Week 8: Diversity/Culture/Climate
Hofstede' Model : Five basic dimensions of culture
Organisational culture: shared assumptions that members of an organisation have, which effect the way they act, think and perceive their environment
Diversity culture: systems, norms, and practices for treating people with different backgrounds, customs and beliefs
Culture: a set of values, beliefs, behaviours and attitudes that distinguishes one group from another - is shared, interpreted and transmitted over time
Systems-oriented view: Culture is the norms, beliefs, and values shared by a group of people. Long-term perspective - meanings are stable and change slowly
Practice-oriented view: Culture is reproduction of meaning through everyday activities and practices. Short-term perspective - practices and meanings can change quickly as people adapt for different contexts
Power distance: level of acceptance of inequality between people in a society
Individualism (vs. collectivism): degree to which a society reinforces individual achievement vs collective achievement and interpersonal relationships
Masculinity/Femininity: degree to which societies reinforce the traditional masculine work role model of achievement, control, and power
Uncertainty avoidance: level of avoidance of uncertainty and ambiguity within a society
Long-term orientation: degree to which society embraces long-term devotion to traditional values
Schein's model: an understanding of culture (aka iceberg model) - the way members of the organisation act defines the culture
1. Artefacts: Tangible manifestation of culture eg. behaviours, dress code, interior design, shared language
2. Values: ethical statements of rightness eg formal rules, publicly espoused by the company
3. Basic assumptions: unconscious and taken for granted ways of seeing the world eg. routines and norms that are not debated and difficult to change, core of the organisation
Handy's Typologies: exemplars of dominant norms and values
Role-culture: bureaucratic, rule-following
Power culture: key figures hold and use power, few formal rules to restrain power
Person culture: focus on benefiting people in the group
Task culture: Focus on work tasks, goals set by task needs
Competing values framework typologies
Clan culture: collaboration and focus on employee development
Adhocracy culture: creativity and focus on new ideas and innovation
Hierarchy culture: control and focus on efficiency and standardisation
Market culture: competition and focus on competitors and clients
Arguments for a diversity culture
Improve performance and reputation
Moral/social justice
Building support for a diversity culture through training
Communicate the broader social and legal framework
Focus on similarities rather than differences
Sell the potential benefits
Foster personal development (develop interpersonal skills)