Identify the aspects of culture in comparison to an insider with several years of work experience

Identify the aspects of culture in comparison to an insider with several years of work experience

Identify the aspects of culture in comparison to an insider with several years of work experience

Matthew Geiger
Chapter 10: Do you think it is possible for an outsider to accurately discern about the underlying cultural values of an organization by analyzing symbols, ceremonies, dress, or other observable aspects of culture in comparison to an insider with several years of work experience? Select a percentage (e.g., 10%, 70%, etc.) and explain your reasoning.

It is possible for an outsider to discern the underlying values of a company’s culture to some degree, but so an insider with experience in the company it would not compare. “Google, a company whose values promote individual initiative, experimentation, risk-taking, and entrepreneurship” can be identified by an outsider by reading about and seeing how the company operates (Daft, 2015). This however cannot make up for the nuances that only an insider in the company has. Another example is the US military. There are numerous customs and cultural values that can be looked at by an outsider, but without internal experience, there is not nearly the same level of understanding in how the organization operates and promoted that culture throughout the enterprise. Ultimately I’d say an outsider has about 25% of the knowledge of an organizations culture that someone on the inside has. Truly understanding a culture is impossible without being immersed in the organization. While knowledge about a culture can be read about, it is truly the experience that allows someone to discern the intricacies of a culture within an organization.

Chapter 11: A noted organization theorist once said, “Pressure for change originates in the environment. Pressure for stability originates within the organization.” Do you agree?

“A recent survey found that among companies that are successful innovators, 80 percent have top leaders who frequently reinforce the value and importance of innovation. (Daft, 2015). The environment in an organization is driven by the management. The culture and drive for how employees operate and innovate comes from the dymanic set by the managers.  Managers tend to reinforce the need for innovation and are the drivers behind change within an organization. the statement “stability originated within the organization” is a testament to employees themselves and how they tend to resist change. People inherently do not like change and prefer to keep things the same, especially in a large group. In this scenario we see that management wants to drive change and the majority of employees prefer things to stay the same. The clash between change and stability exists in every organization and makes managers have to be creative when it comes to change management. There are many tools utilizes by management to get the majority of employees on board with innovative techniques. Employees must feel like they are part of the change process as opposed to it being forces upon them. The organization will always have to balance change with stability and there will always be a clash between those who want to change and those who don’t, but it is evident that the change and stability dynamic exists in every organization.

Chapter 12: If managers frequently use experience and intuition to make complex, non-programmed decisions, how do they apply evidence-based management (which seems to suggest that managers should rely on facts and data)?

Because management is more of an art than a science, managers differ on how they make decisions. Like everything in business, there has to be a balance in decision making between using experience and intuition and using analytics to make decisions. In the aircraft maintenance field, there is a lot of data available which helps managers make maintenance decisions and forecast schedules. This helps managers be able to rely heavily on metrics and data to drive how the organization is run. While helpful, maintenance organizations are large and employ a large number of people, some of which have been employed a long time and some that have not. There are certain decisions that those who have been working in the field a long time make where data is not used because experience tells them otherwise. Data can be skewed and certain metrics can be pulled to sway the decision one way of the other. In this scenario the management team uses a combination of data and experience to determine how to best handle a decision based on the health of the aircraft fleet and how to ensure the people are managed effectively. The balance between data and experience must be used to justify a decision. Using both allows managers to  thoughtfully craft a decision that will most effectively get the job done.

Chapter 13: In a rapidly changing organization, are decisions more likely to be made using the rational or political model of organization?

In a rapidly changing organization, there are managers that will make decisions in both a rational and political manner. Those who do not wish to be blamed for anything going wrong or do not trust the change process will be more likely to use the political model. Some people do not like to put themselves in a position where they can be blamed for anything going wrong or do not want to be seen in a negative light by the management of the employees so they choose to be more political with how they operate. Conversely, managers who are confident with the change process and understand the necessity to make quick, solid decisions will use a more rational approach. “When a decision is needed, the goal is defined, alternatives are identified, and the choice with the highest probability of success is selected” (Daft, 2015). A rational decision maker is ideal, but not always practical and can be difficult to achieve in an environment where change is happing quickly.

What biblical implications should be included/addressed? How can/should a biblical worldview be applied?

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). The passage goes along further to describe the times where things are different during the course of the seasons. Life is much like this passage where things like change, conflict, and cultural dynamics force people to be uncomfortable. The bible tells people to be steadfast in the Lord and rely on Him throughout everything. Jeremiah 29:11 tells us the lord has plans for us and knows what they are (NIV, 2017). Although things in the business environment can be chaotic and things will not always be comfortable, the bible tells us to always to trust in the Lord because he both knows what the plan is and He knows there is a time and place for everything.

References

Barker, K. L., Burdick, D. W., & Stek, J. (Eds.). (1995). The NIV study bible (p. 2179). Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House

Daft, R. L. (2015). Organization theory and design. Cengage learning.

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