A Reconceptualization and Analysis of Organizational Culture: The Influence of Groups and Their Idiocultures

Abstract

The monolithic and integrative conceptualization of organizational culture is not inherently wrong, but presents a rather limited and simplified version of the dynamics and attributes of culture. The concept of organizational culture can be dismantled to reflect the underlying group cultures. Our understanding of organizational culture in its current, unitary sense may be enhanced by paying attention to its multiple group cultural components. While a single organizational culture can be identified, it generally represents only a small portion of the total cultural environment which is present within the organization. An idiocultural perspective will bring future cultural studies more in line with organizational reality.

Citation

Bolon, D.S. and Bolon, D.S. (1994), "A Reconceptualization and Analysis of Organizational Culture: The Influence of Groups and Their Idiocultures", Journal of Managerial Psychology, Vol. 9 No. 5, pp. 22-27. https://doi.org/10.1108/02683949410066336