Topic organization organizational culture framework and googles application

Theortical Framework...4 2.1 Organizational Culture Definition...4 2.2 Components and types of Organizational Culture...4 2.3 Organization Culture's Role...6 2.4 Creating and sustaining

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING FOREIGN TRADE UNIVERSITY HCMC CAMPUS

-oo0oo -MIDTERM ASSIGNMENT Topic: Organization - Organizational Culture Framework and Google's Application

Academic Instructor: Ms To Thi Kim Hong Implementation group: Group 2

1 Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân 2011116482 nguyenthikimngan2011116482@ftu.edu.vn

2 Trang Hải Long 2011116446 tranghailong2011116446@ftu.edu.vn

3 Đặng Kiên Bình 2011116322 dangkienbinh2011116322@ftu.edu.vn

4 Phạm Quỳnh Như 2011116523 phamquynhnhu2011116523@ftu.edu.vn

5 Lê Nguyễn Hoàng Nhi 2011116506 lenguyenhoangnhi2011116506@ftu.edu.vn

6 Lê Nguyễn Phương Nhi 2011116507 lenguyenphuongnhi20111165607tu.edu.vn

7 Nguyễn Diệu Linh 2011116434 nguyendieulinh2011116434@ftu.edu.vn

8 Nguyễn Tiểu Quyên 2012215502 nguyentieuquyen2012215502@ftu.edu.vn

Ho Chi Minh City, March 2022

Table of Contents

1 Introduction 3

1.1 The background of Organizational Culture 3

1.2 The influence of Google 3

2 Theortical Framework 4

2.1 Organizational Culture Definition 4

2.2 Components and types of Organizational Culture 4

2.3 Organization Culture's Role 6

2.4 Creating and sustaining Culture 7

2.5 Creating Ethical and Positive Culture & Global Implications 11

3 Google’s Organizational Culture case study 13

3.1 Short Overview 13

3.2 Google’s Organizational Culture Type and Its Characteristics 14

3.3 Values that lead to creativity and a willingness to perform 15

3.4 Core Lessons 17

4 Conclusion 19

1 Introduction

1.1 The background of Organizational Culture

The term “Organizational Culture” was first introduced by Dr Elliott Jaques

in his book-The Changing Culture of a Factory (1951) According to Dr Jaques, the extent people can share common wishes, desires and aspirations and commit themselves

to work together It is a matter of being able to care about the same things, and it applies

to nations as well as to associations and organizations within nations

However, after a long period of time, hundreds of books, research studies, papers, articles, etc., there appears to be very little difference in the early definition compared to the more current definition of organizational culture The more modern definition of organizational culture, also known as corporate culture, is the values and behaviors that contribute to the unique social and psychological environment of an organization It is based on shared attitudes, beliefs, customs, and written and unwritten rules that have been developed over time and are considered valid and are viewed as the shared norms and values of individuals and groups within an organization (The Business Dictionary, 2018)

Though the principles behind organization culture have changed very little, the impact of organizational cultures has increased significantly Organizational culture is a major determining factor in the success of an organization and considered by many as one of the most powerful effects on how an organization thinks and behaves It is found

to be applicable in every business around the globe but the types of cultures will necessarily differ since your organization has its own unique culture

1.2 The influence of Google

Nowadays, the business environment can be described in two short words - fast changing Organizations must be prepared to keep up with these changes in the business dynamics since today momentum is defined by globalization and liberalization of trade

so that they can submit to the new coming demands This is why over the last years organizational culture became more and more important For an organization to work

well and to complete its objective, it must adapt to the external environment but it has to

do so by having solid criteria, standings, beliefs and values as an internal structure

It is well-known that Google has a unique culture Google is a high-energy, fast

paced work environment Google employees (called Googlers, in Google’s jargon) work

hard, yet have fun at the same time Google instills in its employees the credo that it is not about the money- rather than there is a lifestyle that breeds innovative superiority over the competition They portray themselves as a company that works towards changing the world through teamwork and creative involvement Googlers proudly say they work for the best company in the world and that they are a part of something important and believe the work they do is remarkably satisfying

In an effort to maintain the company’s unique culture, Google has designated

a Chief Culture Officer in 2006, who also serves as the Director of Human Resources The purpose of the Chief Culture Officer is to develop and maintain the culture and work on ways to keep true to the core values that the company was founded on in the beginning

— a flat startup organization with a collaborative environment No one can deny that when it comes to organizational culture values, one of the first ideal models in their mind is Google Google's thriving workplace culture is much more than on-site perks and a huge silicon valley campus

2 Theortical Framework

2.1 Organizational Culture Definition

Organizational Culture is a system of shared values, norms and assumptions that guides members’ attitudes and behaviors and influences how they perceive and react to their environment.These assumptions are usually taken for granted by organizational members and are taught to new members as they are socialized into the group

2.2 Components and types of Organizational Culture

2.2.1 Components of Organizational Culture

Organizational culture refers to a system of shared meaning held by members that distinguishes the organization from other organizations Seven primary characteristics seem to capture the essence of an organization’s culture:

1.Innovation and risk taking: The degree to which employees are encouraged

to be innovative and take risks

2.Attention to detail: The degree to which employees are expected to exhibit

precision, analysis, and attention to detail

3.Outcome orientation: The degree to which management focuses on results

or outcomes rather than on the techniques and processes used to achieve them

4.People orientation: The degree to which management decisions take into

consideration the effect of outcomes on people within the organization

5.Team orientation: The degree to which work activities are organized around

teams rather than individuals

6.Aggressiveness: The degree to which people are aggressive and competitive

rather than easygoing

7.Stability: The degree to which organizational activities emphasize

maintaining the status quo in contrast to growth

2.2.2 Types of Organizational Culture

a Contrasting Organizational Cultures

With regards to a manufacturing firm, there are 2 types of organizational cultures:

Organization A: Managers are expected to fully document all decisions, and

“good managers” are those who can provide detailed data to support their recommendations Creative decisions that incur significant change or risk are not encouraged

Organization B: Here, however, management encourages and rewards risk

taking and change Decisions based on intuition are valued as much as those that are well rationalized

b Strong versus Weak Cultures

It’s possible to differentiate between strong and weak cultures If most

employees have the same opinions about the organization’s mission and values, the culture is strong; if opinions vary widely, the culture is weak

In a strong culture, the organization’s core values are both intensely held and widely shared The more members who accept the core values and the greater their commitment, the stronger the culture and the greater its influence on member behavior

A strong culture should reduce employee turnover because it demonstrates high agreement about what the organization represents Such unanimity of purpose builds cohesiveness, loyalty, and organizational commitment

2.3 Organization Culture's Role

2.3.1 Organization Culture's Function

First, culture has a boundary-defining role: it creates distinctions between one

organization and others

Second, it conveys a sense of identity for organization members.

Third, culture facilitates commitment to something larger than individual

self-interest

Fourth, it enhances the stability of the social system Culture is the social glue

that helps hold the organization together by providing standards for what employees should say and do

Finally, it is a sense-making and control mechanism that guides and shapes

employees’ attitudes and behavior This last function is of particular interest to us Culture defines the rules of the game

Today’s trend toward decentralized organizations makes culture more important

than ever, but ironically it also makes establishing a strong culture more difficult When formal authority and control systems are reduced, culture’s shared meaning can point everyone in the same direction However, employees organized in teams may show greater allegiance to their team and its values than to the organization as a whole In virtual organizations, the lack of frequent face-to-face contact makes establishing a common set of norms very difficult Strong leadership that communicates frequently about common goals and priorities is especially important in innovative organizations

2.3.2 Organization Culture's Dysfunction

Culture can enhance organizational commitment and increase the consistency

of employee behavior, clearly benefiting an organization Culture is valuable to

employees too, because it spells out how things are done and what’s important But we shouldn’t ignore the potentially dysfunctional aspects of culture, especially a strong one, on an organization’s effectiveness

Barriers to Change

Culture is a liability when the shared values don’t agree with those that further the organization’s effectiveness This is most likely when an organization’s environment

is undergoing rapid change, and its entrenched culture may no longer be appropriate Consistency of behavior, an asset in a stable environment, may then burden the organization and make it difficult to respond to changes

Barriers to Diversity

Hiring new employees who differ from the majority in race, age, gender, disability, or other characteristics creates a paradox: management wants to demonstrate support for the differences these employees bring to the workplace, but newcomers who wish to fit in must accept the organization’s core cultural values Because diverse behaviors and unique strengths are likely to diminish as people attempt to assimilate, strong cultures can become liabilities when they effectively eliminate these advantages

A strong culture that condones prejudice, supports bias, or becomes insensitive to people who are different can even undermine formal corporate diversity policies

Barriers to Acquisitions and Mergers

Historically, when management looked at acquisition or merger decisions, the key factors were financial advantage and product synergy In recent years, cultural compatibility has become the primary concern

All things being equal, whether the acquisition actually works seems to have more to do with how well the two organizations’ cultures match up As one expert commented, “Mergers have an unusually high failure rate, and it’s always because of people issues”—in other words, conflicting organizational cultures

2.4 Creating and sustaining Culture

2.4.1 How a Culture Begins

Culture creation occurs in three ways First, founders hire and keep only employees who think and feel the same way they do Second, they indoctrinate and

socialize these employees to their way of thinking and feeling And finally, the founders’ own behavior encourages employees to identify with them and internalize their beliefs, values, and assumptions When the organization succeeds, the founders’

personality becomes embedded in the culture

2.4.2 Keeping a Culture Alive

Once a culture is in place, practices within the organization maintain it by giving employees a set of similar experiences The selection process, performance evaluation criteria, training and development activities, and promotion procedures ensure those hired fit in with the culture, reward those who support it, and penalize (or even expel) those who challenge it

Three forces play a particularly important part in sustaining a culture: selection practices, the actions of top management, and socialization methods Let’s look at each.

• Selection: The explicit goal of the selection process is to identify and hire

individuals with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully The final decision, because it’s significantly influenced by the decision maker’s judgment of how well the candidates will fit into the organization, identifies people whose values are essentially consistent with at least a good portion of the organization’s Selection also provides information to applicants Those who perceive a conflict between their values and those of the organization can remove themselves from the applicant pool Selection thus becomes a two-way street, allowing employer or applicant to avoid a mismatch and sustaining an organization’s culture by selecting out those who might attack or undermine its core values

• Top Management: The actions of top management also have a major impact on

the organization’s culture Through words and behavior, senior executives establish norms that filter through the organization about, for instance, whether risk-taking is desirable, how much freedom managers give employees, what is appropriate dress, and what actions earn pay raises, promotions, and other rewards

• Socialization: No matter how good a job the organization does in recruiting

and selection, new employees need help adapting to the prevailing culture That help is socialization We can think of socialization as a process with three stages: pre-arrival, encounter, and metamorphosis

This process, shown above, has an impact on the new employee’s work productivity, commitment to the organization’s objectives, and eventual decision to stay with the organization

The pre-arrival stage recognizes that each individual arrives with a set of

values, attitudes, and expectations about both the work and the organization Newcomers to highprofile organizations with a strong market position will make their own assumptions about what it must be like to work there No matter how well managers think they can socialize newcomers, however, the most important predictor of future behavior is past behavior What people know before they join the organization, and how proactive their personality is, are critical predictors of how well they adjust to a new culture The success depends on the degree to which the aspiring member has correctly anticipated the expectations and desires of those in the organization in charge

of selection

On entry into the organization, the new member enters the encounter stage and

confronts the possibility that expectations—about the job, co-workers, the boss, and the organization in general—may differ from reality If expectations were fairly accurate, the encounter stage merely cements earlier perceptions At the extreme, a new member may become disillusioned enough to resign Proper recruiting and selection should significantly reduce that outcome, along with encouraging friendship ties in the organization

Finally, to work out any problems discovered during the encounter stage, the new

member changes or goes through the metamorphosis stage Most research suggests

there are two major “bundles” socialization practices The more management relies on formal, fixed, and serial socialization programs, the more likely newcomers’ behaviors

are predictable These institutional practices are common in police departments, fire departments, and other organizations that value rule-following and order Programs that are informal, individual, random, variable, and disjunctive are more likely to give newcomers an innovative sense of their role and methods of working Creative fields, such as research and development, advertising, and filmmaking, rely on these individual practices Most research suggests high levels of institutional practices encourage person-organization fit and high levels of commitment, whereas individual practices produce more role innovation

The three-part entry socialization process is complete when new members have internalized and accepted the norms of the organization and their workgroup, are confident in their competence, and feel trusted and valued by their peers They understand the system—not only their own tasks but the rules, procedures, and informally accepted practices as well Finally, they know what is expected of them and what criteria will be used to measure and evaluate their work

The period of initial adjustment is often marked by decreases in job satisfaction

as their idealized hopes come into contact with the reality of organizational life It may

be that the initial adjustment period for newcomers presents increasing demands and difficulties, at least in the short term Other research suggests that role conflict and role overload for newcomers rise over time Workers with the largest increases in these problems experience the largest decreases in commitment and satisfaction

Summary: How Cultures Form

The original culture derives from the founder’s philosophy and strongly influences hiring criteria as the firm grows Top managers’ actions set the general climate, including what is acceptable behavior and what is not The way employees are socialized will depend both on the degree of success achieved in matching new