HRMN Week 2
ptrscip123
Lecture2_HRMN367.pptWeek 2
About Assumptions
This week we will discuss underlying assumptions, shared assumptions, and self-awareness.
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Week 2
Read:
Week 2 Reading Materials Under “Content”
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Week 2
Underlying Assumptions
As discussed last week, underlying assumptions are those taken-for-granted beliefs about how nature works. When we overlay our moral judgments and qualitative definitions (e.g., that’s good; that’s bad), we are demonstrating the presence of underlying assumptions. There is a reason we make certain judgments and why we define the events of our lives the way we define them.
Our responses – whether actions, thoughts, behaviors or attitudes – can be seen, and therefore, fit under the heading of cultural artifacts within the environment that initiates them (the environment may be social, organizational, political, religious, or even educational). But there is a relationship between the presence of the artifact of response and the cause of the response. Even when the response is one of neutrality (e.g., “that was no big deal”) there is an underlying assumption that initiated the response.
We never – or rarely – think about our underlying assumptions, and for the most part, that speeds up our decision making processes in everyday situations. Think about the cognitive stagnancy if you had to ask yourself why you are stopping at a red light every time you came to an intersection. (But stopping at a red light is a great example of an underlying assumption related to our accumulated learning!).
Understanding the differences between individual, group, organizational, and societal assumptions, will help us understand the differences between attitudes, reactions, behaviors, thoughts, and integrated patterns of operations among, within, and between those entities.
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Week 2
Shared Assumptions
Shared assumptions are basically those underlying assumptions that are the same as the underlying assumptions of other people, groups, organizations, communities and societies.
Again, through understanding the underlying assumptions of different entities, you gain insight into the manifestation of responses to situations, the artifacts of culture as well as the beliefs and values prevalent within those cultures. When assumptions are shared there is a commonality within the validity that is imposed upon the patterned integration of the culture. These may emerge as a common response to situations simply because the underlying assumptions are shared to the extent that responses are conditioned, and thus are predictable.
Think about how responses are indicative of ways qualitative judgments are placed upon any given situations. As a simple example, a supervisor may say, “That was good.” This is based on the supervisor’s underlying assumption about the positive way nature should work. Another supervisor, given the same situation, would also say, “That was good.” Now not only do we have two individuals with underlying assumptions, we have two individuals with shared assumptions that influence and solidify the commonality of their response within the cultural norms of defined “good” and “bad.”
This may lead to all things being “black and white” with no “shades of gray” to consider. Over time “black and white” issues may indicate underlying assumptions that can not adjust to changing environments. Tie this idea into your readings on the life cycle of organizations (and leadership’s responsibility to address those challenges – we’ll discuss this more later in the class).
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Week 2
Self Awareness
Being mindful of the present moment is not as easily accomplished as it may sound. How many times have you left your house and arrived at work wondering about how you got there? Underlying assumptions allow us to operate on “auto-pilot” through most of our routines. Our behaviors become mechanistic and we have a belief about the way nature works, so we don’t take time to become aware of the present moment or aware of how we are responding to the present moment.
Self awareness is being aware of one’s presence in the present moment which is really all we can claim. And some argue that the present moment doesn’t exist because by the time it takes (even at the speed of light) to realize the present moment it has passed. When we become aware of our presence, we can identify our responses, thoughts, reactions, and behaviors, and can connect them to our beliefs and values, but also (with a little more reflection) we can connect those responses (cognitive and physical) to our underlying assumptions.
So what? Why all this philosophical rambling in a course about organizational culture? That’s an excellent question that points to the relationship between understanding organizational culture within the context of human resource management. If one can not be aware of and manage one’s self, how can one manage human resources? Being self aware is a key component to understanding how one responds to other individuals, groups, organizations, communities and societies. Underlying assumptions are barriers or accelerants to empathizing with someone else. This isn’t to say underlying assumptions need to be shared to empathize with someone else’s responses; but to empathize, one must understand the source of the response is an underlying assumption.
But how do we know we share or don’t share assumptions unless we are self aware of our own cognitive and physical behaviors/responses within the context of the culture within which we are operating?
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Week 2
What Are Your Questions?
This week we discussed assumptions – underlying and shared – and talked about the importance of self awareness within the context of organizational culture studies.
So, what are you questions?
Use the conference forum to ask questions, raise concerns, and/or make comments – and have a great week!
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