Organizational Culture

As is the case with many of the concepts regarding sport organizations, organizational culture is difficult to define. Slack and Parent list multiple definitions of culture from scholars, each definition a bit different from the next. This being said, four general themes of organizational culture can be taken out of these definitions to be used as a guide for what organizational culture entails. These four characteristics are values, beliefs, basic assumptions, and shared understandings. These characteristics, according to Slack and Parent, provide "stability to an organization and convey to new members the understanding that enables them to make sense of organizational activities" (p. 275). After defining organizational context, the text begins to explain "manifestations" in which we can use to further understand organizational context in detail. These manifestations are components or characteristics of an organization which help shape the underlying culture of the organization. These components include stories and myths, symbols, language, ceremonies or rites, and physical setting. Of these components, the language component struck home with me. This past summer I worked as the head coach of a high school baseball team and we had a developed language system we used to call defensive alignments, execute offensive plays, etc. This specialized language clearly defined our culture as an organization because members outside of the organization did not know this language, and it clearly separated our organization from the next. In addition to this, we held many ceremonies, meetings, etc. to further express our team's values and cultural components. Slack and Parent also describe a broad way of identifying types of organizational culture. Thick culture, according to the text, is "one in which the members of a sport organization agree about the importance of certain values and employ them in their daily routines" (p.280). On the flip side, a thin culture is a culture in which there are not many common values, and the organization's culture is varied dependent on the department within the organization. An example of thin culture can be seen within the U of M athletic department. The athletic team's main values and goals are to recruit the best athletes, earn victories, and raising funds. On the flip side, the academic services department within the organization is concerned with aiding the student athletes in their academic endeavors, providing career opportunities, and issuing tutors. As you can see, the various departments within the U of M athletic department have different values and goals. In my opinion, a thin culture can be thought of as a collection of "mini cultures" that collectively make up an organization and help it achieve its ultimate goals. The last section of the chapter focuses on creating, managing and changing a sport organization's culture. Slack and Parent describe that the founders of an organization have a large influence on the development of culture (p.283). In addition, Slack and Parent note that the creation of visions, codes of conduct, and organizational procedures set forth by the founder contribute to the overall creation of culture within the sport organization. Once an organization's culture is developed, it must be managed. The text describes five mechanisms in which culture can be managed: what managers pay attention to, measure, and control, managers' reaction to critical incidents and organizational crises, deliberate role modeling, teaching, and coaching, criteria for allocation of rewards, and criteria for recruitment, selection, promotion, retirement, and excommunication. In essence, the way a manager handles and controls these five mechanisms within an organization can reinforce the underlying values and beliefs that an organization's culture is built upon. For example, a manager of a sport organization who rewards his employees for excellent attendance at work clearly values workers who show up to work every day. Changing the culture of a sport organization can be done in many ways. Slack and Parent list changes in the number of employees, expanding markets or product lines, and other structural modifications as ways in which a sport organization can change its culture (p.285). At some times organizations change their culture because they feel it is needed, and in other situations, they must change their culture in order to adapt to their environment and remain competitive. Questions: 1.) Slack and Parent explain that research has shown a strong correlation between organizational effectiveness and a thick organizational culture. Do you believe this is the case? Why or why not? 2.) If you were the manager of a sport organization, what kind of culture would you develop (values, beliefs, policies, etc.)? 3.) The text talks about sport organizations being multicultural. Do you think that every organization is multicultural, or are there organizations in which the culture is nearly identical throughout all departments?