Defining Organizational Culture Chapter One Organizational Culture and Leadership Second Edition, 1991 Edgar Schein Wendy Baker-Thompson Public Sector Organizations April 3, 2006Edgar ScheinSlide 3Slide 4Slide 5Schein’s Examples (of how culture helped clarify specific organizational situations)Major concepts (associated with culture)Slide 8Slide 9Culture and LeadershipCultural ChangeSlide 12Slide 13For discussionSlide 15Defining Organizational Defining Organizational CultureCultureChapter OneChapter OneOrganizational Culture and LeadershipOrganizational Culture and LeadershipSecond Edition, 1991Second Edition, 1991Edgar ScheinEdgar ScheinWendy Baker-ThompsonWendy Baker-ThompsonPublic Sector OrganizationsPublic Sector OrganizationsApril 3, 2006April 3, 2006Edgar ScheinEdgar ScheinBorn 1928Born 1928Sloan Fellows Professor of Sloan Fellows Professor of Management Emeritus and Senior Management Emeritus and Senior Lecturer at Sloan School of Lecturer at Sloan School of Management in Massachusetts Management in Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyInstitute of TechnologyFounding editor of Founding editor of ReflectionsReflections - - journal of the Society for journal of the Society for Organizational LearningOrganizational LearningAuthor of numerous books and articlesAuthor of numerous books and articlesOrganizational Culture and Organizational Culture and Leadership Leadership among the most among the most notable studies of organizational notable studies of organizational culturecultureEducation:Education:University of Chicago University of Chicago (undergraduate)(undergraduate)Stanford University (MA Stanford University (MA Psychology, 1949)Psychology, 1949)Harvard University (Ph.D. Social Harvard University (Ph.D. Social Psychology, 1952)Psychology, 1952)“Culture is an abstraction, yet the forces that are created in social and organizational situations that derive from culture are powerful. If we don’t understand the operation of these forces we become victim of them.”Schein, E. (2004) Organizational Culture and Leadership, Third EditionSchein’s formal definition of organizational Schein’s formal definition of organizational culture:culture:““A pattern of shared basic assumptions that a group A pattern of shared basic assumptions that a group has learned as it solved its problems of external has learned as it solved its problems of external adaptation and internal integration, that has adaptation and internal integration, that has worked well enough to be considered valid and worked well enough to be considered valid and therefore, to be taught to new members as the therefore, to be taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think, and feel in relation correct way to perceive, think, and feel in relation to those problems.”to those problems.”Cultural ArtifactsTechnology, things andBehavioral patternsValuesTestable in the physicalEnvironment and by social consensusBasic AssumptionsRelationship to the environmentNature of reality, time and spaceNature of human nature andHuman relationshipsLevels of ExpressionReadily observed: Multiple cultural meaningsObservable patterns of meaningsNot directly observable and must be inferred from observations of the cultureLawson & Shen (1998). Organizational PsychologyThree Levels of Organizational CultureSchein’s ExamplesSchein’s Examples(of how culture helped clarify specific organizational (of how culture helped clarify specific organizational situations)situations)Company 1 –Company 1 –Goal: develop innovative climate; one flexible to environmentGoal: develop innovative climate; one flexible to environmentFindings: a lot of innovation but not communicated; no management support for Findings: a lot of innovation but not communicated; no management support for communicationcommunicationRecommendation: better listening, less interrupting, more orderly agenda, reduce frustration Recommendation: better listening, less interrupting, more orderly agenda, reduce frustration levellevelCompany 2 –Company 2 –Goal: improve communication, relationships, decision makingGoal: improve communication, relationships, decision makingFindings: competition, emotionalism, frustration in communicationFindings: competition, emotionalism, frustration in communicationRecommendation: increase communication efforts, sharing of innovative ideasRecommendation: increase communication efforts, sharing of innovative ideasIn both cases, suggestions made for reducing factors identified yet styles remained same In both cases, suggestions made for reducing factors identified yet styles remained same despite recommendations.despite recommendations.Problem?Problem?Assumptions – Schein was looking at both companies with his own eyes, his own culture Assumptions – Schein was looking at both companies with his own eyes, his own culture and not those of the companyand not those of the companyHow he thought things should work was not the same as the way his clients thought How he thought things should work was not the same as the way his clients thought things should workthings should workSchein realized the importance of confronting fundamental assumptionsSchein realized the importance of confronting fundamental assumptionsCultural analysis is “the encountering and deciphering of Cultural analysis is “the encountering and deciphering of shared basic assumptions”shared basic assumptions”Major concepts Major concepts (associated with (associated with culture)culture)Observed behavioral regularities in interactions (language, Observed behavioral regularities in interactions (language, rituals) rituals) Group normsGroup normsEspoused valuesEspoused valuesFormal philosophyFormal philosophyRules of the gameRules of the gameClimateClimateEmbedded skillsEmbedded skillsHabits of thinking, mental models and/or linguistic Habits of thinking, mental models and/or linguistic paradigmsparadigmsShared meaningsShared meanings““Root metaphors” or integrating symbolsRoot metaphors” or integrating symbolsCulture implies Culture implies structural stabilitystructural stability and and patterning or patterning or integrationintegrationCultureHuman need forstability, consistency &meaning Stability of membershipShared LearningHistory of shared experienceCulture FormationGroupThree ElementsThree Elements of Culture of CultureThe problem of socialization – teaching