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Understanding organisational culture

Satisfactory Essays
Assignment 1 – Understanding your Organisation
Due Date: 21 October 2009

WHD Organisational Chart - Figure 1

According to Mclean and Marshall (1993) organisational culture is defined as the collection of traditions, values, policies, beliefs and attitudes that contribute a pervasive context for everything we do and think in an organisation. (ie) this means that these factors actually determine how we think as well as act and react not only to people from within the same organisation but also to anybody on the outside who has some sort of interaction with the organisation. As can be seen with the part-structure in Figure 1, this organisation (WHD) has various levels of management. There is quite
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This type of culture demanded that jobs be filled by experts in specific fields (eg) Sales reps on the hardware side of the business were being filled by qualified builders who could not only sell across the product range but who knew hardware building products and its functions expertly. The same went for the plumbing side of the business where plumbing sales reps were qualified plumbers. My position of Brand Manager demanded someone with a Marketing or Branding background. Those who worked in these specialised roles were, however, governed and controlled by strict rules and procedures co-ordinated by senior management within the branch. The culture at branch level is very indicative of the Role Culture pointed out by Handy/Harrison (1993) in their model of Characterising Culture. Pettinger mentions that the key relationship in Role Culture is based on authority and the superior – subordinate style of relationships. (Pettinger R: Introduction to Management, 4th edition 2007, page 354)
Diagram depicting Role Culture...Handy/Harrison (1993)
The Temple

What Handy/Harrison (1993) are illustrating in the diagram depicting Role Culture, better known as The Temple, is that Role Culture rests on the strength of strong ‘’organisational pillars’’ ( class handout – Keith Mattacks). (Ie) the function of specialists in different departments and positions co-ordinated through line management in each
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