Organizational Culture Challenges

"Organizational culture refers to a system of shared meaning held by members that distinguishes the organization from other organizations" (Capella (2004) p. 485). Organizational culture is the organization's persona that is unique and no two organizational cultures are alike. Organizational culture includes norms, stories, values, beliefs, behavior control and modification, rewards, recognition and memorabilia. "A company's prevailing values, attitudes, assumptions, and beliefs all make up the soft, invisible stuff of culture and determine its outlook--what it finds meaningful and important. Culture also consists of, and manifests itself through, an organization's artifacts (e.g., employee dress, product line, signage, publications, interior architecture, and furniture) as well as its behaviors (e.g., financial reporting, hiring and firing practices, employee training, and recycling programs). The complicated fabric of culture is woven from hundreds, if not thousands, of implicit and explicit events, issues, and symbols. Continuing the metaphor of culture" (Tarp (2005) p. 1). Furthermore, an organization's culture is learned by employees through "stories, rituals, material symbols and language" (Capella (2005) pp. 498-499). For example, my organization has cubicles even for upper-level management. We have meeting rooms, break rooms and open areas. We are very informal in our organizational culture. Our CEO does not have a company plane or car. He uses commercial flights and rents a car with driver or takes a cab when traveling.

The organizational culture of an organization is complex as this culture involves two major challenges within the organization. First, integrating individuals to work together as a group in order to be effective as a whole organization. The organization must hire the correct individuals to fit the culture of the organization. If the new hires do not fit into the culture of the organization, this could cause a high turnover rate for the organization. Furthermore, employees need to work together as a whole and adhere to the organization's culture in order for the organization's goals and objectives to be met so that the organization achieves a profit. However, some employees are just not team players and do not want to operate as a whole which would cause havoc for the organization's culture. This is why some individuals go into the field of computers. These workers spend most of their employment alone in front of a computer screen. They do not have to really deal with many people. Thus, there is no need to be a team player that fits into the organization's culture. This challenge to organizational culture is all due to each individual employees' personality.

Second, how difficult it is for an organization to change its existing culture. In fact, some individuals argue that once an organizational establishes its culture, that it cannot be change. However, Capella (2005) states that "changing an organization's culture is extremely difficult, but cultures can be changed" (p. 509). In order to make changes to an organization's culture, management must initiate new rituals, stories, spirituality, ethics, and material symbols, language as well as new reward and recognition programs. Management also needs to hire new and