OT&BH 8 DB

BUS 3451, Organizational Theory and Behavior 1

Course Learning Outcomes for Unit VIII Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:

1. Discuss the elements of organizational culture and the importance of organizational subcultures. 2. List four categories of artifacts through which corporate culture is deciphered. 3. Discuss the importance of organizational culture and the conditions in which organizational culture

strength improves organizational performance. 4. Compare and contrast four strategies for merging organizational cultures. 5. Explain the elements of Lewin's force field analysis model. 6. Discuss the reasons people resist organizational change and how change agents should view this

resistance. 7. Outline strategies for minimizing resistance to change and methods for effectively creating a sense of

urgency for change.

Reading Assignment Chapter 14: Organizational Culture Chapter 15: Organizational Change

Unit Lesson Organizational Culture and Change Have you ever worked with a happy group of people? It changes the mood, but does it also change productivity? There is a balance. Organizational culture consists of the values and assumptions shared within an organization. Shared assumptions are non-conscious, taken-for-granted perceptions or beliefs that are in sync and are considered the correct way to think and act toward problems and opportunities. If someone new is hired, they have to learn these shared assumptions or challenge them, which does not normally go well. Can you think of a time someone challenged the norms at work or in a family setting? How did that go? Is it a lot like a teenager rebelling? These and other elements of organizational culture give way to organizational subcultures, which are interrelated and important because they can propel or interfere with productivity and morale. Artifacts are known as stories and informal entities within the workplace that almost every employee learns within their orientation period or shortly after. The artifacts are subtle, like stories that have evolved over time. The story might involve a past employee who was fired and a specific reason or the reputation of a particular leadership figure. Other times, the artifact might be a ritual such as company outing that improves morale and or attitudes. In cases where growth is affected or even stunted due to cultural issues such as insubordination or other unhealthy behavior, organizations have witnessed high turnover of employees or even (ultimately) organizational death. There are also times that an organization must consider merging cultures such as in the case of mergers and acquisitions. For smaller companies, the cultural viewpoints must be merged when employees are changed between different departments, and new teams are formed. Organizational culture that is strong can improve organizational performance. Social ties can bond people together, and the alignment of beliefs and values can create a desired culture. Organizational culture is not

UNIT VIII STUDY GUIDE

Organizational Culture &

Organizational Change

BUS 3451, Organizational Theory and Behavior 2

UNIT x STUDY GUIDE

Title

easy to change, but it can be done. Attraction-selection-attrition (ASA) theory illustrates how organizations will attract, select, and retain particular types of personalities, for instance. Then, those people together learn and somewhat dictate organizational expectations. Identifying these processes is known as organizational socialization, where an employee develops his/her beliefs over time. That said, even with solid core values, organizational leaders must know that change is inevitable. Lewin's force field analysis model is a very popular way of viewing the change process in an organization. The idea is that if a company tries to keep everything the same, the company will not thrive. If employees resist change that is necessary, leadership should educate the group and prepare the group for a change process. People resist organizational change for a variety of reasons ranging from poor work ethic to a simple fear of the unknown. They might even imagine a change as something that threatens their job security. Resistance is normal and leadership should expect it and empathize it as a first step in the change process. There are many methods for minimizing resistance to change such as increasing awareness of how a change will ultimately make a positive outcome for the employee. Helping employees to participate and increase their sense of urgency for a particular change can lead to a smoother journey toward a worthwhile change. Since change is inevitable in our world, improvement and innovation as an organizational way of being is a smart standpoint (McShane & Von Glinow, 2013).

Reference McShane, S. L., & Von Glinow, M. A. (2013). Organizational behavior (6th ed.). New York, NY:

McGraw-Hill/Irwin.

Suggested Reading Click here for the Chapter 14 Presentation in PowerPoint form. Click here to access a PDF version of the presentation. Click here for the Chapter 15 Presentation in PowerPoint form. Click here to access a PDF version of the presentation. Using the Waldorf Online Library, locate and read the following articles. Look for these articles using the Academic OneFile Database: Building psychological resilience in military personnel; theory and practice [Book review]. (2013 August).

Reference & Research Book News. The chief diversity officer; strategy, structure, and change management [Book review]. (2013 August).

Reference & Research Book News.

Key Terms 1. Action research 2. Adaptive culture 3. Bicultural audit 4. Force field analysis 5. Organizational culture 6. Organizational socialization 7. Psychological contract 8. Refreezing 9. Rituals

10. Unfreezing