Running head: EDGAR H.

SCHEIN AND ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE

Edgar H Schein and Organizational Culture

Jamila Jacques
University of Maryland University College
September 30, 2018
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Introduction
Dr. Edgar H. Schein is a theorist who is known for his research and development of the

organizational culture model. Organizational culture is the direct and indirect behavior that

drives the social and professional norms of an organizations environment. The uniqueness of an

organization cannot be duplicated, each organization has a strategy supported by guidelines and

policies. Understanding what elements contribute to an organization’s culture is vital for the

advancement of leadership and management growth. Edgar’s ideas prove that organizational

culture exist, and his research will be analyzed in connection to leadership and management.

Organizational Culture
Organizational culture, its contribution to how it affects the organization and its

relationship to cultural change are significant for leaders and managers. Organizational culture is

directly associated with satisfaction and commitment to an organization. Furthermore, Edgar

Schein’s research on this is greater than many people would assume because it provides a

holistic view of the inner psychological workings of organizations (da Silva, Castro, Dos-Santos,

and Neto, 2017). Edgar Schein defines organizational culture as “a pattern of shared basic

assumptions that the group learned as it solved it problems of external adaption and internal

integration” (Tharp, n.d, p. 5).

The origins of organization culture date back to the 1930s. Edgar Schein of MIT’s Sloan

School of Management continued the research developing an organization culture model in the

1980’s. His model includes three different levels of culture: artifacts and behaviors, espoused

values, and assumptions. What does Dr. Schein views of organization culture really mean? His

research seeks to provide an explanation of organization development, which, answer questions

about organizational behaviors, work performance, employee satisfaction, and motivation.

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Knowledge in this area can be used for strengthening educational environments and preparing an

organization or institution for changes within their environment (Schein, n.d).

The study of work environments helped define organizational culture, the original term

from the 1940s was organizational climate. The organizational climate study researched

aggressive behavior patterns in social settings. Research continued and in the 1960s, the terms

climate and culture that were previous used interchangeably started to have two separate

identities. Years of research of organization climate, did not uncover the psychological and

sociological foundation of the work environment. The lack of clarity, started the research of

defining organizational culture. Progressing from one term to another, organizational culture is

relevant today and contributed to the advancement of leadership/management and distance

education (Bellot, 2011).

Level of Culture Breakdown:

Artifacts  on surface-sees, hears, feels
 visible products
 easy to observe
 difficult to decipher
 symbols are ambiguous
 problems in classification

Espoused Values  all group learning reflects original

values
 those who prevail influence group: the
leaders
 first begins as shared value then
becomes shared assumption
 social validation happens with shared
learning
 initially started by founder, leader and
then assimilated
Basic Assumptions  evolve as solution to problem is
repeated over and over again
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 to learn something new requires

resurrection, reexamination, frame
breaking
 humans need cognitive stability
defense mechanisms
(Schein, n.d, pp. 2-3)
Contribution to Leadership
The strategy of leadership within an organization consist of identifying the existing

culture as a baseline for moving the organization forward. As a leader, it is important to know

cultural behaviors because they are important factors that diagnose underling problems and

brings clarity to some issues. Often, organizations have cultural constraints that function as

norms which are, overlooked when strategizing solutions. Leadership and culture compliments

one another, when leaders have problems within the organization, the culture should be

considered in the troubleshooting stages. The relationship between culture and leadership are

visited when deciding what type of leadership to higher. Organizations higher management from

the outside to ensure that a new prospective is applied. While some organizations promote

within, the culture of the organization is continued through the leadership (Darling, 2017).

Relevance to Distance Education

Like work environments, distance education institutions have organizational cultures that

exist amongst the documented polices and guidelines. The cultural norms within the

organization are impactful to administration and student’s expectations. The advancement of

distance education programs from the first wave to present has undergone changes. Educators

and theorist contribution to identifying the environmental factors and expanding the mind of the

expected norms are endless. The structure of online programs and regulations stem from the

engrained cultures of the policymakers (Shiflett, 1992). Higher education and organizational

culture scholars suggest:

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Knowledge of organizational culture is essential for effective leadership and this

information will be valuable to future leaders of distance education programs as it

provides not only insights into the current cultural preferences but also a benchmark for

future organizational culture research related to online programs” (Shiflett, 1992, p.3).

Conclusion
Organizational culture is the direct and indirect behavior that drives the social and

professional norms of an organizations environment. Dr. Edgar Schein’s research of

organizational culture lead to the understanding of the connection between culture and

leadership. Organizational culture is relevant today and contributed to the advancement of

leadership/management and distance education.

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Reference

Bellot, J., (2011). Defining and assessing organizational culture. Nursing Commons Vol 46(1),

29-37. DOI: 10.1111/j.1744-6198.2010.00207.x

Darling, J., (2017). Aligning strategy, culture, and leadership. People & Strategy Vol 40(2), 65-

67. Retrieved from: EBSCOhost

Da Silva, L.P., Castro, M.A.R., Dos-Santo, M.G., & Neto, P.J.D.L. (2017). Commitment to work
and its relationship with organizational culture mediated by satisfaction. Review of
Business Management, 401-420. Doi: 10.7819/rbgn.v20i3.3947

Schein, E.H., (n.d). Organization culture & leadership, 1-19. Retrieved from:
http://www.educationalimpact.com/resources/usl2/pdf/usl2_3_organizational_culture.pdf

Shiflett, H.K., (2013). The relationship between organizational culture and adherence to
regulatory requirements for online programs. University of Pittsburgh, 1-286. Retrieved
from: http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/21005/1/KHollyShiflett_Dissertation_FINAL.pdf

Tharp, B.M., (n.d). Defining “culture” and “organizational culture”: anthropology to the office.
Haworth, 1-5. Retrieved from: http://www.thercfgroup.com/files/resources/Defining-
Culture-and-Organizationa-Culture_5.pdf
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