Week 6, Monday Lecture Outline

Organizational culture and
socialization

Week 6, Monday

Psychology 360

Outline

• I. The nature of organizational culture
• II. Origins and effects of culture
• III. Socialization as acculturation
• IV. A model of socialization

The Nature of Organizational
Culture

• General:
  • a set of shared attitudes, values, behavioral norms
• In the organizational setting:
  • a cognitive framework for interpreting work & environment
  • not monolithic
  • stable, despite turnover

Why does culture matter?

• influences the actions of organizational members
• provides history
• source of uniqueness
• sets boundaries

Origins and Effects
of Culture

• Founding myth:
  • beliefs of charismatic founders
• Experience with the external environment:
  • competition that produces values and practices
• Shared experience:
  • assignment of similar meaning to events

Culture at Nike

• "Phil Knight is our Walt Disney, except he's not dead yet."
• "keeping the magic of sport alive"
• "nobody ever remembers Number 2"

Recognition test
Effects of Nike's culture

• 400 shoes a minute
• larger than life
• "No market in this business is ever owned."
• swoosh tatoos

Socialization as Acculturation

• socialization is the acquisition of shared attitudes, values, and behavioral norms
• a mechanism for transmitting culture
• ensures a common orientation
• smooths idiosyncrasies due to individual characteristics

A Model of Socialization

• the organization evaluates an individual
• the individual evaluates an organization

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Copyright © 1996, The Regents of the University of Michigan, All rights reserved.
Revised - November 4, 1996