Organization culture – how can you transform it ?

Organizational culture is the basic pattern of shared assumptions, values, and beliefs considered to be the correct way of thinking about and acting on problems and opportunities facing the organization. It defines what is important and unimportant in the company. You might think of it as the organization’s DNA—invisible to the naked eye, yet a powerful template that shapes what happens in the workplace

Organizations differ in their cultural content; that is, the relative ordering of beliefs, values, and assumptions. Consider the following companies and their apparent dominant cultures:

• Nokia Corp.—Responsive and collegial best describes the corporate culture of Nokia Corp. The Helsinki, Finland, conglomerate is a leader in popular cellular telephones. But don’t expect employees to personally take credit for their own successes. Unlike the “me first” cultures found in other high technology firms, Nokia emphasizes understated collegiality. “We don’t snap our suspenders,” says Nokia CEO Jorma Ollila.

• Amazon.com—Frugality is clearly a corporate value at Amazon.com. Beyond the online bookseller’s popular web site is a drab 1960s four-story headquarters in downtown Seattle. Everyone’s desks are made from doors (total cost: $130). Monitors are propped up on telephone books to avoid paying for monitor stands. Extra chairs are considered an extravagance. “By watching your overhead you can spend more on business expansion,” explains Amazon.com founder and CEO Jeff Bezos.

• Mattel, Inc.—Mattel makes Barbie dolls, but its corporate culture is so competitive that some say that it looks more like a war zone for GI Joe. “It has always been a place where people are pitted against each other,” says a former Mattel executive. “It’s a shark pond. You throw people in and see if they can swim fast enough to stay alive.”

Ummm… the more I read about Organizational culture the more I feel the need to learn … It’s a vast ocean.. but as usual I like it coz its challenging… and my new assignment too…

I m excited.. J

Cheers !!

Heena