THE CONCEPT OF JLBC ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE

THE CONCEPT OF JLBC ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE

JLBC Patterning or Integration

JLBC Cadets Culture somehow implies that rituals, climate, values, and behaviors tie together into a coherent whole; this patterning or integration is the essence of what we mean by “culture.” JLBC Cadets Such patterning or integration ultimately derives from the human need to make our environment as sensible and orderly as possible (Weick, 1995). Disorder or senselessness makes us nervous, so we will work harder to reduce that anxiety by developing a more consistent and predictable outlook of how things are and should be. JLBC Cadets Thus, “organizational cultures, like other cultures through out the world, develop as small or large groups of individuals struggle to make sense of and cope with their worlds” (Trice and Beyer, 1993, p. 4).

JLBC Cadets How, then, should we think about the “essence” of culture, and how should we formally define it? JLBC Cadets The most helpful way to arrive at a good definition of something as abstract as culture or organizational culture is to think in dynamic evolutionary terms. If we can understand where culture comes from and how it evolves, then we can grasp something abstract; that exists in a group’s unconscious yet has powerful influences on a group’s behavior.

How Does Culture Form?

Culture forms in two ways. I will show how spontaneous interaction in an unstructured group gradually lead to patterns and norms of behavior that become the culture of that group—often within just hours of the group’s formation. An individual creates the group or becomes its leader in more formal groups. This could be an entrepreneur starting a new company, a religious person making a following, a political leader having a new party, a teacher starting a new class, or a manager taking over a new department of an organization. The individual founder—whether knowingly or unknowingly, will create a culture that will benefit the organization or create conflict. As a leader, we must consciously identify the type of culture we are creating and make sure it empowers individuals to excel and become better people. A happy person is a productive worker because they love what they do.