From: Paul Wong [mailto:
ptpwong@home.com]
Thank you all for all your thoughtful responses. I am now trying to
incorporate your input and clarify the following constructs:
Corporate culture - It includes the predominating values, beliefs,
assumptions, and ways of doing things in the organization. It tends to be
pervasive, stable and resistant to change. Typically, the corporate culture
was created by the founder or an influential leader of an organization, and
reinforced by companies policies and practices. Culture tends to shape
people's behaviours, and decide the kind of leaders will be selected.
Corporate culture may also be considered as organizational personality,
which reflects the aggregate personality of its senior administration rather
than the aggregate personality of workers. The best indicator of corporate
culture is not its mission statements or public image, but its internal
politics, power plays, hidden agendas, and implicit assumptions and values,
which may be contrary to its publicly stated core values.
National culture - It encompasses the shared customs, religions, values,
traditions of any ethnic or national group. Corporate culture tends to be
embedded in a particular national culture because of the nationality of its
creators.
Work environment - It represents the totality of circumstances at work. It
includes the physical environment, such as the building and its interior
decors, the lighting and temperature control, noise level; however, it also
includes cultural and social conditions. Work environment is generally
permeated by the corporate culture.
Work climate - It reflects the resulting "chemistry" of an ensemble of
individuals working together. It includes the psycho-social aspects of the
work environment as perceived by the workers. To borrow from David Fearon's
metaphor, corprorate culture is like a forest, while work climate refers to
what is happening to the creaters living in their specific little patches.
Work climate is more fluid and transient and changeable than either work
environment or corporate culture, because adding a new worker with a certain
attitude is enough to disturb the work climate. Work climate can be affected
by daily actions of individual workers, as well as decisions, and policies
made by the administration. The frist step towards improving the corporate
culture is to have the courage and vision to improve the work climate in
which one operates. However, the most effective way to change work climate
is to transform the corporate culture from the top, because the leader sets
the tones of the work place.
Work climate directly affects individual workers' job satisfaction and
productivity, because if workers perceive the work climate as oppressive,
controlling, secretive, suspicious, unsafe, and political, they will not be
able to perform their best. On the other hand, if they perceive the work
climate as supportive, empowering, open, trusting, safe, and professional,
they are more likely to function at their optimal level. (Note that I have
just listed six dimensions of work climate.)
Individual workers - They contribute directly to the work climate through
their unique values, methods, aspirations, personal history and cultural
background. For analytical purposes, I don't think it helpful to talk about
"personal cultures". Individuals constitute the most molecular level of
analysis, even though each individual does represent a particular culture or
sub-culture.
Thansk again for your contributions,
Paul T. P.Wong
wong@twu.ca and
ptpwong@home.com
www.meaning.twu.ca