Page 16 - KZN Business Sense 10.5 Lead story Raksha Laghari- eBook

WHAT IS ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE?

Colette Tanner, Chief A strong or weak culture Types of organisational cultures create a bottleneck which may So goes the
Operations Officer, Culture is the personality Whether by default or design, impede productivity.
DRG Outsourcing of the business and like the there are different types of A hierarchical culture accents leader, so goes
the culture.
O can be complex, transforms with organisation. Most organisations top-down leadership and has a So goes the
cultures practiced within
personality of an individual, it
strong internal focus and emphasis
time and adapts to events and
will take on more than one type of on organisational values. This
rganisational circumstances. The culture of culture, but typically a dominant culture has an established set culture, so goes
an organisation while invisible,
culture will manifest and
of standards and expectations
culture is an has a remarkable influence on represent the overall environment. that the employee is expected the company.
elusive and its people. The strength of the to deliver against. Prioritising
at times a culture determines the capacity An adhocracy culture describes adherence to rules helps to — Simon Sinek
mystifying and adaptability the organisation an organisational approach mitigate risks, prevent errors, and
subject. has toward meeting goals and of decentralized leadership, manage disruptions effectively. innovation, companies may
It is an objectives and leading change. encourages individual initiative, It also ensures that rules and realise higher profits resulting
intriguing and fluid decision-making. In consequences are equitable across in higher reward for employees
element that is learned and helps A strong culture is a set of the absence of a rigid system of and stakeholder. The need for
to shape and characterise people habits, norms, expectations, authority or inflexible procedures, all levels of employees within the continuous competition amongst
company. Decision making is top
in the workplace. Organisational traditions, symbols, values the adhocracy culture gives down, deliberate and methodical employees, may produce an
culture is a pattern of shared and techniques that influences the employee permission to with a defined chain of command. unsupportive work environment,
basic assumptions, values and the behaviour of people in take ownership. Adhocracy When compared to other types of resulting in lower employee
beliefs, which govern how people the workplace. A strong cultures are typically found in company culture, the hierarchical motivation and higher employee
behave in an organisation. The organisational culture is organisations that are highly culture strives to cultivate long turnover. The fast pace of a
collection of shared practises are requisite for engendering a innovative or creative, and term steadiness and stable outputs. workplace may result in many
adopted by the organisation and sense of identity, affiliation where change is common. In Hierarchical cultures are inclined errors with below standard
become ingrained in the way in and cohesion in the workplace these organisations, employees to recognise and reward individual outputs where employees may also
which work is done. The culture and through these actions are expected to be proactive, performance over collective action suffer from burnout.
of the organisation embodies the harmonising behaviours with the independent thinkers and to or interdepartmental collaboration. No single culture is perfect, each
values, belief system, behaviours organisational goals. A strong take initiative. The downside has its strengths and weaknesses.
and attitudes and determines culture encourages motivation, to adhocracy is that due to it’s Due to the nature of this The key is finding the right
how a business operates, loyalty, and employee retention, informal approach to leadership, highly formalised hierarchal balance. By understanding and
contributing towards the success while cultivating synergy there can be lack of clarity in environment, decision making cultivating a strong culture,
or failure of an organisation. and cross functional team respect of what needs to be may be slow and drawn out with
collaboration. A strong culture achieved resulting in chaos very little employee creativity organisations can unlock their full
Functioning as a behavioural promotes innovation, creativity, and conflict. and innovation. Employees potential. As author and culture
template for an organisation, and adaptability by encouraging may lack engagement and feel expert, Françoise Duguay, notes,
and providing a framework employees to experiment, Synonymous with family, a clan unsupported in this highly “Culture is not a soft issue; it’s a
for people management, take risks and challenges culture is a type of organisational structured workplace. strategic imperative.”
organisational culture is the status quo. Moreover, it culture that adopts an “equal In today’s fast-paced business
consistently reinforced through supports ethical conduct, social power” approach amongst all In a market culture, competition landscape, organisations must
the attitudes and behaviours responsibility, and customer employees. Employees are close in the workplace can be a primary prioritise culture to stay ahead. By
of people and becomes the orientation by having employees knit and have strong relationships. force behind innovation and doing so, they’ll attract top talent,
personality of the organisation. uphold the organisational A clan culture promotes employee motivation. Innovation drive innovation, and achieve
standards and values. teamwork, it is characterised can help to create a market culture
The cornerstone of by high employee engagement company, to excel in industry, and long-term success.
organisational culture is its A weak culture is a culture that and retention, mutual decision attract new customers. The market Organisational culture is not
commitment to a set of core is individualistic, where values making, non-competitiveness culture value system encourages just a nicety; it’s a necessity. By
values and benchmarked ethical and norms are incongruous, and is highly collaborative. A competition both to business embracing a strong culture,
behaviours. Values are described often not clearly communicated, clan culture welcomes feedback, and its market competitors and organisations can unlock their
as the guiding principles obscure and unidentifiable. In an open-mindedness, values new its employees. A market culture
that provide an organisation organisation where the culture is ideas and encourages open places emphasis on achievement, true potential and thrive in an
with purpose, the “why” and not clearly defined, the employee communication across all levels potentially increasing innovation ever-changing world. 
direction. These behavioural often becomes disconnected from in the organisation. All employees by allowing a healthy competition
patterns create the organisation’s the organisation and indifferent, have a voice and there is a sense amongst employees and managing For more information please contact
Colette Tanner,
internal thermostat for what leading to poor communication, that everyone is valued. recognition and reward. T: +27 (0)31 767 0625
is considered by the business and a lack of cohesion, this E: colette@drg.co.za
as good behaviour and ethical resulting in a lack motivation. Risk taking and challenging the This culture is characterised W: www.drg.co.za
practices. These values and Moreover, it suppresses status quo may not easily exist in by a challenging, fast paced
ethical norms become ingrained creativity, and adaptability as the an environment of togetherness environment, lends itself to
in the organisation and the employee grows unenthusiastic and unity, as employees may not motivation and innovation which
culture is perpetuated through and complacent, subduing wish to rock the boat. A highly can create a happy engaged
leadership and human resources the organisational values and collaborative workplace can be working environment. Through
practises. standards of the business. very productive however can normalising competition and

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