As with "culture" when used in an anthropological sense, there are essentially six factors which can be found in organizational cultures: observed behavioral regularities, norms, dominant values, philosophy, rules and the organizational climate (Ogbonna & Harris, 1998, p. 35). Observed behavioral regularities are typified by the language, tasks, jargon and roles which members of the organization use and expect to find within the organization. Just as in a larger societal culture, an organization's culture supports certain language and behaviors from its members. The standards of behavior, or norms, that an organizational culture establishes define how newcomers to the organization are expected to perform. If the standards are high, then new workers are expected to perform to that level. If the standards are average or low, then newcomers are expected to reduce their output, if necessary, in order to keep the rest of the group from looking bad.
The organizational culture also includes the dominant values of the group as a whole. These values relate to the level of importance given to specific items, such as absenteeism and quality. Organizational philosophy is also cited as a part of organizational culture, and this represents the belief structure which permeates an organization. Philosophical differences can be among the most difficult to resolve because they are not associated with specific behavior, but rather with the way in which each group approaches work, and the role that work is given in their everyday lives. The philosophy of an organization affects every aspect of the output of the group, and can be a point of concern when management's philosophy differs significantly from the workers' philosophy.
Organizational culture also includes the rules by which workers are expected to abide. Management is also affected by these rules. At the simplest level, rules are imposed by management on employees, and relate to...