organizational culture comm kc

CommunicationKnowledgeCenter@Outlook.com

Organizational Culture

Assignment• Analyze the Corporate Identity Mix of your

organization and characterize the organization according to Trompenaars’ Seven Value Dimensions.

• Which of Trompenaars’ four extreme stereotypes of corporate culture fit best to this organization?

• Always explain why you conclude something.

To start with, this analysis will mainly entail semiotic analysis of your organization’s site.

We chose to analyze Cid-mix because it seems easier to observe communication, symbolism and behavior than to observe the layers of Trompenaar’s onion-model.

Fons Trompenaars• Dutch author and consultant in the

field of cross-cultural communication.[1]

• Ranked in the Thinkers50 [2] of the most influential management thinkers.

• Together with his colleague and co-founder Charles Hampden-Turner, Fons directs a consultancy.

Free after: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fons_Trompenaars

“Culture, like an onion, consists of layers that can be peeled off.” (Trompenaars 2003 p25)

Corporate Identity Corporate Culture

• Visible elements (logo, slogan, behavior, etc.) refer to deeper – invisible – personality, starting points, values.

• Instrument for management to influence Corporate Image (& culture).

• Top-down.

• Visible elements (cloths, food, language, behavior) refer to deeper – invisible – Norms & Values, and even deeper laying Key Beliefs.

• Result of group of people living/ working together.

• Bottom-up.

Culture: Show that you belong to the group

Culture: Show that you belong to the group

Hofstede

5 Value Dimensions

1. Collectivism – Individualism

2. Femininity – Masculinity

3. Uncertainty Avoidance (High/Low)

4. Power Distance (High/Low)

5. Long-term orientation – Short-term orientation

Trompenaars

7 Value Dimensions

1. Universalism – Particularism

2. Individualism – Communitarianism

3. Neutral – Affective

4. Specific – Diffuse

5. Achievement – Ascription

6. Sequential – Synchronic

7. Internal – External Control

Values describe what is valuable, what is worth pursuing. Value Dimensions describe dilemmas: you have to choose between 2 desirable situations.

Assignment• Analyze the Corporate Identity Mix of this

organization and characterize the organization according to Trompenaars’ Seven Value Dimensions.

To start with, this analysis will mainly entail semiotic analysis of your organization’s site.

Before, you may have analyzed an advertisement and concluded which of Hofstede’s value dimension was applicable.This assignment is similar but more complicated: analyze site (and other Corporate Identity elements) and conclude which dilemma is applicable.

Universalism• General rules and obligations

are a strong source of moral reference.

• Follow the rules even when friends are involved and look for “the one best way” of dealing equally and fairly.

• Our standards are the only right ones; we will try to make others follow our standards.

Particularism• “Particular”

circumstances are more important than rules.

• Bonds of particular relationships (family, friends) are stronger than abstract rule.

Decide which is most true for

your organization

Individualism

• Individual needs and wants prevail.

Communitarianism

• Needs and wants of the group/ organization

prevails.

Decide which is most true for

your organization.

(Semiotic analysis of site may be helpful.)

Neutral

• Keep emotions for yourself.

• Many Asian countries.• Poker faces.

Affective

• Express emotions.• USA

Decide which is most true for

your organization

Specific

• We have to give meaning to what our relationship is about.

• People are human resources.

• Professional life versus private life.

• “Dr.” only at university, outside: “Fons”.

• Analytic.• Emphasize shareholder

value.• USA.

Diffuse

• We have a relationship.• People are human beings.• Your status is valid

everywhere.• Always “Dr.”• Holistic.• Pursuing greater value for all

of us.• German.

Decide which is most true for

your organization

Achievement

• Status is result of achievement.

• Status from “what you do”.

• Promote products for their performance.

• USA

Ascription

• Status is result of virtue, age, class, gender, education, etc.

• Status from “who you are”.

• Promote products for their status, national importance, etc.

• Many Asian countries

Decide which is most true for

your organization

Sequential time

• Series of passing events.• Punctual.• Time management is

important.• Short term orientation.

Synchronic time

• Past, present and future are interrelated.

• Ideas about the future and memories of the past

both shape present action.

• “Mañana”.• Long term orientation.

Decide which is most true for

your organization

Internal Control

• People force their will upon nature.

• Nature is a controllable machine: stimulus response

External Control

• Environment determines what people have to do.

• Nature is an organism.• People are subjugated to

nature.• People orient their

actions towards others: “other directed”.

• Focus on environment rather than on yourself.

Decide which is most true for

your organization

Assignment• Analyze the Corporate Identity Mix of this

organization and characterize the organization according to Trompenaars’ Seven Value Dimensions.

• Which of Trompenaars’ four extreme stereotypes of corporate culture fit best to this organization?

• Always explain why you conclude something.

4 extreme stereotypes of corporate culture (Trompenaars 2003 p106-111)

Incubator• Person oriented• Power of the individual• Self realization• Commitment to oneself• Professional recognition

Guided Missile• Task orientation• Power of knowledge/ expertise• Commitment to tasks• Management by Objectives• Pay for Performance

Eiffel Tower Role-orientation Power of position/ role Job description/ evaluation Roles and procedures Order and predictability

Family Power-orientation Personal relationships Entrepreneurial Affinity/ trust Power of person

Score yes/ no for your organization on each characteristic & read Trompenaar’s descriptions. Then decide which extreme stereotype fits best.Example of possible scores in following slides.

Extreme stereotype of corporate culture

Incubator• Person oriented• Power of the individual• Self realization• Commitment to oneself• Professional recognition

• Like a leaderless team.• Individualization is most

important .• Organization exists only

to serve the needs of its members.

Yes.

No.

No.

No.

No.

No.

Yes.

Yes.

Extreme stereotype of corporate culture

Guided Missile• Task orientation• Power of knowledge/ expertise• Commitment to tasks• Management by Objectives• Pay for Performance

• Everything focused at reaching a goal.

• Not very centralized.• Very formalized.• Achievement and effectiveness

are more important than demands of authority, procedures or people.

Yes.

No.

No.

No.

No.

No.

No.

No.

Yes.

Extreme stereotype of corporate culture

Family

• Power-orientation• Personal relationships• Entrepreneurial• Affinity/ trust• Power of person

• Very centralized around “father”/ “mother”: spider in web.

• Not very formalized.

No.

No.

No.

No.

No.

No.

No.

Extreme stereotype of corporate culture

Eiffel Tower• Role-orientation• Power of position/ role• Job description/ evaluation• Roles and procedures• Order and predictability

• Steep, stately and very robust.• Very formalized.• Very centralized.• Respect for authority based on

respect for functional position and status.

• Order an predictability are important.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Further reading

Trompenaars, Fons & Peter Woolliams (2003) Business Across Cultures, Capstone Publishing Ltd, Chichester Chapter 2 The organization of meaning: introducing value dimensions (37 p’s)Chapter 3 Further value dimensions (38 p’s)Chapter 4 Corporate culture (53 p’s)

www.cultureforbusiness.com

http://www.itapintl.com/facultyandresources/articlelibrarymain/the-use-and-misuse-of-questionnaires-in-intercultural-training.html

http://www.chairt.com/compared.html