Organizational Culture Sarah Tamara Jackson-Scott December 13, 2011

1.

What are the main or reoccurring stories? What is being conveyed? The church that I used to attend put much focus on saving souls, or bringing sinners to Christ. Most of the stories that I remember are from the New Testament in the Bible and they are about Jesus coming to save the sinners. The pastor was trying to get sinners and saints to see the negative things in their lives and change them. To understand the Bible and use it as a tool to guide different lifestyles. The pastor wanted everyone to be the best Christian that each person had in them to be.

2.

What subjects are discussed in large and small groups? There are special groups formed to play different roles in the church. There are people who are in a missionary group. They go out and minister and teach to people outside of church. There were multiple choirs and musicians. They use their voices and musical instruments to minister to people. There are also deacons and ushers and different auxiliary boards. Each one serves a special purpose, and helps the church to function properly.

3.

What rituals or ceremonies are present and why are they important? The church has communion on the first Sunday of each month. Some churches do this ceremony every Sunday. This is to symbolize what Christ did for humankind. It is a holy time of worship that a Christian goes through repeatedly. Another special event is when a sinner is born again and baptized. This event only occurs once. It symbolizes a cleansing of the spirit. The old person is

washed away and you start over new and born again in Christ. Christening is another ceremony that involves blessing new babies. 4. What are the primary norms (do this...dont do that). Some churches have strict dress codes, for the females specifically. They need to wear long skirts and prayer caps on their heads. They are looked down on if they were pants, which are considered menswear. There are some that feel you shouldnt hang around certain people. Another norm is where you sit in church during service. There is this unspoken rule of not sitting in someones seat because they sit there every Sunday. The seats were not assigned it was just you didnt sit there because it was someone elses spot. There are also the no makeup rule, no earrings rule, and the no high heels rule. Some of these rules were spoken and others you were just expected to know. 5. What is the physical image of the organization? When someone says the word church, the actual church building is what comes to mind first. Then I think about the pastor and the members next. I think about a group of Christian people as well. 6. What are the primary values of the organization? The values of the church are all biblical based. A level of high moral standards is expected. Live by the Ten Commandments as well as what the bible says. Love, kindness, patience, faith and so many other positive things are all things that a good Christian should have and show. 7. How do people describe the organization (phrases and cliches)?

They all ways look to the church for guidance and love. Some people expect so much from the church that they are disappointed when things dont go the way they want them to. Churches can be described in many different ways. There are large churches and small ones. There are multiple denominations from Methodist, to Baptist, to Holiness. There are good churches and bad ones. There are churches that people feel only want money to churches that stay in session for a long time. There are many different factors that people can single in on when it comes to church. 8. Is there a reward system in place for accomplishments? The only rewards we have at our church is to the children when they do well in school. They give scholarships to the seniors graduating from high school as well as awards to the other grade levels. They have awards for doing well in Sunday school as well as a small graduation program. 9. In what way do the influential people exhibit the essence of the organization? I think the most influential person in the church is the pastor. When you hear about a church usually the first point of reference is the pastor. If he is a good pastor then good things will be associated with the church. If he is a bad pastor then bad things will be associated with the church. He or She is the leader so everything he does is going to be reflected on the church. However, in some cases is not fair because that is not always true. 10. Describe any subcultures and how they impact the organization and differentiate themselves.

I believe that in any large number a people there are going to be some smaller groups that dont agree one hundred percent. Church is no different. There were people who did not agree with the attire that was supposed to be appropriate, so they wore what they wanted. Many of the choir members sat together and the same goes for other auxiliaries in church and that was an automatic clique. The uniform or outfits that each group wore would be a way to tell them apart. Missionaries wore white every Sunday. Deacons and ushers had special pins. Everyone had some way of showing that they were a group.