Outsider Culture

The term "culture" has been used more and more recently but what exactly does it mean? Some have even regarded culture as "the most central problem of all social science" (Malinowski, 1939). According to Merriam Webster (2016), culture is defined as the arts and other manifestations of human achievements. If culture was as simple as Merriam-Webster defines it then the lives of anthropologists, sociologists, and psychologists would be much easier. As we know, culture varies greatly across religion, countries, and some cases in just states; the difference between the north and the south. We can conclude that culture is a set of shared thoughts, values, and cognitions (Geertz, 1973). With culture in itself varying tremendously based on values and location, then surely organizational culture is no simple concept either. The term "organizational culture" has just recently become to be used more (Barley, 1988). Though there may be disagreements on defining culture universally, researchers tend to agree that culture is of vital importance in an organizational context, whether that organization is a company or a government (Kilmann, Saxton, & Serpa, 1986).

Culture is an observable, powerful force in any organization. “Made up of its members’ shared values, beliefs, symbols, and behaviors, culture guides individual decisions and actions at the unconscious level. As a result, it can have a potent effect on a company’s well-being and success” (One Page, n.d.).

An insider would have greater awareness and discernment of the internal cultural elements and subcultures within an organization. Furthermore, an insider would know how organizational activities interweave and how members interact. Within an organization, a tenured insider would also understand what underlying values, beliefs, attitudes, and assumptions are important. In comparison, an outsider would have an insufficient awareness level of underlying cultural values simply due to the nature of being external to the organization. Although, by interpreting the visible elements an outsider may be able to determine what underlying cultural attributes are important to an organization. In observing the visible symbols, dress codes, structure, power relationships, and other tangibles of culture, an outsider would be able to see the social system and activities in action. As a result, an outsider would also be exposed to underlying organizational culture. Consequently, the outsider would then be able to discern if the internal

“Culture consists of the symbols, rituals, language, and social dramas that highlight organizational life, including myths, stories, and jargon. It includes the shared meanings associated with the symbols, rituals, and language. Culture combines the philosophy of the firm with beliefs, expectations, and values shared by members. It contains the stories and myths about the company's founder and its current leading figures. Organizational culture consists of a set of shared meanings and values held by a set of members in an organization that distinguish the organization from other organizations. An organization's culture determines how it perceives and reacts to the larger environment (Becker, 1982; Schein, 1996). Culture determines the nature

All Organisations posses a distinct form of culture with some having more than a single culture. This culture is usually very difficult to measure, change and most especially change.

The definition of culture in this context can be deducted from Trompenaars (1998): “The essence of culture is not what is visible on the surface. It is the shared ways groups of people understand and interpret the world.” (p. 3). From this statement we can extract that people with different cultures see and interpret the world in their own way. Thus, to motivate employees with different cultural backgrounds it is necessary to understand the interpretation the employees have of certain norms and values.

When asked to describe what culture is many people often associated with ethnic or national backgrounds, but the idea of businesses or organizations having their own cultural identities often doesn't come to mind. All businesses and organizations have their own way of running themselves and for that reason, their employees incorporate their own values based on the atmosphere which they must conform to everyday. This atmosphere influences greatly on how people work in an organization, employees can realize the relaxed state of their environment or merely to the abrasive ideals that are taken up by their employer. A business's cultural characteristics include things such as required work hours, appreciation of ideas, and dress code; all of these

Culture within an organisation is a system of shared values, beliefs and norms of individuals in the organisation and how the value consensus creates a way in which people behave. The shared values have a strong influence on the individuals in the organisation and dictates how a person acts, dresses and performs in their job. A unique culture is developed and maintained by an organisation which provides guidelines and boundaries, through informal means, for the behaviour of the people within the organisation.

The reading did provide a description of the custom and norms, but I do not know how accurate it was. I have not been to Costa Rica nor have I learned about the Nacirema, but I am certain that Latin American cultures have a strong belief in the supernatural. I believe that the description was accurate. I would however like to do more research before deciding how accurate the descriptions of the norms and customs were. While the text mentions several rituals, I do not feel I fully understand them in their entirety, but it did provide the reader with a bit of insight on the culture of the Nacirema. But I do believe it does accurately state what the norms and customs are of the Nacirema.

Almost every organization, whether public or private, on paper or in practice, has a culture that fairly dictates its everyday functioning. The term culture has many

An organization’s culture shapes the attitudes and behaviors of its employees by defining boundaries, providing a sense of identity and stability. It also establishes a standard in regards to what employees should say and do. Culture can be transmitted via stories, rituals, material symbols and language. Culture within an organization is no exception.

Culture, as described by Daft (2016), “provides people with a sense of organizational identity and generates in them a commitment to beliefs and values that are larger than themselves” (p.387). Because culture is present at different levels, 40% of a company’s cultural values can be ascertained by visible elements. An outsider can speculate as to the basic culture within an organization by observing dress code, organizational structure, practiced rites of passage, and types of control systems in place. Additionally, through shared stories, sayings and symbolic artifacts an outsider could ascertain further clues to the culture, according to Daft (2016). While these visible aspects of organizational culture exist, and can be plainly seen by people outside the organization, they are created by the factors that make up the remaining 60% of the company’s culture that only an insider with a working knowledge can understand.

The fourth chapter in the textbook focuses entirely on culture. Culture is defined as a set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterize an institution or organization, and can be categorized in two different ways: folk and popular. Folk culture is shared usually by a smaller group of similar people, and diffuses slowly with limited connections (Rubenstein, 2014, 108). A classic example of Folk culture in Spain would be the

Although there is no standard definition of culture, the term has been embedded in human history. Terpstra and David (1991) define culture as members of a society with similar ideas, customs and social behaviours that distinguishes one group from another. Their work identifies several characteristics that make up culture, it is imperative that members should have a unified set of values and beliefs towards a common purpose where lessons are learnt and passed on from one generation to the next. Culture can be unique and used to differentiate one group from another and that it’s established to provide solutions to challenges that all individuals face. Furthermore, evidence suggests that cultural differences are becoming increasingly more apparent in todays current economic climate for organisations and the extent that local norms and values

The visual and verbal components of an organization 's culture are evident every day at work. Whether you are walking through a work area, sitting in an office, attending a meeting, or eating in the lunchroom, the organization 's culture surrounds you and permeates your working life. Culture is represented in groups by: language, decision making, symbols, stories and legends and daily work practices.