Organizational Culture

Organizational culture is something that is hard to define or collect as a group altogether. Culture is something that is not defined, but as a sort of unwritten law of how a group of people interact and display as a group. It is based on what a certain group of people have in common, such as goals, values, and understandings that run the organization. Slack and Parent also talk about the stories and myths, symbols, and language that is used through organizational culture. Stories are used through every organization as something to bring a group of people together through a better understanding. I have experienced this many times. It is used to connect people and to accept new people into an organization. Symbols are everywhere but people usually do not notice them until someone points it out to them or the person actually thinks about it in great depth. Through the organization of women's basketball at the University of Minnesota, I never thought of symbols as important until one of the people involved in the staff pointed out some symbols to me. I now believe that symbols are all around me and everything happens for a reason. In any organization, there is a specific language used among a group of people. Each system has its own vocabulary and set of words used that no one else may understand. It is like a secret society of knowledge that is only applicable to the entire group of people. Secrets in an organization most times bring a large group of people together. This jargon that is created is used to bring a group together, but to also keep competitors at a distance with their knowledge and plans of things. It keeps competitors guessing because they are unknowing of the information being discussed by the other groups. A certain language in an organization helps bring a sense of unity by being a specialized group that understands the objectives of this organization. The chapter mentions ceremonies and traditions in organizations. This helps a group of people create a culture because these ceremonies show what is important to them. Some sports programs might hold a party for the beginning of a sport season. This is a ritual/ceremony showing the fans what is important to them and how much they are appreciated. An organization creates a culture based on the size and the structure and other contextual features of the group. An organization that maintains its culture will become stronger because of consistency. This consistency is seen as a strength, so stakeholders are more likely to stick with the company. Culture will always be hard to define in any organization, but it is always there.