The role of organizational climate and culture in the school  (Page 3/17)

Definitions of Organizational Culture

At culture’s most global level, Merriam-Webster’s On-Line Dictionary (2005) provides the following definition:

the integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon man's capacity for learningand transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations; b : the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial,religious, or social group; c : the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes a company orcorporation.

As the focus narrows to organizational culture,there are seemingly as many definitions as there areauthors attempting to define this construct. Probably the greatest overarching issue concerning the definition of an organizationalculture centers around whether culture is a root metaphor or merely one aspect of the organization; in simpler terms, is culture whatthe organization is or is it something the organization has (Rousseau, 1990; Sathe, 1985; Thompson&Luthans, 1990)? The preponderance of opinion seems to fall on the side of culture beingsomething that most organizations have.

Kilman, Saxton, and Serpa (1985b)provided an apt analogy that helps to illuminate the nature of organizationalculture:“Culture is to the organization what personality is to the individual–a hidden, yet unifying theme that provides meaning, direction, and mobilization”(p. ix). As such, it is emotional and intangible (Connor&Lake, 1988), individually and socially constructed (Hall&Hord, 2001; Rousseau, 1990), and evolves over a period of years (Wilkins&Patterson, 1985), especially as organizations find acceptable and unacceptable solutions tointernal and external problems or threats and attempt to integrate more effectively internally (Schein, 1985a, 1992). This culture canalso be developed and learned by organizational members through the connection of behaviors and consequences and through multiplereinforcement mechanisms and agents (Thompson&Luthans, 1990). It can be learned through the reduction of anxiety and pain orthrough positive rewards and reinforcements (Schein, 1985a).

A fairly common, simplistic definition of organizational culture is“The way we do things around here.”Although this statement appears in many books and articles, the earliest of such entries found by this author was by Deal (1993, p.6). Deeper discussions expand this definition to cover such issues as the basic assumptions and beliefs shared by members of theorganization regarding the nature of reality, truth, time, space, human nature, human activity, and human relationships (Schein,1985a; 1985b). It also consists of the philosophies, ideologies, concepts, ceremonies, rituals, values, and norms shared by membersof the organization that help shape their behaviors (Connor&Lake, 1988; Kilman, Saxton,&Serpa, 1985b; Owens, 2004; Rousseau, 1990). Among the norms it includes are task supportnorms, task innovation norms, social relationship norms, and personal freedom norms. Among the rituals are such issues aspassage, degradation, enhancement, renewal, conflict resolution, and integration (Connor&Lake, 1988).