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Changing Organizational Culture
Organizational culture comprises of features that it has developed since it has been in operation. It includes the norms, values, customs, and traditions. It is possible to change the organizational culture to reflect the positive factors. However, it is a difficult process, which requires the cooperation and commitment of all the people involved. People have to be willing to change their attitudes and behaviors. This will be done through the cooperation of the management and the other workers in the organization. The management needs to communicate the importance of changing the culture to the employees. It needs to show its commitment towards the process. In some cases, an organization might have to change its leadership so that it can change its culture.
Employees may be opposed to any changes and they are bound to resist the efforts of the management. This will happen if the management fails to involve them in the process and if they see nothing wrong with the culture as it. Therefore, the management has an important role of ensuring that it communicates the need to change the culture. When changing the culture, it is important for one to have a clear plan detailing the course of action to take. Information should be available at all times to ensure that everybody is aware of what is going on in the company. The management should ask for workers input by giving them a chance to provide their suggestions and opinions. Communication channels should be open and accessible to all people. Employees should feel free to share their criticism of aspects in the current culture or in the proposed changes.
The management has an important role to play because it should be at the forefront in demonstrating the required behavior. It should lead by example and the managers should not expect the employees to change if they do not change first. Moreover, training and other additional support may be necessary depending on the level and type of change expected. Changing attitudes, perceptions and behaviors is a difficult process. The management should allocate sufficient time, which can take even years to complete (Stanford 70). There is also a need for the management to understand the different reactions and personalities of the employees. People take different times to respond to situations. Some may be willing and ready to change their behaviors and norms within a short time but others will take a long time to do so.
Since culture
change is a slow and demanding process, organizations should ensure that they
have a compelling reason to change their culture. Some of the reasons for
changing culture include change in strategy or an overhaul of leadership. Companies
that are facing major problems such as threat of closure may find the need to
change their organizational culture. They can also change their culture to
incorporate the new elements such as adoption in technology in the industry
(Stanford 70). The introduced technology may be major to the extent that it
renders the company obsolete or irrelevant. Therefore, a company will have to
change its culture. This is often accompanied by a change in leadership. Companies
may need to change their culture when they change from small to large
organizations (Cameron and Quinn 32). this often happens in the case of mergers
and acquisitions. When the leadership realizes that the existing culture is
weak and that not all the members observe it, it might lead to cultural change
within the company.
Works Cited;
Cameron, Kim S. and Robert, Quinn E. Diagnosing And Changing Organizational Culture: Based On The Competing Framework. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, 2011. Print
Stanford, Naomi. Corporate Culture: Getting It Right. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, 2011. Print