Organizational

Culture,
Creativity, and
Innovation
Chapter 14

Learning Objectives
1.
2.
3.

4.
5.
6.

Define organizational culture and identify the various

functions it serves in organizations.
Describe the four types of organizational culture identified
by the double S cube.
Identify the factors responsible for creating and
transmitting organizational culture and for getting it to
change.
Define creativity and describe the basic components of
individual and team creativity.
Describe various approaches to promoting creativity in
organizations.
Identify the basic components of innovation and the
various stages of the innovation process.
Copyright 2003, Prentice Hall

Organizational Culture
A cognitive framework consisting of attitudes,
values, behavioral norms, and expectations shared
by organization members.
Subcultures:
Subcultures Cultures existing within parts of
organizations rather than entirely throughout them.
Dominant Culture:
Culture The distinctive, overarching
personality of an organization.
Toxic Organizational Cultures:
Cultures Organizational
cultures in which people feel that they are not
valued.
Healthy Organizational Cultures:
Cultures Organizational
cultures in which people feel they are valued.

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Core Organizational Values

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Culture in Organizations

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The Double S Cube

A system of categorizing four types of
organizational culture by combining two
dimensions sociability and solidarity. Each of the
four resulting cultural types can be both positive
and negative in nature.
Sociability:
Sociability A dimension of the double S cube
characterized by the degree of friendliness typically
found among members of an organization.
Solidarity:
Solidarity A dimension of the double S cube
characterized by the degree to which people in an
organization share a common understanding of the
tasks and goals about which they are working.

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Four Organizational
Cultures

Networked Culture:
Culture In the double S cube, this type of
organizational culture is characterized by high levels
of sociability and low levels of solidarity.
Mercenary Culture:
Culture In the double S cube, this type of
organizational culture is characterized by a low
degree of sociability and a high degree of solidarity.
Fragmented Culture:
Culture In the double S cube, this type
of organizational culture is characterized by a low
degree of sociability and a low degree of solidarity.
Communal Culture:
Culture In the double S cube, this type of
organizational culture is characterized by both a high
degree of sociability and a high degree of solidarity.

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The Double S Cube

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Assessing Organizational
Culture

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Interpreting Organizational
Culture
Companies

contain
not one, but several
cultures.
Organizational
cultures tend to
change over time.
No one culture is
necessarily better or
worse than any other.
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10

Creating Organizational
Culture
Company

founders
Experience
with the
environment
Contact with
others
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11

Transmitting Culture
Symbols:
Symbols Objects that say more than meets
the eye
Slogans:
Slogans Phrases that capture organizational
culture
Stories:
Stories In the old days, we used to . . .
Jargon:
Jargon The special language that defines a
culture
Ceremonies:
Ceremonies Special events that
commemorate corporate values
Statements of Principle:
Principle Defining culture in
writing
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Famous Slogans

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The Nike Story

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14

Culture and Performance

During the 1990s,
attempts to
improve corporate
culture led to
sizable gains in
Alberto-Culvers
pretax profitability.
The various
milestones in this
effort are identified
here.

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15

How Culture Changes

Composition

of the

workforce
Mergers and
acquisitions
Planned
organizational
change
Responding to the
internet
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Creativity
Components of Creativity

The process
by which
individuals
or teams
produce
novel and
useful ideas.
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Creativity-Relevant Skills
Break mental sets and take new perspectives
Divergent thinking:
thinking The process of reframing familiar
problems in unique ways.

Understand complexities
Keep options open and avoid premature
judgments
Follow creativity heuristics
Creativity heuristics:
heuristics Rules that people follow to help
them approach tasks in novel ways.

Use productive forgetting

Productive forgetting:
forgetting The ability to abandon
unproductive ideas and temporarily put aside stubborn
problems until new approaches can be considered.

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A Model of the Creative

Process

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Promoting Creativity
Training

People to be Creative

Encourage openness to new ideas

Take the time to understand the problem
Develop divergent thinking
Morphology:
Morphology An approach to analyzing problems
in which basic elements are combined in
systematically different ways.

Developing

Creative Work Environments

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Developing Creative
Environments
Provide autonomy
Allow ideas to cross-pollinate
Make jobs intrinsically interesting
Set your own creative goals
Support creativity at high
organizational levels
Have fun!
Promote diversity
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21

Innovation
The

successful implementation of
creative ideas within an organization.
Building blocks:
Motivation to innovate
Resources to innovate
Innovation management
Goals
Rewards
Time Pressure
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The Process of Innovation

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