Identifying Elements of Organizational Culture

How do organizations go about identifying exactly which elements of culture are in place? Many carry out a review of the existing culture. The first step in this process is to ask how executives would describe the culture, followed by an organization-wide survey of employee opinions to validate information executives.

These audits can identify any conflicting values and analyze the actions of workers and management to determine whether these actions to support or undermine particular values the company wants as part of its culture. A gap analysis to determine how far the material culture of the desired culture. This is an important opportunity for senior management to executable plans to close the gap to develop. It is important to realize that the success of the proposed changes will be in direct proportion to the degree of willingness to change. Although a commitment by the CEO and senior management about the need for changes in attitudes, beliefs and behaviors, it will be a while before those changes become part of everyday culture.

A culture is also reflected in an effective leadership, empowered employees, strong development, good communication and a real focus on customers, resulting in increased productivity and improved workforce retention. In 1992, John Kotter and James Heskett Corporate Culture and Performance, a groundbreaking study of more than 200 U.S. companies, they concluded that the time, organizations that manage their staff and saw their shares rise by more than 10 times greater than organizations that did not. Studies have also shown that lack of cultural fit is an important factor behind the failed merger.

A Gallup survey of more than three million American workers by exposure levels. Analysis of the results of the survey showed that 71% of Americans who work every day not doing their job. American companies operating at one third of their capacity. Costs to the U.S. economy more than trillion dollars in lost productivity.

Unfortunately, organizational culture has its downside. Firstly, it is not easy to hard and fast connection between the cultural changes and improvements to the company - a majority of the evidence to identify based on common sense. For these reasons, changing culture is virtually impossible without the involvement of senior and middle managers and tangible benefits or rewards for everyone else.