A shared schema approach to understanding organizational culture change

Abstract

In this chapter, we propose a shared schema approach to model a change of organizational culture. The connection between shared schemas and organizational culture is first examined, and the development of shared schemas is then explored. Building on previous work utilizing a cognitive approach to organizational culture, we suggest that organizational culture can be understood as organizational members' shared schemas, so culture change can be understood by examining members' cognitions about an organizational culture change, with the degree of sharedness being an important descriptor. Data from two samples supported propositions that culture change schemas are: (1) different between organizational members who identify strongly with an organization and those who do not; and (2) different between current organizational members and those who have left the organization. These results support the viability of measuring organizational culture change from a cognitive perspective and suggest implications for managing the process of culture change.

Citation

Lau, C.-M., Kilbourne, L.M. and Woodman, R.W. (2003), "A shared schema approach to understanding organizational culture change", Research in Organizational Change and Development (Research in Organizational Change and Development, Vol. 14), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 225-256. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0897-3016(03)14084-0