Organization culture

Culture was expressed by Handy as ‘the sum of the belief, knowledge, attitudes, norms and customs that prevail in an organisation’. Is the above statement true or false?

• True

• False

The tales of company creation, such as difficulties the founder had to face and how they managed to overcome them v successfully often form a part of organisational culture. Is the avove statement true or false?

• True

• False

John begins a new job at a company. He discovers that, unlike his previous job, all staff members dress casually. According to Schein, which level of culture is John observing?

• Artefacts

• Espoused values

• Informal rules

• Basic assumptions

The first leaders of the organisation tend to define its later culture. Which major writer on culture came to this conclusion?

• Handy

• Schein

Which of the following is one of the three levels of culture described by Schein?

A Things that are short term only, such as staffing levels

B Things that are difficult to identify as they are unseen and often unconscious

C Things that endure, such as organisational hierarchy

D Things that initially appear superficial, such as timekeeping rule

• A

• B

• C

• D

The informal organisation can either enhance or hold the business back. Is this statement TRUE or FALSE?

• True

• False

According to Handy’s theory, in the person culture which of the following would be correct?

A Contribution made by each employee is recognised and appreciated

B Status symbols are there to remind staff of their place

C People believe that if they meet their job requirement, they will slowly progress to the senior management D Rules are put in place and must be strictly followed by all

• A

• B

• C

• D

Which of the four cultural types popularised by Handy is often found in organisations with an entrepreneurial structure?

A Task

B Person

C Power

D Role

• A

• B

• C

• D

Research has indicated that workers in country A display characteristics such as the desire for material wealth and possessions, while workers in country B value personal relationships, belonging and the quality of life. According to Hofstede’s theory, these distinctions relate to which of the following cultural dimensions?

A Masculinity-femininity

B Power-distance

C Indulgence-restraint

D Uncertainty avoidance

• A

• B

• C

• D

Consider the following cultural ‘dimensions’ as popularised by Hofstede.

(i) High uncertainty avoidance

(ii) Masculinity (iii) Low power distance

(iv) Individualism In country A, most businesses are highly bureaucratic with many defined rules for employees.

However, even junior staff members are usually involved in the creation of these rules, as they expect to have a say in the running of the business. Which TWO of the cultural dimensions identified above are shown to exist in country A?

• (i) and (ii)

• (i) and (iii)

• (ii) and (iii)

• (iii) and (iv)