Whether you are a leader in an organization who wants to become a better manager, or an employee trying to understand what makes your company “tick,” this list of five Blogs About Organizational Culture will give you some blocks upon which to build understanding. The blogs that follow range from those that try to define the term and how it relates to organizations to an examination of a successful corporation and the culture that holds it together.
What is Organizational Culture? And Why Should We Care? by Michael D. Watkins.
This blog, found on the Harvard Business Review website, is an attempt to grasp what the culture of an organization is, and how it affects the functioning of the “organism.” Watkins says there is not one universally accepted definition and that is problematic because to utilize a concept we must first understand it. The blog author opened a discussion on the subject through “LinkedIn” and received more than 300 responses. This blog is a compilation of some of the best and includes Watkins’ insight into each
Organizational Culture and Team Building
The WordPress blog is written under the name “beccachen.” This entry details a school assignment in which the author, a student, examines organizational culture by studying the Queens University women’s lacrosse team. The author builds the blog around a video she made of interviews with team members and also a written evaluation of the conclusions she draws. The result is a basic “nuts and bolts” explanation of the culture of the team in layman’s terms. This blog is a great place to begin an understanding of how an organization builds its culture and then is shaped by it.
Climate and Culture by Doctor Jon Warner
This blog, found on the “Ready to Manage” website, examines major types of organization culture and how leaders use them to manage their departments. For instance, Power Culture is based on the authority and “muscle” of one individual or group. Role Culture is a hierarchy of positions or clearly defined functions. Task Culture is built on teams. It is fluid and reforms in different versions to meet the demands of presented tasks.
Featured Programs
10 Things That Require Courage in Organizational Culture by Brian Kight
This blog is found on the Focus 3 website. The author bases his thoughts on the model E+R=O, or event plus response equals outcome. He says the “R:” factor is the greatest, and that the more important the event is, the more pressure there is on the responder. The outcome depends upon how courageous the responder is. Kight maintains that there are ten things that require courage in life that also relate to the workplace and he explains each of them.
7 Secrets of Google’s Epic Organizational Culture by Jihoon Kim
The OfficeVibe website features this interesting blog about corporate giant Google, which for four years has been at the top of Fortune 100’s list of best companies to work for. Google maintains a culture that is largely employee-centered. There are perks such as afternoon volleyball game breaks, free massages and food that is prepared by chefs. The company is also meticulous in its hiring process which nets only five new employees out of each one hundred applicants. Google calls its HR department “People Operations,” and maintains a casual and democratic atmosphere. In all, the author cites seven elements that have made Google hugely successful.
Although the term is ambiguous, the concepts seem to be generally understood. Culture is evident in corporations and nonprofits and even in social clubs. It is anywhere where leadership and management are important. The five Blogs About Organizational Culture in this list examine the phenomenon from its components to the way it builds giant organizations.
Related Resources:
