Have you ever come to terms with a time in your life where you were so heavily involved in a group, or culture, that you came to value its objectives, goals and beliefs? In this environment, you are involved in a culture. No matter what kind of culture, it is the meaning-making system which you are a part of. More specifically, the areas of study which concerns these generated meaning-making systems are a part of the social sciences. Within the social sciences, the term that comes is primarily geared towards this phenomenon is called Organizational Culture. An organization is a unit of people who come together with a purpose in mind. Do you remember the time when you joined an athletic team? For example, when I joined a baseball team, long ago, I remember that I joined to have fun. During my time, I did have fun, but also learned that the team required each and every player to be there every game. As part of this mandatory need, this organization’s success depended on our participation. We communicated through shared values and objectives. Studying Organizational Culture will give us a more comprehensive analysis of these groups we are a part of.

Most importantly, organizational culture analyses power relations, member participation, and the methods taken by the unit to reach its goals. Who is in charge? How does the person in charge influence participation? What are the relationships between members? Is there anyone besides the boss who is equally influential? These are but a few condensed questions that are raised in the organizational institution. At the workplace, employees are expected to adhere to management principles, workplace policy, and replicate the values of the organization. In particular, organizations are a part of their environment and thereby influence that environment. For example, government buildings are a central hallmark to the values of a nation. Within this organization, there are underlying procedures of professionalism which may differ from the environment, although the norms and values associated with their democracies are not different from those of the outside.

So what is this fascinating area of study called Organizational Culture? Organizational culture is the study of people in an institution whose shared values, norms and histories are intrinsically associated as part of the cultural framework. This organizational institution may or may not influence the environment. As part of an organizational unit, the underlying objectives of each of our groups could be the same or be entirely different. If we want to analyze how an organizational culture (such as the workplace), we have to break apart values, assumptions, and norms held dearly to that institution. This line of work is called a cultural analysis of organizational cultures. We want to find out how we can improve the way we communicate within an organization. We can do a cultural analysis in two ways: 1) we can be the insider, a part of the organization, or 2) be the outsider, perhaps an investigator looking into the structure of an organization. For example, if a franchise organization is about to collapse because of mismanagement, how can we save it? We can either hire someone from the outside (the outsider) or someone who knows the inner-workings of the organization (the insider) to help us solve the issue. So what are the benefits of the insider versus the outsider? The insider might help us collect some personal details from the employees; it’s certainly a lot easier to get in and you already know the jazz of the organization! But it does have a few disadvantages such as taking for granted some answers, the explanations from the interviewees might be too vernacular, and there could be a lot of bias in it! Our other option is the outsider. So what can the outsider give us that the insider lacked? The outsider can give us a refreshing look at the socialization; he or she is most likely unfamiliar with the organization so he/she might give us a broader look at the inner-workings of the organizational culture. In some cases, the organizational unit might send both types of analysts, outsider and insider, to investigate mismanagement. At the end of the day, the organizational unit insists on performing through strategic means in order to achieve the goal and more, if possible.

Have you noticed that more and more organizations are looking to invest their business efforts across the other side of the globe? If they are to be successful, they would firstly conduct analysis of their preferred area within the country for key factors such as, which I have already noted: 1) norms; 2) values; and 3) histories. Adequate studies of those three abstract terms are beyond importance. The organizational unit maintains a much more efficient work dynamic once it has negotiated similarities between cultures and their respective differences.

Organizational culture is a fascinating area of study. It helps us understand cultures, how they work, and how you can make the most efficient workforce from them. I suggest you give it a look! Thank you for your time and thank you for your patience.