SYNOPPSIS OF

HRM

TOPIC-ORGANISATION CULTURE
&ETHICAL ISSUE

SUBMITTED TO-
SUBMITTED BY-
MS MARYLYN KAUL
SUPREET KAUR

RR190
3A26
 ORGANISATION CULTURE &
ETHICAL ISSUES
Organizational culture is an idea in the field of Organizational
studies and management which describes the psychology, attitudes,
experiences, beliefs and values (personal and cultural values) of an
organization. It has been defined as "the specific collection of values
and norms that are shared by people and groups in an organization
and that control the way they interact with each other and with
stakeholders outside the organization.

This definition continues to explain organizational values also known

as "beliefs and ideas about what kinds of goals members of an
organization should pursue and ideas about the appropriate kinds or
standards of behavior organizational members should use to achieve
these goals. From organizational values develop organizational
norms, guidelines or expectations that prescribe appropriate kinds
of behavior by employees in particular situations and control the
behavior of organizational members towards one another.

Organizational culture is not the same as corporate culture. It is

wider and deeper concepts, something that an organization 'is'
rather than what it 'has.

Corporate culture is the total sum of the values, customs, traditions

and meanings that make a company unique. Corporate culture is
often called "the character of an organization" since it embodies the
vision of the company’s founders. The values of a corporate culture
influence the ethical standards within a corporation, as well as
managerial behavior.

Senior management may try to determine a corporate culture. They

may wish to impose corporate values and standards of behavior that
specifically reflect the objectives of the organization. In addition,
there will also be an extant internal culture within the workforce.
Work-groups within the organization have their own behavioral
quirks and interactions which, to an extent, affect the whole system.
Roger Harrison's four-culture typology, and adapted by Charles
Handy, suggests that unlike organizational culture, corporate
culture can be 'imported'. For example, computer technicians will
have expertise, language and behaviors gained independently of the
organization, but their presence can influence the culture of the
organization as a whole.

Ethics is about behavior. In the face of dilemma, it is about doing

the right thing. Ethical managerial leaders and their people take the
"right" and "good" path when they come to the ethical choice points.

The purpose of this article is to steer your thinking and action

toward creating and sustaining an ethical workplace culture.
Managerial leaders and their people are invited to explore how
values, actions, and behavioral standards can help steer
organizational behavior.

Types of Culture
This section will briefly identify some models of cultural types as
these are often linked to the way organisational culture is perceived
to be created.Harrison (see Hampden-Turner, 1990) defined a four
quadrant model based on the twin axis of Formulation (high-low)
and Centralisation (high-low) to give the four cultures of Role, Task,
Atomistic (Person) and Power as shown in figure 3.3. Handy (1985)
uses a similar model but names his 4 types as Apollo, Athena,
Dionysus and Zeus respectively, after the Greek Gods displaying
those characteristics
CULTIVATING ORGANISATION CULTURE &
ETHICAL BEHAVIOUR
Organizational Culture: the set of shared, taken-for-granted
implicit assumptions that a group holds and that determines how it
perceives, thinks about, and reacts to its various environments.·
The fundamental assumptions about an org.'s values, beliefs,
norms, symbols, language, rituals, and myths that give meaning to
org. membership and are collectively accepted by a group as guides
to expected behaviors

· "the way we do things around here"

· passed on to new employees through socialization

· "the set of shared beliefs, values, and assumptions that get

everyone headed in the same direction" (persist over time and can
be resistant to change)

--addresses issues such as:

-how does our org. relate to its environment?

-how do we learn and communicate?-what do we expect of people

and relationship?

organization's culture plays several important

roles:
1) It provides a sense of identity for members.

· helps socialize new members

· often people hired based on belief about whether they will fit
in--this has strong implications

· new members socialized in: indoctrinated into ways of org. and

its cultural norms, or unwritten codes of behavior

-- experienced mbrs. socialize newcomers in the ways of the

culture, which involves changing attitudes and beliefs to achieve an
internalized commitment to the org.

2) It generates collective commitment to the organization's

mission.

3) It promotes social system stability.

· extent to which the work environment is perceived as positive

and reinforcing, and conflict and change are managed effectively.

4) It shapes behavior by helping members make sense of their

surroundings.

· Why org. does what it does and how it will accomplish its long-
term goals.

Model of Ethical Behavior

· Individual decision-maker (personality, values, moral
principles, personal experience)

· Sources of influence:

o Cultural (family, education, religion, media/entertainment)

o Organizational (culture, codes, role models, pressure for

results, rewards)

o Political/Legal/Economic

Don’t underestimate the impact of pressure for results, comparison

(competition) with “peers,” reward systems (lack of punishment for
unethical behavior)
How to improve ethical climate
· Behave ethically yourself

· Screen potential employees

· Develop a meaningful code of ethics

· Provide ethics training

· Reinforce ethical behavior

· Create positions, units, and other structural mechanisms to

deal with ethics