Organizational life and culture: too civil for community?

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to expose some underlying implications of the term “civility” as a developmental issue for preferred behavior in organizations.

Design/methodology/approach

The terms “civility” and “community” are contrasted with the intent of determining what behaviors we really want at work.

Findings

Civility invokes rules and behavioral codes that might preclude community.

Practical implications

“Civility” and “community” require distinct sets of interaction behavior and understanding.

Social implications

Reflection on what we really want in our interaction with others at work should drive organizational policies regarding preferred organizational behavior.

Originality/value

The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy‐to‐digest format.

Citation

Bokeno, R.M. (2010), "Organizational life and culture: too civil for community?", Development and Learning in Organizations, Vol. 24 No. 1, pp. 10-12. https://doi.org/10.1108/14777281011010451