I Trust We Are All Well and Staying Safe

I trust we are all well and staying safe.

Here are my thoughts on this unit's discussion questions...
Introduction
According to Robbins & Judge (2013), a strong organizational culture provides stability to an
organization. Culture has been described as the beliefs, behaviour, language, and entire way of life
of a particular group of people at a particular time. Culture includes customs, ceremonies, works of
art, inventions, technology, and traditions that distinguishes a group of people (Encarta
Encyclopedia, 2005). An organization looks at what it values to build and sustain its organizational
culture. The company’s leaders are clear about their values and how those values define their
organizations and determine how the organization is run. Values are founded on the purpose for
establishing the organization in the first place, that is, its mission and vision.
How does an organization accurately identify the elements of its own culture?
As the organization grows, the corporate culture evolves or matures around the original beliefs,
values, and how well the leadership is able to communicate the mission, vision, beliefs and values
throughout the organization. From the perspective of Cultural Intelligence for Leaders (2012),
elements of organizational culture are that culture is learned, symbolic, shared, systematic and
dynamic. According to Cabistan (2016), the five elements of an organization’s culture are: purpose,
ownership, community, effective communication, and good leadership. These two approaches are in
alignment. The organization identifies its own purpose from its mission and vision. Organizations
afford people the opportunity to be a part of solving a problem greater than ourselves, thereby
creating value through the organizations mission and purpose. It is also an opportunity for people to
take ownership of their results without being micromanaged. Companies also look at the sense of
community they are able to create among their employees as an indicator of a strong culture. Driven
by a common code of conduct, standards and/or values, this element of organizational culture is
about feelings of belongingness. Underpinning everything the organization does is the ability of the
leaders to communicate effectively throughout the organization. The message should be consistent,
transparent and clear using the standard language, symbols and totems.
How does it go about promoting critical awareness of culture among its personnel?
Acculturalisation occurs when new members of the organization imbibe cultural information and
knowledge from the existing members of that organization. This is one of the major functions of
induction and onboarding. Staff training, coaching, mentoring and handholding are also good tools
for promoting organizational culture. Also, various company policies and codes of conduct are good
sources for generating cultural awareness. Since culture is learned, symbolic, shared, systematic
and dynamic (Cultural Intelligence for Leaders, 2012), an organization can promote its culture
through its learning apparatuses (as mentioned above), its symbols such as its logos, ID cards,
brand (colors), shared values, work tools and technology. Leaders consistently and systematically
communicate these values, standards and policies in a communal language. The company
leadership and employees must work to ensure their culture advances with the changing times to
avoid becoming static. The law of nature is change.
Does cultural awareness play a role in organizational success?
I think cultural awareness is critical to organizational success. Culture is about shared values,
purpose, language, and mainly about creating that sense of communality that promotes
togetherness. We as human beings value this communicality, belonging to or being part of a group.
As experts have said, humans are social animals. For human resources to give their best, which is
the main driver of any organizational success, then that need to belong, be accepted as a bona fide
and valuable member of the organization is key. Culture is the vehicle that delivers this.
Is a global organization, in the 21st century, obligated to provide opportunities for its employees
to become more culturally sensitive or increase their cultural awareness through an
understanding the cultural system of values, assumptions, and symbols? What do they stand to
lose if they don’t?
One of the key elements of culture is its dynamism. Organizations, just like any organism, recognize
the need for them to constantly re-assess their culture and values to ensure that these vehicles are
able to get them to their organizational mission, vision, purpose and goals. The world is changing
rapidly, what was considered acceptable or not acceptable behaviour just a couple of months ago
have also changed. An organization that wants to remain successful will continuously provide
platforms and opportunities (such as training, social events, exchange programs, clear guidelines
and communications) that will educate and empower their employees to assess their own cultural
awareness. This will also enable employees align their cultural IQ with the organization’s. A global
organization is bound to be a culturally diverse environment and we all have to work together
towards a common goal. If we don’t, the company will ultimately lose that distinct factor that always
guarantees a sustainable competitive advantage – an engaged workforce.

References
Cultural Intelligence for Leaders (2012). Creative Commons by-nc-sa
3.0. http://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/cultural-intelligence-for-leaders/
“Culture”. In Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia. (2005). Microsoft Corporation.
Cabistan, A. (October 25, 2016). The five elements of great organizational
cultures. https://hrtechweekly.com/2016/10/25/the-five-elements-of-great-organizational-
cultures/#:~:text=I%20have%20come%20up%20with,effective%20communication%2C%20and
%20good%20leadership.

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