Current Culture of an Organization Using a Conceptual Model or Framework

The third and deepest level of organizational culture posited by Edgar Schein is basic assumptions. Basic or underlying assumptions are the unconscious and intangible mechanisms that become ingrained and provide a sense of security. Often taken for granted, these assumptions are communicated through behavior and non-verbal cues reflecting the enacted values within the organization which may or may not correspond with espoused values expressed by leadership (Nelson & Quick, 2011).

* Business culture: values, ideas, expectations and beliefs shared by the staff and managers of the business.

Organizational culture- the values, norms, guiding beliefs, and understanding shared by members of an organization and is taught

Organizational culture is not a new concept in the world of organizational behavior. Yet despite its age, it still has many varied definitions as well as philosophies on its importance and impact to the success of a company. One definition is that organizational culture is a cognitive framework consisting of attitudes, values, behavioral norms, and expectations shared by members of an organization (Greenberg, 2013, p. 368). Greenberg (2013) further explains organizational culture through an analogy of a tree. Organizational culture are similar to the roots of a tree.

Background Organizational Culture Organizational culture is a way to describe the collective behavior within an organization, the values, norms, language, symbols, status, and beliefs and habits. We can also view organizational behavior as the collection of behaviors within an organization that cause those members to perceive their organization and others. In fact, organizational culture affects the way individuals and groups interact with each other, clients, stakeholders and the public Because people are so individualistic, it would stand to reason that each organization would have a unique culture, or even group of cultures based on location or department/focus (Tatum, 2010).

Edgar Schein (2004) proposed three levels of organisational culture. As employees go through changes, they gain experiences from the past, adapt to a new environment and develop ability to solve problem. The first level is artefacts, which include all visible characteristics of an organisation, for instance, the architectures/furniture in the office, uniforms of employees and language. These are the observable elements of an organisational culture and might influence the way and attitude of how the employees work. The second level is espoused values in which the influence patterns of observable behaviour at work can be recognised. Each member will impose dominant values and rules of conduct about the culture and these affect employees’ certainty to work under a particular area. The perceived value that can demonstrate reliability and be scientifically tested will be transformed into assumption. It then comes to the third stage of basic assumptions which are taken into granted and are difficult to change. When an assumption or belief about human nature was supported to be worked successfully, this frames how the reality should be and shapes

“Organization culture comprises the deep, basic assumptions and beliefs, as well as the shared values that define organization membership, as well as the member’s habitual ways of making decisions, and presenting themselves, and their organization to those who come in contact with it.”

Management researchers seem to agree that the things that companies do called "corporate culture" is an intangible concept and hence difficult to define. Among the attempts to define "corporate culture", the following definition is useful as a starting point:- "culture represents an interdependent set of values and ways of behaving that are common in a community and that tend to perpetuate themselves, sometimes over long periods of time" (Kotter and Heskett,1992,141) Peters and Watermann argue that changing a culture cannot be accomplished.

How to discern the aspects of their company’s culture. What is an Organizational Culture: It is a system of shared assumptions, values, and beliefs that show people what is appropriate and inappropriate behavior. These values have a strong

Basic assumptions is in the deeply core of a culture, it help us to understand a organisational culture. It is deeply embedded, taken-for-granted behaviors which is usually unconscious, but constitute the essence of culture. These assumptions are typically so well integrated in the office dynamic that they are hard to explain from within. Schein contends

Over the years, culture has been looked at in different ways. One such approach to culture is organizational culture. The behaviour of the employees and through this the external image of the organization is determined by the organization’s culture (Bratianu, Vasilache, & Jianu, 2006). Organizations have increasingly started to focus on the unique culture innate to them, trying to find ways to gain a competitive edge over others. There is no single widely accepted definition of organizational culture although one commonly known definition by Lundy & Cowling (1996) is that organizational culture is “the way we do things around here”. In other words, the culture of an organization can be understood through the values, beliefs and norms shared by the organization as a whole. Therefore through an understanding of the culture, managers should be able to determine a general trend on how employees of an organization think and behave in tandem with the organizational

A culture is a pattern of assumptions and beliefs deeply held in common by members of an organization (Schein, 1985).

Values and ethics are essential in the workplace. It establishes how a company is run and remains profitable. Leaders are the key to demonstrating and creating the organization’s culture, ethics and values. It has to start at the top of the organization including the Chief Executive officer, board and owners. Leaders’ internalization and manifestation of the values in how they operate have a great influence on the employees. Every organization must start with a foundation, a code of conduct, code of ethics and a statement of values ( Ferrell, O.C., John Fraedrich, and Linda Ferrell).

Assumptions: Both the artifacts and the values give rise to assumptions the employees make about the organization's culture. Finally, it’s the assumptions that govern how an employee determines the right behavior and feels about his job and career, how the culture actually operates within the organizational system.

ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE, or CORPORATE CULTURE, comprises the attitudes, experiences, beliefs and values of an organization. It has been defined as "the specific collection of values and norms that are shared by people and groups in an organization and that control the way they interact with each other and with stakeholders outside the organization.