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Organisational Change: Can an Organisational Culture Be Changed?

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Organisational change: can an organisational culture be changed?

Despite its ordered and steady foundation, organisational culture can be changed if it is guided by a comprehensive strategy. An organisations culture is founded by relatively stable characteristics, based deeply on values that are enforced by organisational practices. However, an organisational culture can be changed. This essay will aim to establish this and explain the measures which are involved in changing an organisational culture. In order to explore this, the notion of organisation culture will be defined. In addition, the reasons and situational factors that bring about the need for cultural change will be explored, in line with the effectiveness of strategies for …show more content…

Two theorists whose ideologies can be applied to change an organisational culture include Frederick W. Taylor and Edgar Schein. Firstly, Frederick W. Taylor, a management theorist, significantly contributed to establishing a scientific management approach to the workplace in the late 19th century. “Taylor’s most important contribution entails his principles of scientific management in which his theory aims to create efficiency in the workplace by scientifically testing different combinations of procedures, techniques and tools” (Mills, Helms – Mills, Bratton, & Forshaw, 2007 p. 25). Taylor felt that inefficiency in the workplace was due to three main factors which included attitudes of the workers, methods of work and the system of management control. Taylor concluded that these inefficiencies would be improved by a scientific approach to management. A summary of the issues that came from Taylor’s study of organisational behaviour includes issues of work attitudes, job design, structuring of organisations, recruitment and selection, motivation, reward systems and management control (Mills et al., 2007 p. 25). These issues are synonymous with key components

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