Organizational Theory 5301 Final Exam Questions
1. Culture is a theme that runs through your text. How would you define
culture in terms of organizational theory? How does it differ from country to
country? Give an example of how organization design was influenced by
culture?
Culture is a set of values, norms, guiding beliefs and understanding that is shared
by members of an organization and is taught to new members. It represents the
unwritten, feeling part of the organization. Everyone participates in culture, but
culture generally goes unnoticed. It is only when organizations try to implement
new strategies or programs that go against basic culture norms and values that
they come face-to-face with the power of culture. Organizational culture exists at
two levels. On the surface are visible artifacts and observable behaviours-the way
people dress and act, and the symbols, stories and ceremonies organization
members share. The visible elements of culture, however, reflects deeper values
in the minds of organization members. These underlying values, assumptions and
beliefs and thought processes are the true culture. For example, The Body Shop
incorporated an on-site biological sewage treatment system in a greenhouse near
its Toronto headquarters. Every drop reused is a drop of municipal water saved
and a drop less discharged. These attributes of culture display themselves in many
ways but typically evolve into a patterned set of activities carried out through
social interactions which can be used to interpret culture. Culture helps guide
daily activities of workers to meet certain goals.
Organizations operating in many different areas of the world have a tough time
because of the various cultural and market factors they must address. The greater
complexity of the environment and organizational domain creates a greater
potential for ethical problems and misunderstandings. Organizational culture and
national culture are often intertwined, and the global diversity of many of today’s
companies present a challenge to manager’s trying to build a strong
organizational culture. Employees who come from different countries often have
varied attitudes and beliefs that make it difficult to establish a sense of
community and cohesiveness based on the organizational culture. For example, a
key study in Russia found that flexibility and collectivism (working together in
groups), which are key values in the national culture, are considerably more
, important to organizational effectiveness than they are to most U.S based
companies. However, a more recent study of internalization joint ventures found,
in contrast, that the impact of organizational culture was stronger than that of
national culture. When these values are not incorporated into the organizational
culture, employees do not perform as well. Another study found that differences
in national cultural values and preferences also create significant variance in
ethical attitudes among people from different countries. Managers trying to
expand globally should include emphasis on multicultural rather than national
values, basing status on merit rather than nationality, being open to new ideas
from other cultures, showing excitement rather than trepidation when entering
new cultural environments and being sensitive to cultural differences without
being limited by them. A Canadian example is from a company Me to We. It is a
social enterprise that also provides ethically manufactured apparel for the socially
conscious consumer. The product line is domestically produced, sweatshop-free,
and made using certified organic cotton and bamboo. Fifty percent of the profit
goes to Free the Children to support development projects in rural and
impoverished areas across the world.
2. Organizational design is influenced by both external and internal
factors. How does this happen?
New Stuff- Actual answer I believe!
The Environmental Domain
Organizational environment includes all the elements that exist outside the boundary of
the organization and have the potential to affect all or part of the
organization. Environmental domain is the chosen territory of action defining the niche
and external sectors with which the organization will interact to accomplish its
goals. Sectors are subdivisions of the external environment that contain similar
elements [See Exhibit 4.1].
Task Environment
Task environment includes sectors with which the organization interacts directly,
including:
o Industry sector
1. Culture is a theme that runs through your text. How would you define
culture in terms of organizational theory? How does it differ from country to
country? Give an example of how organization design was influenced by
culture?
Culture is a set of values, norms, guiding beliefs and understanding that is shared
by members of an organization and is taught to new members. It represents the
unwritten, feeling part of the organization. Everyone participates in culture, but
culture generally goes unnoticed. It is only when organizations try to implement
new strategies or programs that go against basic culture norms and values that
they come face-to-face with the power of culture. Organizational culture exists at
two levels. On the surface are visible artifacts and observable behaviours-the way
people dress and act, and the symbols, stories and ceremonies organization
members share. The visible elements of culture, however, reflects deeper values
in the minds of organization members. These underlying values, assumptions and
beliefs and thought processes are the true culture. For example, The Body Shop
incorporated an on-site biological sewage treatment system in a greenhouse near
its Toronto headquarters. Every drop reused is a drop of municipal water saved
and a drop less discharged. These attributes of culture display themselves in many
ways but typically evolve into a patterned set of activities carried out through
social interactions which can be used to interpret culture. Culture helps guide
daily activities of workers to meet certain goals.
Organizations operating in many different areas of the world have a tough time
because of the various cultural and market factors they must address. The greater
complexity of the environment and organizational domain creates a greater
potential for ethical problems and misunderstandings. Organizational culture and
national culture are often intertwined, and the global diversity of many of today’s
companies present a challenge to manager’s trying to build a strong
organizational culture. Employees who come from different countries often have
varied attitudes and beliefs that make it difficult to establish a sense of
community and cohesiveness based on the organizational culture. For example, a
key study in Russia found that flexibility and collectivism (working together in
groups), which are key values in the national culture, are considerably more
, important to organizational effectiveness than they are to most U.S based
companies. However, a more recent study of internalization joint ventures found,
in contrast, that the impact of organizational culture was stronger than that of
national culture. When these values are not incorporated into the organizational
culture, employees do not perform as well. Another study found that differences
in national cultural values and preferences also create significant variance in
ethical attitudes among people from different countries. Managers trying to
expand globally should include emphasis on multicultural rather than national
values, basing status on merit rather than nationality, being open to new ideas
from other cultures, showing excitement rather than trepidation when entering
new cultural environments and being sensitive to cultural differences without
being limited by them. A Canadian example is from a company Me to We. It is a
social enterprise that also provides ethically manufactured apparel for the socially
conscious consumer. The product line is domestically produced, sweatshop-free,
and made using certified organic cotton and bamboo. Fifty percent of the profit
goes to Free the Children to support development projects in rural and
impoverished areas across the world.
2. Organizational design is influenced by both external and internal
factors. How does this happen?
New Stuff- Actual answer I believe!
The Environmental Domain
Organizational environment includes all the elements that exist outside the boundary of
the organization and have the potential to affect all or part of the
organization. Environmental domain is the chosen territory of action defining the niche
and external sectors with which the organization will interact to accomplish its
goals. Sectors are subdivisions of the external environment that contain similar
elements [See Exhibit 4.1].
Task Environment
Task environment includes sectors with which the organization interacts directly,
including:
o Industry sector
