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Newstrom
12/e PPT
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2. Social Systems and Organizational Culture
Chapter Four
Social Systems and Organizational Culture
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Chapter Objectives
To understand:
The operation of a social system
The psychological contract
Social cultures and their impact
The value of cultural diversity
Role and role conflict in organizations
Status and status symbols
Organizational culture and its effects
Fun workplaces
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Cultural Cues
Direct Cues
Orientation training
Policy statements
Advice from supervisors and peers
Indirect Cues
Inferences made from promotions
Patterns of acceptable dress
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5. Understanding a Social System
Complex set of interacting human relationships
All parts are mutually interdependent
Engages in exchanges with its environment (open system)
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Social Equilibrium
When all interdependent parts are in dynamic working balance
A single event can throw a system out of balance
When in disequilibrium, the parts work against each other
Over time, the basic character changes little
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7. Functional and Dysfunctional Effects
Creativity
Productive employees
Quality improvements
Dysfunctional effects include…
Lower productivity (hard)
Lower satisfaction (soft)
Lower commitment (soft)
To elicit functional behaviors, provide clear expectations and promises of reward
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8. Psychological and Economic Contracts
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9. Psychological and Economic Contracts
The psychological contract builds upon the concept of exchange theory
To remain attracted to the relationship, both parties must have a net positive ratio
The contract is continually examined and revised
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Social Culture
Acting in accordance with the expectations of others
Human-created beliefs, customs, knowledge, and practices
Distinctive social cultures can exist within a single nation
Managers must understand and appreciate the backgrounds and beliefs of work unit members
One-culture dependency may create intellectual blinders
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Cultural Diversity
Job-Related Diversity
Type of work
Rank
Physical proximity
Group affiliation
Non-Job-Related Diversity
Culture
Ethnicity
Socio-economics
Sex
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Cultural Diversity
Discrimination and Prejudice
Discrimination is generally an action
Prejudice is an attitude
Either may exist without the other
The law prohibits…
Actions, not feelings
Any action that has discriminatory results, regardless of intentions
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Cultural Diversity
Valuing Diversity
Prejudicial stereotypes
Differences must be recognized, acknowledged, appreciated, and used to collective advantage
Organizations are under political, economic, social, and technical pressures to change
Actively managing diversity provides a competitive advantage
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Social Culture Values
The Work Ethic
Group differences
Gradual decline
Social Responsibility
Costs and benefits
Strive for balance
Social, economic, and technical values
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Role
A pattern of expected actions
Facilitates interaction
Multiple roles
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Role Perceptions
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Mentors
A role model who guides another employee
Stronger employee loyalty
Faster movement up learning curve
Better succession planning
Increased level of goal accomplishments
Assigning mentors can result in…
Resentment
Abuse of power
Unwillingness to serve
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Role Conflict
Others have different perceptions or expectations of a person’s role
Boundary roles
Role ambiguity
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Status
Social rank of a person in a group
Status systems
Status anxiety
Status deprivation
Status relationships
Status symbols
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Sources of Job Status
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Status
Significance of Status
Influences transfers and jobs employees take
Helps determine informal leaders
Motivates those seeking to advance
Some societal backlash
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22. Organizational Culture
Complex social system of laws, values, customs
Behavior = Interaction between personal characteristics and the environment
Shared norms
Benefits of Organizational Culture
Provides organizational identity
Source of stability, continuity, security
Provides context
Typically identifies and rewards high-producing and creative individuals (role models)
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23. Characteristics of Organizational Culture
Distinctive
Stable
Implicit
Symbolic
Integrated
Accepted
Reflection of top management
Subcultures
Varying strength
No single type of culture is best
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24. Measuring Organizational Culture
Difficult at best…
Examination of stories, symbols, rituals, and ceremonies
Interviews and open-ended questionnaires
Examination of corporate philosophy statements
Become a member of the organization and observe
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25. Communicating and Changing Culture
Culture is communicated through…
Formal communication channels
Informal means
Unintentional ways
Storytelling
People are more willing to adapt and learn when they want to…
Please others
Gain approval
Learn about their work environment
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26. Communicating and Changing Culture
Organizational Socialization
Continuous process of transmitting key elements of an organization’s culture to its employees
Formal and informal means
Storytelling
Individualization
Employees exert influence on the social system around them by challenging the culture or deviating from it
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27. Socialization and Individualization
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28. Methods for Changing Organizational Culture
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Fun Workplaces
Key Features
Easily recognized
Means different things to various people
Is relatively easy to create
Elicits a broad range of personal and organizational payoffs
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Fun Workplaces
Benefits…
Decreases stress
Reduces boredom
Stimulates friendships
Increases satisfaction
Produces beneficial physiological results
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