What sorts of things are discussed?
Look at annual reports or other communications to those
outside the firm. What face is being presented to the
world?

Beliefs What to look for

See what you can learn about rites and ceremonies in

the organization. What happens when people accomplish
something? Are there rites of passage such as
promotion ceremonies and retirement parties? Are there
regular get-togethers such as holiday parties, social
events, and company softball games?
Ask, What sorts of behaviors are expected and
rewarded here? What sorts of behaviors are punished?
Ask people outside the firm what they think of it.
As appropriate, use quantitative measures such as the
QFIT-C, Organizational Culture Profile, Organizational
Culture Inventory or a tailored Culture Survey.

Values - Theory

Values are the social principals, goals, and

standards that cultural members believe have
intrinsic worth. They define what the members of a
culture care about most and are revealed by their
priorities. (Hatch, 2006)
Values are also beliefs and are defined as Beliefs
about what is a desirable or a good (e.g. free
speech) and what is an undesirable or a bad (e.g.,
dishonesty). (Krech, Crutchfield and Ballachey as
cited in French & Bell, 1999).
Values can be good or bad. They are concerned with
what it is good to desire. (Stacey, 2007).

Values - Theory

Values influence every aspect of our lives: our

moral judgments, our responses to others, our
commitments to personal and organization goals.
Values set the parameters for the hundreds of
decisions we make every day. (Kouzes & Posner,
2002).

Values guide our behavior.

Values empower our decision making.
Values motivate us.
Values keep us focused.
(Kouzes & Posner, 2002; Holman, Devane, & Cady, 2007;
Stacey, 2007)

Values - Theory

The highest level of commitment to an organization

comes from a person who is clear about both
personal and organizational values. The lowest level
of commitment comes from people who have high
clarity about organizational values but low clarity
about personal values. (Kouzes & Posner, 2002)
members of an organization are able to recognize
their values fairly easily and they become particularly
sensitive to them when someone challenges their
culture in some fundamental way, such as breaking
with tradition. (Hatch, 2006, p. 186)
Norm are expressions of valuesWhile values
specify what is important to the members of a
culture, norms establish what sorts of behavior to
expect from one another. (Hatch, 2006, p. 187)

Values Positive Impact

Values are the foundation for an

organizations mission, vision, and overall
business drivers, so we must:

Clearly and continuously communicate

organizational values to all members at all
levels.
Enroll new members
Collect feedback
Revisit and update (if necessary)

Values Negative Impact

Without clearly articulated values:

An organization lacks direction

An organization lacks a foundation for the
work it does
Outsiders cannot understand an
organizations purpose
Members do not understand their purpose as
part of the organization
Dysfunction can develop

Values What to look for

Are the organizations values explicit (written in

value statement, mission, etc.) or implicit?
Are the organizations values clear to all
members of the organization at all levels?
Is there a high level of commitment to the
organizations values?
Do the leaders live the values of the
organization?
How are new members taught the values of the
organization?

Norms - Theory

Norms should be consciously set to be most

effective.
The facilitator (or leader) of a team/organization has
the responsibility to set the norms that guides the
team. These are the agreements the team will live
by during the initial stages of team development.
(Jones, Bearley, Corkrum 2001)
Norms are informal ground rules that provide
guidelines concerning appropriate and inappropriate
behavior in a group. They are implicitly understood
by members and are substrata beneath behavior in
and of the group. (Smith & Berg 1987)

Norms - Theory

Norms stem from the values and beliefs that

constitute the groups culture (Schwarz,
2002)
Norms can promote change if the group is
not in the desired state; they maintain the
status quo if the group is in a normative
state (Arrow, McGrath, and Berdahl, 2000)
Establishing norms for adjudicating and
resolving competing claims is thus a key
issue for groups (Arrow, McGrath, and
Berdahl, 2000)

Norms - Theory

Norm are expressions of values

While values specify what is important
to the members of a culture, norms
establish what sorts of behavior to
expect from one another.
(Hatch, 2006)

Norms Positive Impact

They control the groups interactions

They allow fair communication
Help keep people respectful of others,
Distribute Power to weaker members of
the group

Norms Negative Impact

Not having group norms causes lack of

trust
Group becomes more task oriented
Fail to recognize and tap into one
another's skills and experiences
Lack of relationship building
Members lack a clear understanding of
their purpose within the organization

Norms What to look for

Does the group test assumptions and inferences?

Is all relevant information shared?
Are specific examples used to agree on what important
words mean?
Are reasoning and intent explained?
Do they focus on interests, not positions?
Is there a combination of advocacy and inquiry?
Does the group jointly design next steps and ways to test
disagreements?
Are undiscussable issues discussed?
Do they use a decision-making rule that generates the level
of commitment needed?
(Argyris as used in Schwarz, 2002)

Conclusion
Organizational culture is the culture that
exists in an organization, something akin to
societal culture. It is composed of many
intangible phenomena, such as values,
beliefs, assumptions, perceptions, behavioral
norms, artifacts, and patterns of behavior. It
is the unseen and unobservable force that is
always behind the organizational activities
that can be seen and observed.
Shafritz, J., Ott, J., & Jang, Y. (2005), p. 351.