Discussion for Module 4: Organizing Culture

Background

In the previous week, you described an organization, where you work or volunteer. You will now critique the same organization's culture.

To guide the discussion, your textbook makes the following observations: “Organizational culture refers to a system of shared assumptions, values, and beliefs that show people what is appropriate and inappropriate behavior” (Chatman & Eunyoung, 2003; Kerr & Slocum, 2005). Moreover, “An organization’s culture may be one of its strongest assets or its biggest liability. In fact, it has been argued that organizations that have a rare and hard-to-imitate culture enjoy a competitive advantage” (Barney, 1986).

Discussion Prompts

For the weekly discussion, please respond to the following prompts or questions in a single paragraph. All responses should be in complete sentences. Do not simply respond to each question; weave the responses into a coherent paragraph.

• Describe and evaluate the organizational culture of your organization.


• Who defines the organization culture? Why?


• Is the organizational culture written or unwritten? Do you have any guiding documents?


• What behaviors or outcomes does your organizational context encourage? Discourage?


• Complete the Organizational Culture Assessment Inventory (OCAI), located in the Learn section for this module. Instructions are provided in the downloadable excel document. What was your actual vs. preferred culture? What jumped out to you as relevant? See also the supplemental presentation for details on the OCAI instrument.

Instructions

Initial Post. The student will submit one primary post, which will respond to the discussion question(s) for the week. This post must (a) be a minimum of 200-300 words in length, (b) exhibit college-level writing, and (c) include a reference to an external resource, i.e. textbook, course lecture, scholarly article, or appropriate website. All references should follow proper citation rules in APA format. The initial post must be submitted by Friday evening as to provide ample opportunity for feedback from classmates.

Peer Responses. The student will respond to a minimum of two peers with the expectation to interact with and elaborate on peer comments and responses. Comments should not simply agree or disagree with the peer; however, the responses should add to the discussion as to enhance the class interaction. All responses are to (a) be a minimum 100-200 words in length and (b) exhibit college-level writing. The peer responses must be submitted by Tuesday evening.

By the end of the week, each student will submit three posts (1 initial, 2 peer responses), which should total to a minimum of 400 word in length. Evaluation of the weekly discussion forums will be based on the following criteria.