Overview of Definitions and Conceptualizations of Culture SOCIOCULTURAL THEORIES C. as set of attitudes C. is studied as values and attitudes of individuals C.

basically stable, flexible in the longterm Prominent conceptualizations: "political c.", "civic c." INSTITUTIONALIST THEORIES CULTURALIST THEORIES HISTORICAL SOCIOLOGICAL RATIONAL CHOICE Anthropological o C. as characteristic of o C. is an institution o C. as a product of understanding and context and o C. as norms, routines, primordial and rational definition of c. organization rules and cognitive interactions C. defined in relation o Often no precise scripts, symbol o C. not dependent on to relevant social definition of culture systems, moral individual attitudes system o C. as history, framing o Various cultural Emphasis on cognitive identities, beliefs, identifications to scripts, unconscious routines choose from processes, role of o Often no precise symbols, etc. definition of culture Broad and complex o Prominent concepts, precise conceptualizations: conceptualizations "first/ second face of c." Organization is o Formal and informal o Organization is a o Formal organization culture/organization as organization culture cultural phenomenon o Rules and conventions Broad understanding promulgated by formal of organization organizations Thought is linked to o C. as interdependent o Highly interactive and o C. as independent action variable mutually constitutive variable C. creates/limits o Organization shapes relation organization - o C. serves as context restrictions and identities, beliefs, culture dependent resourcepossibilities for routines o Organizations affect pool action and determines o C. as context, normative and o Organization as how this action is influences cognitive dimension of rationally functioning understood by its organization via pathindividuals body based on given members dependency o Organizational cultural resources Organizations are practices are culture cultural constructs specific Organizations are o Change and o Organizational o Organizational reproductions of development of practice and reform development culture systems, not organizations are enhances social o Political elites functionalist historical processes legitimacy (and not instrumentalize FUNCTIONALIST THEORIES o C. as beliefs, values, artifacts o Often imprecise definition, residual for the informal and the implicit

DEFINITION OF CULTURE

o o o o o o

o o o

DEFINITION OF ORGANIZATION

o Formal organizations

o o

o Legal entities o Objects of managerial responsibility o C. often as internal variable, sometimes also as external variable o C. as success-factor for institutional performance

LINKAGE BETWEEN CULTURE AND ORGANIZATION

o C. as independent variable for the outcome of organizations

o o o

o IMPLICATION FOR o Contextualist o ORGANIZATIONAL approach AND PUBLIC o Organization needs to MANAGEMENT be congruent with c.

o Change of culture as field of management o "Visions" of appropriate and

ANALYSIS

RESEARCH INTEREST

o Reform and change instruments or o Reform strategies in will happen within structures different institutions cultural structures o Organizations cannot will lead to different be constructed, they outcomes (path are accomplished dependency) o Culture, as one of many causal factors, determines structural possibilities of reform. o Determination of o Revelation, o Cross-national various "types" of c. "deciphering" and variations of and their interpretation of social institutional framing to o Underlying attitudes action, events, new challenges o Fit between structures o Typologies which organizational forms o Development of classify and explain and culture analytical concepts to patterns and trends understand, to be o Emphasis on understood unintended effects of institutions

rationality) o Reforms are not case wise independent o Reforms and change developments are driven by imitation of reference groups and normative pressure

cultural resources to mobilize masses to influence reform outcomes o Different reform outcomes in different cultural contexts

aspired culture o Culture as enabler/limiter of organizational development

o Explanation of why o Determination of o Management institutions adopt cultural rationality by techniques and specific forms, deciphering cultural contingencies to procedures, rules, preferences and influence and shape symbols, values, etc. applying cost benefit culture o Exploration of how considerations to o Link of cultural practices are diffused given context characteristics and cross-organizationally o Researching intramanagement and internationally /intercultural factors performance affecting acceptance of/resistance to political change