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address and manage the evolutionary direction of the organisation’s culture. In the 1970s, following extensive research Charles Handy proposed four generic types of organisational culture: • Power orientated… depends on a central source with rays of influence from a central figure. These cultures are predominately found in small businesses and rely on trust, empathy and personal communication for effectiveness. A few individuals manage control and there is little bureaucracy with decisions taken on the balance of influence • Role orientated… characterised by bureaucracy, working logically and rationally upon strong organisational pillars; e.g. finance, sales and production. Control is managed by procedures through senior managers. Role or job description is often more important than the individual and is the main source of power • Task oriented… this is job or project focused, and common in matrix type organisations. Task culture seeks to bring together people and resources and utilises the unifying power of the group. Influence is generally widely spread and can be based on expert knowledge • Person oriented… here the individual is the central focus where the structure exists to serve the individuals in it; e.g GP Groups, solicitors and consultancies. Management hierarchies and control mechanisms are generally by mutual consent. Individuals often have complete autonomy and influence over them is by personal power.
NEW BEHAVIOURS
Whilst there are more typologies of organisational culture, the key point is that culture is not binary and to understand its impact on your business, it is important to acknowledge its character pertaining to your organisation; what is it signalling to your employees and future employees? However, changing and developing culture is akin to turning round a super tanker, it takes a long time. By engaging with the next psychological layer, the organisational climate, you are working in the much more malleable space of relationships determined by interactions amongst goals and objectives, formal structures, styles of leadership and the behaviour of people. In this space, initiatives and interventions can be orientated towards higher-level cultural values. In pursuing strategies for developing a strong culture, a starting point is drawn from the work of Edgar Shein (an emanate academic and leading authority on organisational culture) who proposes examination of your organisation from three distinguishing levels: • Level 1 – Artefacts: What are your visible and tangible structures, and, what behaviours do you observe? • Level 2 – Values: What are the ideas, goals and aspirations of the organisation? Values and beliefs are part of the conceptual process by which group members justify actions and behaviours. • Level 3 – Basic Underlying Assumptions: These are unconsciously held and learned responses. Prise off the organisational lid and then
examine what is taken for granted, as this actually determines behaviours, thoughts and feelings. Once defined, establish your desired cultural vision and engage strategies that connect the organisational climate to the vision with measurable actions. For example: 1. Examine the integration of organisational goals and personal goals. We naturally orientate ourselves towards ‘meaning’ and this promotes our state of flow in which we can become more motivated and happier 2. Align leadership styles to appropriate work situations. Qualify roles that require transactional or transformational leadership to determine best performance 3. Examine how you deal with conflict. Healthy organisations encourage open discussion of conflict and promote avoidance of confrontations 4. Review your approach to the quality of working life and job design. Where are the opportunities for creativity, personal development and progression? 5. Introduce initiatives that create a sense of identity and loyalty to the organisation and, a feeling of being a valued and important member. Charles Whattoff is the Principal of New Behaviours and a member of the British Association of Business Psychology. If you would like to have an informal chat on this article or how New Behaviours can support a cultural change programme, please email hello@ newbehaviours.com.
Review your approach to the quality of working life and job design. Where are the opportunities for creativity, personal development and progression?
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