Organisational Culture Cannot Be Managed
...a group of individuals working together can accomplish the task that one individual cannot and the work can be done faster and more effectively. The process of organisational culture formation is first of all the process of creating a small group of individuals.
From the 1980s there was a great number of discussions of organisational culture as a "source of fresh air" and antidote to attributes of organisational life that merely focus on easily measurable variables. On symposium presented in 1988 at the Academy of Management Conference in Anaheim, California, culture was said to be an important concept that needs long-term attention as it is creates a frame for work being done within organisations'. Healthy organisational culture is vied as a key to improved morale, loyalty, harmony, productivity, and ultimately - profitability.' (Bate 1994).
The main reason for such an interest to organizational culture, however, is the desire to understand how it impact organizational change. There is a great deal of discussion of this issue in literature in recent years. The example of British Airways that claimed to have changed its culture from an emphasis on flying routes to an emphasis on company servise suggests that it is possible to be successful in implementing changes and gain positive outcomes (Ackroyd, et al 1990). According to Johnson (1992), however, culture is more an obstacle to organizational changes rather than key to its success.
This paper attempts to critically analyse cultural phenomenon and answer the question whether it can be managed by using theoretical proof and examples from real life.
Different sources give different definition of what organizational culture really is. Organisational culture can be defined as a set of shared mental assumptions that guide interpretation and action in organisation by defining appropriate behavior...
View Full Essay
