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Carl R. Steinhoff and Robert G. Owens
The purpose of the research was to develop a measure of thephenomenon referred to as organisational culture. The study addressedthe following questions: (1) What are the essential…
Abstract
The purpose of the research was to develop a measure of the phenomenon referred to as organisational culture. The study addressed the following questions: (1) What are the essential facts which define the metaphor, Organisational Culture?, and (2) How can these facts be ascertained systematically in a given organisation? This article describes the procedures used in the development of an instrument, called the Organisational Culture Assessment Inventory (OCAI), designed to address these questions. A previous article specifies the theoretic assumptions on which the OCAI is constructed.
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Ivana Sandrk Nukic and Martina Huemann
As a transitional country and the newest EU Member State, Croatia is facing a more turbulent business environment, which imposes a need for change of companies seeking to achieve…
Abstract
Purpose
As a transitional country and the newest EU Member State, Croatia is facing a more turbulent business environment, which imposes a need for change of companies seeking to achieve a competitive advantage. Being a labour-intensive business, adaptation of construction companies’ strategy strongly depends on the underlying values of their employees. The purpose of this paper is to determine cultural profiles within the construction industry in Croatia.
Design/methodology/approach
The research has been conducted using inferential analysis based on primary and secondary data sources. After an extensive literature review, the empirical research was conducted based on a national sample. In all, 108 managers working in construction companies were surveyed using the Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument. Reliability of variables was tested by calculating Cronbach α reliability coefficients. Differences among identified mean scores were examined by ANOVA analysis.
Findings
The results were analysed in respect of the size, core business, regional orientation and ownership of the respondents’ employing companies. The findings show that, on average, construction companies in Croatia currently function with domination of the hierarchy type of organizational culture, which insufficiently responds to the increasingly competitive environment. Additionally, the study identified the clan as the preferred culture type in Croatian construction companies.
Originality/value
The paper offers insights into the organizational culture of Croatian construction companies, which has not been studied before. The value of the paper is the novelty of findings regarding existing and preferred cultural profiles, which have the potential to improve team cohesiveness, team leading, communication among the main stakeholders and efficiency of performance in this transitional country’s construction industry.
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Pedro Ernesto Pereira Paro and Mateus Cecilio Gerolamo
Recent studies suggest that the implementation of Lean will only be successful when aligned with organizational culture (OC). The purpose of this paper is to understand an Ideal…
Abstract
Purpose
Recent studies suggest that the implementation of Lean will only be successful when aligned with organizational culture (OC). The purpose of this paper is to understand an Ideal Lean Culture (ILC) in the Brazilian context.
Design/methodology/approach
This diagnosis is based on the Competing Values Framework, and it is the result of a survey with 51 experts in charge of implementation of Lean programs in organizations operating in different industry segments in Brazil.
Findings
The results show that an ILC for Brazilian organizations seems to have the dominant profile of the hierarchy culture, thus characterizing a highly structured and formal place, with rules and procedures governing the behavior of people.
Research limitations/implications
Some limitations of this study include: although a survey has been applied, the research cannot be classified as a quantitative study; it brings the opinion of a limited number of Brazilian experts about lean programs; both the sample size could be increased and the nationality of respondents could be expanded for future research.
Practical implications
It is proposed that an organization (or an area of the organization) that wants to be successful in its lean journey must, first, measure its OC and then promote a cultural profile aligned with the results presented in this paper. By doing so, it is expected that this lean journey should have a higher probability of long-term success and sustainability of lean practices, concepts and philosophy.
Originality/value
In the last two decades much has been written about the importance of OC in the success of lean programs. However, very few studies has mapped and measured an ILC in a way that allows researchers, consultants and managers to evaluate if an OC is close to or distant from an ILC.
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Martin Jaeger and Desmond Adair
One of the consequences of globalisation is the proliferation of interactions between professionals of organisations from different cultural backgrounds. This is certainly true…
Abstract
Purpose
One of the consequences of globalisation is the proliferation of interactions between professionals of organisations from different cultural backgrounds. This is certainly true for construction project managers working in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, and the aim here is to provide foundation evidence regarding first, the existence of a distinct organisational culture and, second, the perceived culture type.
Design/methodology/approach
Data collected through questionnaire-based interviews with 96 construction project managers in the GCC countries was analysed by applying the Organisational Culture Assessment Instrument (OCAI, Cameron and Quinn, 2006) and empirical statistics.
Findings
The OCAI was found to be a useful tool to determine a profession's culture, and, confirming what has so far been anecdotal evidence, the findings indicate that both the group and hierarchy cultures are dominant culture types among construction project managers in the GCC countries.
Practical implications
The confirmation of the dominant culture types gives increased confidence to practitioners to develop effective cultural diversity management regarding professional interactions with construction project managers in the GCC countries.
Originality/value
The findings contribute to the body of knowledge by proving that construction project managers in the GCC countries perceive a dominant blend of group and hierarchy cultures.
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Erla P. Heyns and Sasja Huijts
Libraries have a growing interest in project management; however, the application of formal project management practices remains small. Are libraries using formal practices and do…
Abstract
Purpose
Libraries have a growing interest in project management; however, the application of formal project management practices remains small. Are libraries using formal practices and do different organizational cultures foster or hinder the use of project management?
Methodology/approach
A survey was used to investigate the prevalence of project management in the 14 Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA) libraries and to assess the organizational culture of these libraries to identify whether the culture fosters project management. A two-part questionnaire included the Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument (OCAI) by Cameron and Quinn (2011) and questions about project management practices. A project management maturity model was applied to determine the degree of project management maturity.
Findings
Even though libraries report perceived project management success, this is not often associated with the use of project management practices. Libraries with hierarchical organizational structures are less likely to have formal project management practices and libraries with clan cultures are more likely to use formal project management practices.
Originality/value
This study contributes to a small base of research on the use of project management practices in academic libraries. Specific suggestions on the value of including formal project management practices and the relationship between organizational culture and the use of project management could provide an impetus for libraries to explore the formal adoption of this practice.
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This study sets out to explore the impact of organisational culture innovation on the adoption of information systems (IS) in Libya's oil and banking sectors.
Abstract
Purpose
This study sets out to explore the impact of organisational culture innovation on the adoption of information systems (IS) in Libya's oil and banking sectors.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a structured survey questionnaire based on Cameron and Quinn's Organisational Culture Assessments Instrument (OCAI), 400 questionnaires were administered to middle and top management employees in more than 15 government and public organisations in Libya's oil and banking sectors.
Findings
The findings showed that there is a relationship between organisational culture innovations and the adoption of IS. The findings also showed that there are no differences in the organisational culture type between the two sectors covered in this study.
Originality/value
The findings imply that organisational culture innovations are influenced by other factors, which are worthy of investigation. The future implications of this research are also discussed.
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Measuring the efficacy of workplace culture-shift efforts presented a substantial challenge in the author's research exploring how culture shifts during deliberate change…
Abstract
Purpose
Measuring the efficacy of workplace culture-shift efforts presented a substantial challenge in the author's research exploring how culture shifts during deliberate change initiatives. In response to this challenge this conceptual article proposes that the relative value participants attribute to desired culture outcomes can function as a proxy for measuring culture shift over time, providing applied researchers and practitioners with a simple way to measure efficacy of change initiatives.
Design/methodology/approach
This conceptual article reviews the difficulties of defining and measuring workplace culture using widely known, contemporary models and instruments. It then builds an argument for using differential measurement of the relative value attributed to culture shift outcomes (valuing) as a proxy for workplace culture shift, followed by discussion of how to conduct measurement.
Findings
This article deductively demonstrates that parsimonious measurement of culture shift is not only simple and feasible, but that practitioners and researchers alike can use a valuing approach to determine the efficacy of efforts to shift workplace culture.
Originality/value
Used to complement existing methods and instruments, or on its own, this approach to measurement can build deeper insights into what is going on during deliberate change initiatives, while answering the reflexive questions “are we doing the right things,” and “are we doing those things the right way?”
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Julia Strengers, Leonie Mutsaers, Lisa van Rossum and Ernst Graamans
Scale-ups have a crucial role in our society and economy, are known for their fast growth and high performance and undergo significant organizational change. Research on the…
Abstract
Purpose
Scale-ups have a crucial role in our society and economy, are known for their fast growth and high performance and undergo significant organizational change. Research on the organizational elements that ensure scale-ups sustaining high performance is limited. This empirical study aims to investigate the organizational culture in scale-ups using the Competing Values Framework, including the clan, adhocracy, the market, hierarchy cultures and its relation to performance.
Design/methodology/approach
Quantitative and qualitative data were collected in five scale-ups. Surveys provided data of 116 employees on organizational culture, assessed using the Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument (OCAI) and perceived performance. The aggregate outcomes and performance measures were analyzed using correlation analysis. Interviews were held with ten top managers and mirrored against the quantitative data.
Findings
The results show that top managers and employees have different perspectives on the culture scale-ups are supposed to have. Top managers perceive market culture as more and hierarchy culture as less present in their organizations than employees. The clan and adhocracy culture are positively correlated to performance and are preferred by employees. Market and hierarchy culture types are negatively correlated to performance and are least preferred by employees.
Research limitations/implications
It enables scale-up leaders to specifically intervene when cultural elements are experienced by employees that will not drive performance and fit the high performance and fast-growing scale-up environment.
Originality/value
This study is the first that showed that organizational-wide surveys, combined with in-depth interviews, are suitable for top managers of scale-ups to diagnose the organizational culture and the effect on the organization's performance.
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