Organizational Culture: Types, Subcultures, and Socialization
Types of Culture
Some organizations have a dominant culture, while others have multiple cultures simultaneously. Culture can be bureaucratic, where rules, policies, and procedures are formalized and regulated. Characteristics of these organizations include certainty, hierarchy, and strict organization.
Culture Features
- Clan: Being part of a working family, continuing tradition and ritual, teamwork and spirit, self-direction, and social influence. Members help each other.
- Culture-based business: Innovation, creativity, risk-taking, and pursuit of opportunities. It relates to R&D and technology and is closely linked to changes in the environment. The reward is for autonomy and individual initiative.
- Market culture: Emphasis on increased sales, market share, financial stability, and profitability. There is little sense of teamwork and cohesion. Employees cooperate when necessary to achieve objectives.
Organizational Subcultures
Organizational subcultures are cultural events that affect a segment of the organization. Every organization has different subcultural universes. Among them, we can distinguish the dominant culture and higher subcultures that sometimes can be a counterculture, opposing the official and dominant culture, potentially creating conflicts and tensions.
Socialization and Stages
Socialization: The process through which organizations integrate new employees into the corporate culture. Socialization includes the transmission of values, expectations, and attitudes from older employees to the newest. The socialization process continues throughout an individual’s career.
Proactive Socialization
Stages of Socialization: Activities that an individual undertakes before joining the organization. The purpose is to acquire information about the organization or the new post. First, they want to know as much as possible about what is really working for the organization. Secondly, they want to know whether they are adequate for the jobs available in that organization. To make the adjustment between the individual and the organization optimal, two conditions are necessary: realism, where the individual and the organization realistically display themselves, and consistency, where the skills of individuals are used entirely for the job. Recruitment programs, selection, and placement can offer much information so the employee can assess whether they want the job.
Adaptation
Adaptation occurs after the individual becomes a member of the organization. Through a series of activities, the individual tries to become an active participant and a competent worker. This period is usually stressful due to the uncertainty inherent in any new situation. The adaptation stage is divided into four activities: individuals must establish new interpersonal relationships with coworkers and supervisors, learn the tasks required to perform the work, and clarify their role in the organization and the formal and informal groups relevant to this function.
Management Role
Specifically, during the third stage, there is a conflict between work and personal life, as the individual must divide time and energy between work and their family role. The second source of conflict is between the individual’s working group and other working groups within the organization. Generally, the existence of stress adversely affects the individual and the organization.