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Most theorists agree that organisational culture exists, and that it has definite effects, but an explicit
definition of its true nature eludes capture. Some given definitions of organisational culture are:
“A pattern of basic assumptions invented, discovered and developed by a given group as it learns to
cope with its problems of external adaptation and internal integration that has worked well enough
to be considered valid and is therefore taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think
about, and feel in relation to those problems” Schein, 1990
“A culture is not something an organisation has,, it is something an organisation is” Pacanowsky and
O’Donnell-Trujillo, 1983
Whatever the theoretical definitions of organisational culture, every organisation has its own
definition. Some examples are:
Company Style
“The way we do things around here”
Company Philosophy
There are many reasons for wanting to understand the culture of an organisation. It may be
particularly important during times of change, merger or acquisition or when planning the business
and human resource strategies. It may also be an important consideration when an organisation is
expanding, when the executives may have to decide whether they want to actively monitor the
whole culture or allow each new division or geographical area to develop its own culture.
Organisational Culture has implications for every aspect of the working environment; some of these
implications are given below.
Culture determines the kinds of responses that the organisation makes to required changes and
will make to new problems. It can help predict how well the organisation will deal with change.
It has been said that “Good managers make meanings for people, as well as money”.
People may only notice their culture when the routine breaks down and they have to deal with
something unexpected. Having a knowledge and understanding of the culture can help the
members of a culture predict how the company may respond and deal with the unexpected
event.
Culture determines the kind of people who will be attracted to the organisation and who will be
The attitudes, values, and beliefs of senior executives. A whole culture can develop around the
vision of a charismatic leader. The leader can prescribe what is expected of his or her employees:
what the leader values can become what the organisation values.
The past experience people have had in resolving the problems of adapting to the external
environment and maintaining the internal integration of the organisation. Norms of expected
behaviour can form following certain critical incidents. Myths can develop around these incidents
and be passed on to new people as representing particular aspects of the culture.
Models of Culture
Type Models
Type models try to categorise the organisational culture into one of a limited number of
classifications. One model suggested that there are four types of organisational culture and that each
is reflected in the structure of an organisation and its set of systems. The four types are:
Power Task
This classification is one of a number of similar classifications and there is still no agreement about
which, if any, is correct.
The results from a Type classification are very difficult to use in developing a change programme for
an organisation. Even if we can find a description that fits the organisation, once we have labelled
the organisation, what do we do with that label?
Profile Models
Profile models do not try to categorise the organisational culture, but instead try to identify and
explore its key characteristics. Once they have been identified they can be compared to the culture
that the organisation wants to operate and any appropriate changes can be planned and monitored.
The Human Factors Organisational Culture Questionnaire is based upon a profile model. It was
designed as a practical instrument for the exploration of organisational culture and the management
of change. The Organisational Culture Questionnaire explores the prevailing culture within an
organisation across thirteen dimensions:
13. Fun: People look forward to going to work and enjoy the work they do. They
have a positive view of the workplace, their colleagues and the
company's achievements. The company organises social and other
events for the enjoyment of its employees.
The following charts show interesting examples of culture as measured on HFI’s OCQ. This illustrates
how culture varies across organisations and can be indicative of serious issues.
This organisation suffered from leadership difficulties, and scored particularly poorly on this
dimension. These management difficulties soon led them to being on the brink of failure.
This service organisation was struggling – although the company was fun to work for and included
qualified individuals, it did not look out for its customers, and had no clear goals it was working
towards. They went into voluntary liquidation 18 months later.
This is the OCQ profile of an established steel stockholding company that is consistently the most
profitable in the UK. Their culture rated as excellent in 9 dimensions.
The Organisational Culture Questionnaire was fully completed by 1000 staff out of 1500 from ACME
Co. in 2007. This was a response rate of 67.1%. In addition to the 1007 staff who completed fully, a
further 39 staff only completed one of the two sections of the questionnaire. Their input was also
used in the report.
Summary of Results
The 2007 culture results show ratings between 54 and 73 with 2 of the 13 dimensions at the “Good”
level and the remaining 11 rated as “Fair”. There is still an opportunity for improvement in order to
become rated as “Good” in all dimensions. 2 of the overall culture areas for the whole company
achieved an average rating above 70 which is classified as “Good”. There are no overall dimensions
rated below 54. There are no overall dimensions rated above 73. Only 1.4% of the responses to a
question were unanswered.
Behaviour Elements
At the behaviour element level, 10 behaviours out of 130 were rated “Poor” (lower than 50). Of
those elements rated as “Poor”, 3 are in the Innovation dimension.
80 behaviours out of 130 were rated “Fair” (between 50 and 70).
32 behaviours out of 130 were rated “Good” (between 70 and 80).
4 of the 32 subgroups gave the organisation “Excellent” average ratings in at least one dimension.
4 of the 32 subgroups gave the organisation “Poor” average ratings in at least one dimension.
Subgroup “A,C,F,G”:
Gave relatively lower ratings on: Gave relatively higher ratings on:
Fun Professionalism
Participation Leadership
Conflict Management Organisational Goal Integration
Human Resource Management
Decision Making
Subgroup “B”:
Gave relatively lower ratings on: Gave relatively higher ratings on none of the
Participation dimensions.
Fun
Communication
The Organisational Culture Questionnaire was fully completed by 1007 staff out of 1501 from ACME
Co. in 2007. This was a response rate of 67.1%. In addition to the 1007 staff who completed fully, a
further 39 staff only completed one of the two sections of the questionnaire. Their input was also
used in the report.
The group was broken down by Business Unit in the following subgroups:
The group was also broken down by Business Unit (DDFI) in the following subgroups:
The group was also broken down by Grade Number in the following subgroups:
The group was also broken down by Position in the following subgroups:
Position Questionnaires
Unassigned 218
Business Unit 1091
Support Unit 192
The Questionnaire
Respondents were presented with 130 statements and asked to rate these against the behaviour
within the organisation as a whole. They were specifically asked to think about the organisation as
they experience it now as opposed to how they would like it to be.
The scores from 2004’s questionnaire have been compared with these results and are displayed
following the overall results.
The scores from the questionnaire are compared to the benchmark group, following the overall
results.
The following graph shows the average ratings given by the respondents for each of the 13
dimensions for this year. A score of 100 would indicate that all respondents gave a rating of “Almost
Always” for every statement pertaining to that dimension.
Scores of 80 or more indicate that the organisation is strong in this dimension of culture. For ACME
Co., none of the 13 overall dimensions fell into this category. However, some of the behaviour
elements scored above 80 and these are listed in the following section.
Good - 70 to 80
The scores achieved in the above 2 dimensions suggest that these aspects of the culture are working
very well and that there is little that requires immediate attention.
Fair - 50 to 70
Scores of 50 to 70 in any of the dimensions generally indicate that these areas of culture are
reasonably well established but there are likely to be particular aspects of concern. These aspects are
identified by the low scoring behaviour elements within a dimension. ACME Co. culture ratings
between 50 to 70 were in 11 dimensions.
Dimension Score
Fun 68
Leadership 67
Communication 66
Decision Making 65
Human Resource Management 64
Individual Performance 64
Conflict Management 64
Participation 63
Organisation Structure 62
Organisational Goal Integration 59
Innovation 54
Poor - Below 50
Scores below 50 in any of the dimensions indicate that these areas of culture are of immediate
concern and raise issues which need to be addressed. None of the 13 overall dimensions fell into this
category. However, some of the behaviour elements scored below 50 and these are listed in the
following section.
These are the highest rated behaviour elements, as rated by ACME Co.. They are ranked in order,
with the strongest first.
Good - 70 to 80
Behaviour Dimension Rating
I can talk freely with my manager Communication 79
People listen to what the client wants Customer Focus 78
Up to date technical or specialist knowledge is valued in
Professionalism 78
people
People stay late to finish something that interests them Fun 78
People do not suffer as a result of putting up a strong
Conflict Management 78
argument
Clients' problems are recognised and dealt with promptly Customer Focus 77
I see my manager whenever I need to Communication 77
Disagreements do not lead to personal animosity Conflict Management 77
People who strive for excellence and quality are admired Professionalism 76
Discussion at meetings is very free and open Communication 76
We try to do things better than last time Individual Performance 75
Achievement is highly valued here Individual Performance 75
People do not pursue personal objectives at the
Professionalism 74
organisation's expense
It is not assumed that fun interferes with performance Fun 74
Managers and staff have informal discussions Communication 74
These are the lowest rated behaviour elements, as rated by ACME Co.. They are ranked in order, with
the lowest score first.
Poor - Below 50
Behaviour Dimension Rating
I feel that I would still come to work here even if I didn't
Fun 34
need the pay
Radical ideas are utilised by the management Innovation 37
This organisation has good training schemes Human Resource Management 39
Funds are available for trying out new ideas Innovation 42
I know in advance of any changes which are planned Communication 45
Time is made available to explore and develop new ideas Innovation 46
My manager discusses my productivity with me Individual Performance 48
We are told how the organisation's policy and strategy
Organisational Goal Integration 48
affect management decisions
Clients are considered as part of the organisation Customer Focus 48
Different parts of the company co-operate with each
Organisational Goal Integration 49
other to achieve the best for the company as a whole
Fair - 50 to 70
Behaviour Dimension Rating
People's failures are quickly forgotten Innovation 51
There is a minimum of red tape when it comes to new
Innovation 52
ideas
People who express disagreement openly are regarded as
Conflict Management 52
being interested in improving things
Action is taken about people who are not contributing Individual Performance 52
I feel that I am in touch with what is happening in the
Communication 52
organisation
A genuine attempt is made to consider everyone's views
Participation 53
before a decision is made
Disagreement leads to improvement Conflict Management 54
Responsibilities are clearly defined Organisation Structure 54
Job functions are clearly defined Organisation Structure 55
We have frequent feedback on our personal performance Individual Performance 55
We talk to each other rather than write memos or emails
Communication 55
to get things done
ACME Co.’s results for the current Occupational Culture Questionnaire are directly comparable to the
comparison group All OCQ Data.
Overall Graph
The following graph shows the difference in each dimension between ACME Co. and All OCQ Data.
Those differences above zero (Customer Focus, Leadership, Conflict Management, Professionalism,
Individual Performance, Communication, Organisational Goal Integration, Human Resource
Management, Participation, Decision Making) indicate ACME Co. is outperforming the comparison
group in terms of that dimension. Those differences below zero (Fun, Organisation Structure)
indicate ACME Co. is performing less well that the comparison group in terms of that dimension.
The following graphs show the scores of the behaviours perceived by ACME Co. as existing in the
organisation. The score shown on the graph shows the amount of positive behaviour considered to be
found within the organisation. For example, if the statement describes a positive statement then a score
of 100 indicates that all respondents gave a rating of “Almost Always”, while a score of 0 indicates that all
respondents gave a rating of “Rarely”. They are presented in order with the strongest dimension first and
the weakest dimension last. The graphs should be considered with the following in mind:
80 and Above Excellent indicates that most of the required behaviours are in place
70 to 80 Good indicates that some of the required behaviours are in place
50 to 70 Fair indicates that some of the required behaviours are not yet in place
and may need to be established
Below 50 Poor indicates that less than half of the required behaviours are in place.
If this value is important to the organisation then it is of immediate
concern.
Next to each behaviour in the graphs are graphs showing the percentage of respondents who gave each of
the 5 possible responses:
The interpretation indicates which behaviours are already in place and those which are not yet fully
established within the organisation. If a behaviour has a low rating and it is believed to be of value, then
specific actions to introduce it into the organisation should be considered and acted upon before any
problem or further deterioration occurs.
Professionalism
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31
32
33
34
35
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The responses to the Culture Questionnaire were analysed into the following 11 groups:
Percentage
Subgroups Set Up Completed Completed
A,C,F,G 82 57 69.5%
B 86 58 67.4%
D 332 218 65.7%
DDFI 204 158 77.5%
E 220 153 69.5%
H 28 17 60.7%
I 229 153 66.8%
J 33 27 81.8%
K 94 54 57.4%
L 28 19 67.9%
M 165 93 56.4%
The percentage of scores for each of the 11 Business Units are shown below:
A,C
,F, DD Ove
G B D FI E H I J K L M rall
N 82 86 332 204 220 28 229 33 94 28 165
Professionalism 77 68 74 68 75 78 73 76 75 82 78 73
Customer Focus 71 66 72 70 72 73 69 71 69 74 73 71
Fun 65 57 70 68 68 67 69 66 67 72 70 68
Leadership 69 59 69 60 69 71 66 72 66 75 73 67
Communication 67 57 67 61 68 65 66 71 63 75 70 66
Decision Making 67 57 65 57 68 66 65 69 66 72 70 65
Human Resource
66 57 66 53 66 67 65 68 64 71 69 64
Management
Individual Performance 64 60 64 58 67 66 65 70 65 73 68 64
Conflict Management 63 57 66 60 67 64 65 64 65 74 67 64
Participation 60 51 66 57 65 68 63 67 64 71 67 63
Organisation Structure 63 55 63 52 66 61 62 69 60 68 69 62
Organisational Goal
61 56 60 49 61 58 58 66 59 67 65 59
Integration
Innovation 54 48 57 49 58 59 53 54 54 68 55 54
Overall 65 58 66 59 67 66 65 68 64 72 69 65
The scores for each of the groups shows that L and M rate the culture more highly than DDFI and B.
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Human Factors International helps organisations not only select the right people but also coach and
develop these people, and to create systems and structures within which they can function efficiently and
effectively.
Contact Us...
Human Factors International Human Factors International
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London Starley Way
WC1V 7QH Birmingham International Park
UK Solihull
B37 7HB
UK
Tel: +44 207 831 3123 Tel: +44 121 781 7302
Fax: +44 207 831 8643 Fax: +44 121 781 7314
Web: www.hfi.com Email: enquiries@hfi.com
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