Three Cultural Levels of Organizations
Edgar Schein's model of organizational culture defines three levels of culture that exist in organizations.
1-Organizational attributes that are seen, felt and heard to the uninitiated observer, including
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Facilities, offices, and furnishings.
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Visible awards and recognition
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The way members dress
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How people visibly interact with each other and with organizational "outsiders".
2-Professed culture of the organization's members themselves, typically identified through interviews and questionnaires that gather attitudes of the members, including:
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Company slogans, mission statements and other expressed operational creed
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Local and personal values widely expressed within the organizatio
3-Tacit (deep; subliminal; "unspoken rules") assumptions are the cultural elements that are unseen and not consciously identified in everyday interactions between organizational members. They are, at times, cultural elements that are taboo to discuss inside the organization. Experienced members understand this deep level of organizational culture and acclimate themselves to it over time, thus adding to its invisibility and staying power. OD practitioners use more in-depth studies and techniques to identify and examine culture at this level. It is the cultural level most challenging to diagnose and change.
Cultural Paradox
What one sees is not always what one gets when it comes to organizational culture. The paradox that plays in identifying an organization's culture is that what is communicated about the culture consciously and openly may not be what is truly represented by the organization's practices and leadership.
An organization can profess that it respects individuals and honors creativity at one level, yet discourage said individualism and creativity at a deeper level through its rewards systems and uniform dress code. An organization may note at its website, in commercials, and in distributed documentation that its focus on the customer is its first priority. Yet, the decision-making and reporting processes practiced daily emphasize the importance of the bottom line over customer service. An organization may have in place a detailed diversity and inclusiveness initiative, yet allow (through inattention and avoiding enforcement) exclusive and unfair practices to persist in a specific department or region of the country.
On the surface, organizational rewards can imply one organizational norm while at its deepest level imply something completely different. Such paradoxes highlight why it takes time for individuals new to or outside the organization to acclimate themselves to, and assimilate, organizational cultures and norms. It also explains why organizational change agents must discover and understand both explicit and implicit cultural norms before initiating change. Yet one more aspect of organizational culture needs understanding before effecting change-the dynamics of interpersonal relationships. Should such relationships threaten an environment conducive to change, these relationships must be addressed as part of the change process.
Conclusion
In summary, note that organizational culture is as multi-tiered and complex as individual and societal culture. The organization's leaders set a cultural tone for the organization that pervades throughout the organization. Rewards and operational procedures; structure and reporting processes; open and "unspoken" norms and interpersonal relationships play important roles in defining, communicating, and encouraging organizational cultures.
However an organization's culture is defined and evaluated, one must understand the breadth and depth encompassed by the culture before faciliting organizational change.
More Resources
Culture's Consequences: International Differences in Work Related Values. Hofstede, G. Sage Publications. ISBN #080391444X.
Gung Ho! Turn On the People in Any Organization Ken Blanchard. William Morrow. ISBN #068815428X.
Who Moved My Cheese? Spencer Johnson & Kenneth Blanchard. Putnam Adult. ISBN #0399144463.
Organizational Culture and Leadership. Schein, E.H. Jossey-Bass. ISBN #0787975974.
