Understanding Organizational Culture: A Key to Success



What exactly is organizational culture?


Organizational culture is the lifeblood of any company, the invisible force that shapes its identity, drives its behavior, and determines its success. At its core, organizational culture encompasses the shared values, beliefs, attitudes, and norms that guide the behaviors and decisions of individuals within a company. It's the unwritten code that governs how things are done, how people interact, and what is deemed acceptable or unacceptable within the organization (Tsai, 2011).


According to the 'Cultural Onion' model developed by Hofstede and Hofstede (2005), an orgnization's culture has several layers to it. The outer layer consists of the 'symbols' such as logos and colours associated with the organization. The second layer embodies the 'heroes' which represents individuals considered as idols - both alive and fictional. The next layer consists of 'rituals'. This layer refers to the collective activities that members of a culture consider to be essential to achieving their collective goal. Finally, at the core of the model lies the 'values' that represent how things are expected to be (Hofstede 1991; Dahl 2009). As the elements of each of these layers change, so will the culture at a particular organization. 


Figure 1: 'Cultural Onion Model' (Culture Factor Group 2024)


Why is organizational culture so crucial?


Morale and engagement among staff members are significantly impacted by company culture, which is one of the main reasons it is so significant. Employee motivation, productivity, and retention all rise when a company has a positive culture that gives its members a sense of pride, purpose, and belonging (Mirji & Bhavsar, 2023). As such, employees are more prone to go above and beyond to contribute to the success of the company when they feel recognized, supported, and an essential component of its mission and values (But & Le, 2023). 


Moreover, the culture of an organization has a significant effect on attracting and keeping outstanding personnel. In today's competitive job market, employees want a place of employment where they are valued, empowered, and at ease in addition to a paycheck. Strong, uplifting organizational cultures have a greater tendency to draw exceptional applicants who share their objectives and beliefs (Aina & Tarik, 2020)Organizational performance and creativity are also directly impacted by organizational culture. A culture that values risk-taking, open communication, and teamwork promotes innovation, flexibility, and ongoing development. 


Employee engagement, that is affected by the organisation's culture, has an impact on the performance of companies in the modern corporate setting and studies in this area suggest that employee engagement positively affects employee execution (Jagannathan, 2014). Furthermore, businesses have regularly observed that motivated workers are more likely to be sincere and committed to their work, which increases business profitability. Workers are emboldened to exchange ideas, question the existing quo, and try out novel strategies, which spurs innovation and advances the organization in a quickly evolving business environment (Varma, 2018).


Conclusion

The cornerstone of successful businesses is their organizational culture. Organizations may get a competitive edge that helps them succeed over the long run by developing a good culture that values workers, encourages creativity, and boosts performance. Consequently, it is imperative that executives actively foster a healthy culture that is consistent with the mission, vision, and values of the organization.


References

Babu, AL. Mohan, AC. and Manivannan, SK.(2020) 'Impact of Work Culture on Employee Engagement', Test Engineering and Management, 83, pp. 9758-9764.

Bui, DH. and Thi, A. (2023) 'Improving employee engagement through organizational culture in the travel industry: Perspective from a developing country during Covid-19 pandemic', Cogent Business & Management,  10(2)
 
Dahl, S. (2009) ‘An overview of intercultural research’, Society for Intercultural Training and Research UK. 

Hofstede Insights Limited (2024) Organisational Culture, The Culture Factor Group, accessed 18 March 2024.

Jagannathan, A. (2014) 'Determinants of employee engagement and their impact on employee performance', International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management,  63(30), pp. 308-323.

Mirji, H. and Bhavsar, D. (2023) 'Impact of Organizational Culture on Employee Engagement and Effectiveness', American Journal of Economics and Business Management, 6(1), pp. 1-9.
 
Riham, A. and Atan, T. (2020) ‘The impact of implementing talent management practices on sustainable organizational performance’, Sustainability, 12(20), pp. 8372.

Tsai, Y.(2011) ‘Relationship between organizational culture, leadership behavior and job satisfactionan’, BMC Health Services Research,  11(98). 

Varama, C. (2018) ‘Importance of employee motivation & job satisfaction for organizational performance’, International Journal of Social Science & Interdisciplinary Research,  6(2), pp 10-20.

Comments

  1. A ver clear description , well organized content

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  2. This article offers a thorough analysis of the importance of this concept. The article's nuanced approach, which highlights the complex relationship between organizational culture and employee behavior is well appreciated.

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  3. Organizational culture is generally understood as all of a company’s beliefs, values and attitudes, and how these influence the behaviour of its employees.

    Culture affects how people experience an organization—that is, what it’s like for a customer to buy from a company or a supplier to work with it. It shows up in company policies such as dress code and office hours. It also informs things such as workspace design and employee perks. Culture is usually set by a company’s leaders.

    Companies don’t tend to define their cultures explicitly; they tend to emerge from what people believe, how they think, what they say and what they do. Culture shapes what behaviour is acceptable or unacceptable. Culture may help define values and core principles that guide organizational behaviour.



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  4. Your analysis really highlights the importance of understanding organizational culture

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  5. The way you related organizational culture to performance is nice, which provides proof that a solid organizational culture can result in the productivity of the employees, which eventually serves the interests of the entire company.

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  6. The article highlights the significant impact culture has on employees’ morale, motivation, job satisfaction, and overall performance. It highlights the need for organisations to foster a positive and inclusive culture to attract quality personnel and inspire innovation. Well-researched and insightful, this is a valuable read for those looking to understand the pivotal role of organisational culture in driving organisational success.

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  7. Your blog was insightful and well researched

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  8. The success of an organization is significantly affected by its organizational culture, which shapes employee behavior, encourages creativity, improves collaboration, and attracts talent. These factors eventually affect performance, productivity, and the capacity to adjust to shifting market conditions.

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  9. Organisation culture plays a vital role for the performance.

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  10. This explanation is very interesting. I just like to add some points in to yours. Most of the organisation top borde is creater of the culture and HR department is the place that keep that culture live. As a example they give introduction programs and training programs for new blood. Then as a organisation they can keep their culture as it is.

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  11. Many of organizations will be following very old cultural things what the used at started point and they will never like to change that pattern, but HR will motivate them and try to use few in work place that will be better. very good note

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  12. This blog provides a comprehensive understanding of organizational culture and its significance in driving employee morale, engagement, and overall organizational success. Delving into the 'Cultural Onion' model offers a significant view of the various layers that contribute to organizational culture. Additionally, it emphasizes how a positive culture fosters employee motivation, creativity, and innovation, ultimately leading to enhanced performance and competitive advantage. Overall, it effectively highlights the crucial role of organizational culture in shaping organizational dynamics and achieving long-term success.

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  13. Good explanation. Having maintaining better organizational culture is a competitive advantage for a company.

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  14. The blog provides a comprehensive overview of organizational culture, highlighting its importance in shaping the identity and success of a company.

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  15. Organizational Culture is one of the most important thing of any company and we should know about this topic widely.I learned a lot about this from watching this.So thank you for sharing this with us.

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  16. Thank you for shedding light on the often overlooked yet immensely influential aspect of organizational culture. This is very important concept. Your insights into the role of values, communication, and leadership in shaping culture are incredibly valuable. Keep up the fantastic work..!!

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  17. well explained article .valuable informations have shared .good job

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  18. This blog provides us a good knowledge about importance of Organizational culture

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  19. Brilliant read, guys! The way you've explained organisational culture, its intricacies, and its impact on an organisation's success not only demonstrates your understanding but also makes it quite relatable and easy to understand for anyone. I love the use of Hofstede's 'Cultural Onion' model; it really helped visualise the different layers that combine to create the overall culture of an organisation. Keep up this great work!

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  20. Organizational culture is must to every institutions

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  21. You have discussed the importance and impact of organization culture. Good article

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  22. The organizational culture of a successful business is its foundation. By creating a positive workplace culture that values employees, fosters creativity, and improves performance, organizations can gain a competitive edge that will help them succeed over the long term. Executives must therefore actively promote a positive culture that aligns with the organization's mission, vision, and values.

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  23. Understanding the respective culture of any organization plays very vital role in every employees performance in order to get the proper coordination from every team member. The blogger has emphasized on the key points and the importance of them respectively and who ever joins the team should quickly get on track by understanding the same. very comprehensive article.

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  24. This statement rightly identifies organizational culture as a critical determinant of long-term success for businesses.

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