Org leader hw 3
AssignmensToDo
5.1CultureandClimate_Fnl.ppt
Organizational Culture and Leadership Climate
MGMT 560 – Organizational Leadership
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Organizational Culture
- The personality of an organization comprised of beliefs/assumptions, values/norms, and artifacts (Schien, 1985).
- Beliefs & Assumptions (invisible)
- The core of culture; taken for granted
- Represent what members believe to be reality
- The unquestioned “truth”
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Organizational Culture
- How to define an organization’s core assumptions:
- What is the “correct” way for members to behave (dominant, harmonizing, passive)?
- What is the organization’s relationship to its environment (dominant, submissive, harmonizing, searching out a niche)?
- How is truth determined (pragmatic test, reliance on wisdom, social consensus)?
- Is time oriented on the past, present, or future?
- Are people (& other organizations) basically good, neutral, or evil?
- What is the “correct” way for people to relate to each other, to distribute power (competitive or cooperative)?
- Is the organization highly diverse or homogeneous; are members encouraged to innovate or conform?
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Organizational Culture
- Values & Norms (greater level of awareness):
- Values – social principles, goals, and standards held within a culture to have worth
- Define what members care about, such as freedom, democracy, tradition, wealth or loyalty
- Basis for defining what is right and wrong
- Norms – unwritten rules that allow members of a culture to know what is expected of them in a wide variety of situations
- Values define what is valued, while norms define what is considered normal or abnormal
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Organizational Culture
- Artifacts (visible, but often undecipherable)
- Visible, tangible, and audible remains of behavior grounded in cultural norms, values, and assumptions
- Categories:
- Physical manifestations (logo, décor, dress, physical layout)
- Verbal manifestations (anecdotes, names, history, metaphors)
- Behavioral manifestations (ceremonies, traditions/customs, rewards and punishments)
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Organizational Culture
- According to Shein:
- “The essence of culture is its core assumptions and established beliefs. This core reaches outward through values and behavioral norms that are recognized, responded to, and maintained by members of the culture. The values and norms, in turn, influence the choices and other actions taken by cultural members. Finally, culturally guided action produces artifacts.”
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Leadership Climate
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Leadership Climate
- Beliefs and perceptions held by members of an organization as a result of leadership actions
- Culture-embedding mechanisms that define Climate (Schneider, 1990):
- What do leaders pay attention to?
- How do leaders react to incidents and crises?
- What criteria is used to distribute resources?
- How do leaders role model, teach, and coach?
- What criteria is used to allocate awards?
- What criteria is used for recruitment, promotions, retirement, and excommunication?
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What are some Positive Leadership Climate Indicators?
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Positive Climate Indicators
- Trust exists in the organization
- Teamwork, fair play, and information sharing
- Open, candid communications
- Project team member job satisfaction
- Team members (and families) attend social activities
Establishing a Positive Leadership Climate
- Determine the “health” of your team
- Identify climate areas you want to influence
- Establish clear goals & objectives for each area
- Execute plan; leadership climate is created from the TOP down
Actions You Can Take
- Communicate a sense of vision or focus
- Establish high, attainable, clearly understood standards
- Encourage competition against standards rather than each other
- Allow subordinates freedom to exercise initiative
- Establish accountability at appropriate level
- Show confidence in subordinates
- Encourage & reward prudent risk-taking
- Achieve high performance through positive motivation and rewards
- Underwrite honest mistakes
- Share decision making with subordinates
- Give clear tasks with boundaries of autonomy
Actions You Can Take
Actions You Can Take
- Listen to subordinates and seek ideas
- Demonstrate concern about the welfare of subordinates
- Establish and model high ethical standards
- PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH
