Monday, January 27, 2020

Strong Culture and Organizational Effectiveness

Strong Culture and Organizational Effectiveness Organizational culture is the pattern of shared values and beliefs that help individuals understand organizational functioning. The characteristics that captures the essence of organizations culture include member identity, group emphasis, people focus, unit integration, control, risk tolerance, reward criteria, conflict tolerance, means-end orientation, and open system focus. Appraising the organization on these ten characteristics gives a composite picture of the organizations culture. However, we have strong culture and weak culture. Strong cultures are those in which organizational values and beliefs are widely shared and significantly influence peoples behaviour on the job. Organizations with a strong culture create clear and coherent values and expect that members agree with and care intensely about those values. Denison identifies four key traits that an organization should master in order to be effective as mission, consistency, involvement, and adapt ­ability. Strong organizational cultures have been linked to increased staff alignment, resulting in enhanced organizational effectiveness. However some research shows that strong cultures may enhance short-term success but inhibit long-term organizational performance, and may even contribute to long-term failure by preventing organizations from adapting to changing contingencies. TABLE OF CONTENTS (JUMP TO) 1.0 Introduction 1.1 Culture 1.2 Organizational culture 1.3 Strong culture and weak culture 2.0 Strong culture and organizational effectiveness 2.1 Subculture 3.0 Leadership role in organizational effectiveness 4.0 Conclusion 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 CULTURE Culture is the way we do things are done around here (Schein, 1985) defining the actions of an organization in overt and covert ways, and when change takes place (Smollan, 2009). Culture can also be defined as the collective programming of the mind (Hofstede, 2005). According to Jan Vom (2011), two significant elements covers the scope of culture: (1) cultures manifestation (2) scope of the referenced group. Cultures manifestation Organizations culture is manifested through visible structures and strategies (Jan Vom, 2011). The three layers of culture related to its manifestation are; artefacts, espoused values, and basic underlying assumptions (Schein, 2004 as quoted in Jan Vom, 2011). The visible artefact through which culture is manifested includes companys symbols, its products, architecture, way of dressing, typical behaviours and rituals. It is important to connect artefacts to values. Espoused values are less visible and encompass publicly expressed strategies, goals, norms and rules that provide the daily operating doctrine for members of the organization. Basic underlying assumptions are a subconscious part of the culture which accounts for a mental map of fundamental aspects of life such as the nature of time and space, the role of social hierarchies, and the relative importance of work, family, and self-development. These represent the essence of culture. Scope of the referenced group Reference group refers to the set of people an individual perceives as belonging to his or her work environment which defines the social world of work in which he or she engages, including people with whom the individual does and does not communicate (Lawrence, 2006). Thus, the referenced group are the people within the context of the culture. The scope of the culture is defined depending on the referenced group (Jan Vom, 2011). 1.2 ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE Organizational culture has been defined by numerous authors in different ways. Deshpande and Webster (1989) define organizational culture as the pattern of shared values and beliefs that help individuals understand organizational functioning thus providing norms for behaviour in the organization. In contrast, other authors such as Schein (1985) have put forward that culture is best thought of as a psychological tendency, which he refers to as basic assumptions, that members of an organization learns as it solves its problems of external adaptation and internal integration, and considered valid because it is successful, and then taught to new members to use when facing those problems. However, no matter how we choose to define culture, culture is an important aspect of an organization, and organizations with strong culture increase the chances that members can execute its objectives and increase organizational performance by enlightening members on those objectives (Pottruck, 2001). Chantman, and Chaldwell (1991) quoted in Dwivedi (1995) suggests that the ten primary characteristics that, in aggregate, capture the essence of organizations culture includes: Member identity: how employees identify with the organization as a whole rather than with their type of job or field of professional expertise. Group emphasis: The degree to which work activities are organised around groups rather than individuals. People focus: the degree to which management decisions taken into consideration the effect of outcomes on people within the organization. Unit integration: the degree to which units within the organization are encouraged to operate in a coordinated or interdependent manner. Control: the degree to which rules, regulations, and direct supervision are used to oversee and control employee behaviour. Risk tolerance: the degree to which employees are encouraged to be aggressive, innovative, and risk seeking. Reward criteria: the degree to which rewards such as salary increases and promotions are allocated according to employees performance rather than seniority, favouritism, or other non- performance factors. Conflict tolerance: the degree to which employees are encouraged to air conflicts and criticisms openly. Means-ends orientation: the degree to which management focuses on results or outcomes rather than on the techniques and processes used to achieve those outcomes. Open system focus: the degree to which the organization monitors and responds to changes in the external environment. These characteristics reflect the organizations value and are used to determine an organizations culture. Depending on its strength, it can bring about organizational effectiveness (Dwivedi, 1995). However, some researchers have questioned how well strong cultures improve organizational performance. According to Denison (1990), organizations with strong cultures had greater returns on investments, but this only happens in the short run, after three years the relationship between cultural consistency and performance becomes negative. Also, Alicia (2002) is of the opinion that strong cultures may facilitate short-term success but inhibit long-term organizational performance, and may even contribute to long-term failure by preventing organizations from adapting to changing contingencies. Thus, while cultural strength may bring about increase in organizational performance in the short run, they may also inhibit an organizations ability to adapt, change, and innovate. 1.3 STRONG CULTURE AND WEAK CULTURE An organizations culture can either be strong or weak depending on the degree of alignment of the organizations value and employees response to stimuli because of their alignment with it (Olivier, 2009). Strong cultures: Here, organizational values and beliefs are widely shared with significant influence on peoples behaviour with respect to their job (John, 2006). It encompasses the ability to influence and motivate organizational members to act in an approved manner in the organization, and also an agreement on the part of members, regarding the importance of the organizational values (Schein, 2004). Weak cultures: Here, there is lack of motivation by the members of the organization, and it encompasses little or no  strategy-implementing assistance since there are no traditions, beliefs, values, common bonds, or behavioural norms that  management  can use to motivate to execute the chosen strategy (John, 2006). 2.0 STRONG CULTURE AND ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS Culture has long been regarded as essential to organizational effectiveness (Schein, 1992). According to Alicia (2002); Organizations with a strong culture create clear and coherent values and expect members to care and agree with those values, even if core values emphasize dissent and creativity (Flynn Chatman, 2001). Chatman (2002) is of the opinion that organizations attain strategic advantages through strong cultures. For example, Southwest Airlines has better performance than its competitors, over a period of time, due to its strong culture of focusing on keeping costs low and customers happy. However, Denison (1990) postulated a model that highlights the four key traits of organizational culture, which includes; mission, consistency, involvement, adaptability. Denisons research has demonstrated that effective organizations have high culture scores in all four traits. Thus, effective organizations are likely to have cultures that are adaptive, yet highly consistent and predictable, and that foster high involvement, but do so within the context of a shared sense of mission. External Focus (Adaptability + Mission) The adaptation hypothesis asserts that an organization must hold a system of norms and beliefs which support the capacity of an organization to receive, interpret, and translate signals from its environment into internal behavioural changes that increase its chances for survival, growth and development (Denison, 1990). Schein (1985) emphasizes that a culture usually consists of some adaptive collective behavioural responses, and the capacity to manage these responses is key to organizations effectiveness. A mission, on the other hand, provides purpose and meaning by defining a social role for an institution and defining the relevance of individual roles as related to the institutional role (Denison, 1990). Hence, an organization that is focused on adapting and changing in response to the external environment, and also has well defined goals and objectives has a strong external focus which is key to organizational effectiveness. A strong external focus typically impacts revenue, sales growth, and market share (Denison, 2006). Internal Focus (Involvement + Consistency) High levels of involvement and participation create a sense of ownership and responsibility (Denison, 1990). Members of an organization are able carry out coordinated action when they shared system of beliefs, and values, which are widely understood. Consistency involves defining the values and systems that are the basis of a strong culture. Strong organizational culture which is consistent leads to organizational effectiveness by priding itself on the quality of its products or services. An organization with strong internal focus has higher levels of quality, fewer defects, less rework, good resource utilization, and high employee satisfaction (Denison, 2006). Flexibility (Adaptability + Involvement) A flexible organization has the capability to change in response to the environment with focus is on the marketplace and its people. An organization that is flexible has higher levels of product and service innovation, creativity, and a fast response to the changing needs of customers and employees (Denison, 2006). Stability (Mission + Consistency) A stable organization has the capacity to remain focused and predictable over time. An organization that is stable has high return on assets, investments and sales, as well as strong busi ­ness operations (Denison, 2006). Hence an organization should master these key traits and strengthen its culture in order to be effective. According to Barney (1986), strong organizational culture facilitates increased staff alignment, thus strengthening organizational effectiveness, and increasing employee productivity and commitment. However, on the contrary, Gagliardi (1986) suggested that organizations with strong cultures are only capable of a limited change because of resistance by members to changing those strongly held and widely shared values. For example, such resistance threatened the survival of Westinghouse electrical company in the 1950s, by preventing it from reaping any benefits from acquiring a factory automation business. It was concluded that the failure was due to the organizations culture of merging an entrepreneurial organizational activity into a relatively slow-moving, large American corporation (Nohria, Dwyer, Dalzell, 2002). This further reinforces the point that cultural strength increases organizational performance, but only in the short run, they may also inhibit an organizations ability to change. However Alicia (2002) suggests that organizations facing such problems can use subcultures to become more agile and to drive innovation. 2.1 SUBCULTURE Subcultures are groups whose common characteristic is a set of shared norms and beliefs, formed based on an array of individual, societal, and organizational characteristics (Chatman, 2002). Organizational subcultures may be based on membership in various groups (departments, workgroups, and teams), levels of hierarchies, professional and occupational affiliations, socio-demographic categories (sex, ethnicity, age, or nationality) and performance-related variables such as organizational commitment and work performance (Trice Beyer, 1993 quoted by Chatman, 2002) Hofstede (1998) suggested that subculture provides information about employees perceptions of the organization, and thus managers lack of awareness of existing or potential subcultures can be damaging. As mentioned earlier, members of strong cultures may resist change, and change within strong culture organizations may lead to conflict. Subcultures can absorb this conflict, with the value of the organizational culture intact. Thus, subcultures may offer a way for organizations with strong culture to be flexible enough to change and adapt to external occurrences (Chatman, 2002). 3.0 LEADERSHIP ROLE IN ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS According to Bryman (1992), the leader could alter or impact the organizational culture. Weese (1995) suggested that leaders have tempered positions relative to the impact that a leader can have on shaping and preserving the culture of an organization, that the culture is the organization, not something that the organization possesses, and consequently, culture change is an arduous assignment. Hence, transformational leaders are needed to help shape and maintain the desired culture of an organization (Schein, 1993), which may link to organizational effectiveness. High transformational leaders possess strong organizational cultures and carry out culture-building activities, especially the customer-orientation function, to a greater extent than other leaders do (Weese, 1995). Also, Bass and Avolio (1992) suggested that transformational leadership and organizational culture is vital to organizational effectiveness. Yukl (1994) defined transformational leadership as the process of influencing major changes in the attitudes and assumptions of organizational members and building commitment for the organizations mission, objectives and strategies. Leaders should therefore focus on developing a strong organizational culture which supports achieving set goals and objectives, coordinated team work, customer orientation, as well as managing change in the organization. 4.0 CONCLUSION It has been established that culture has a significant impact on organizations performance. Organizations with strong culture, and are able to maintain its stability enjoy better performance than weaker cultural organizations. Organizations should pay attention to mission, consistency, involvement, and adapt ­ability in order to have organizational effectiveness (Denison, 2006). Also, it is important for transformational leaders to possess a stronger organizational culture. However, strong cultures may inhibit an organizations ability to change, but such organizations can use subcultures to become more agile and to drive innovation (Chatman, 2002).

Sunday, January 19, 2020

My Plans After High School Essay

After receiving my high school diploma, I would like to purse a career in the medical profession specifically; I would like to become a Registered Nurse. A nurse is a profession that provides care for sick, the injured and other people in the need of medical assistance. Nurses also work in healthy insurance companies, research institutions and pharmaceutical (medicinal drug) companies. According to Segovia Bain â€Å"nurses record patient medical histories and medications, operate medical machinery and help with follow up care and rehabilitation (World Book Student). This career path interests me because of the educational training requirements, working conditions, earning potential and future employment opportunities. Nursing began as practice reserved for men. The first nursing school was established in India in about, 250 B.C., but it wasn’t until the 1800’s nursing education was primarily received from hospital than colleges. In this time, now student mostly dustings and doing dishes. They worked 10 to 12 hour shifts. Later, responsibilities like sterilization of the equipment, and like cleaning rooms or needles. By the time World War II started , nurses were removed from the hospital, to bedside by wounded soldiers. In the 1980, started a need for travel-nursing agencies has started, which made numerous job positions. â€Å"Registered nurses is expected growth, more by the year 2014† (What comes to mind when you think of nurses?) Registered Nurses mostly have an associate degree. The curriculum for this degree includes, commutation, and organizational skill to coordinate, supervise, and manage or train other to accomplish goal. Registered nurse’s jobs duties also include developing day-to-day nursing care plan for both in the hospital and for care. â€Å"Employees in these occupations unusually need one or two years of training involving both on the job experience and in formal training with experienced workers â€Å" (On*net). Most nurse work in hospital and home health care. Nurses spend a lot of time walking, standing and bending. It’s possible for them to get a injury, like back injuries. They also like, moving patients a lot. Nurses are mostly likely to work 24 hours shifts. They work on nights, weekends and holidays. â€Å"Nurses   who work in offices , school, and other places that do not provide 24-hour shifts care are more likely to work regular business hs†. (Working environment). The Salary range for registered nurses is between 58,000 to 66,000 a year. The average amount for a registered is 64,000. This median range is about half of what the workers in this occupation earned while more than the amount and of the half. Registered nurses, have good benefits such as flexible work schedules, childcare, educational benefits and nurse’s bonuses. Because patients in hospitals and nursing care facilities need round-the-clock care, nurses in these settings usually covering all 24 hours. â€Å"They may work nights, weekends and holidays. They may also be on call, so that means you have available on short notice.† (Earnings and Wages†). ly The employment of registered nurse is expected to grow 26 %, from 2010-2020 faster than the average for all occupational growth will increased because of things like advancement of technology or aging baby boomer population. The growth rate is faster in traditional hospitals. Job opportunities for registered nurses are excellent. Registered nurses are needed of family friendly work schedules. â€Å"Generally registered nurses with at least a bachelor’s degree in nursing (BSN) will have better job aspect than those without One†. (Job outlook) You will need many skills to be a house such as excellent people skills, good communication, even dealing with emotionally charged situations You also need the ability to answer questions and offer advice. This profession is based solely, on the drive to learn new things. â€Å"The definition of a nurse: to go above and beyond the call of duty, the heart and soul of caring, a unique soul who will pass thru your life for a minute and impact it for an eternity. A individual whom you may feet for only a 12 hour period, but who will put you and yours above theirs.† (McKenna). Nursing seems like a very fun, creative and fast paced profession that would be very fulfilling to work in. â€Å"Earrings and wages† Occupational outlook handbook 2012-13 edition U.S bureau of labor statistics 19 Jan. 2008. Web 14 Feb 2013 . â€Å"Job outlook† Occupational outlook handbook 2012-13 edition U.S bureau of labor statistics 9 Jan. 2008 Web. 18 Feb. 2013 . McKenna Brian â€Å"The top 15 Quotes about nurses† College Finder Web 18 Feb. 2013 â€Å"Registered Nurses† † Occupational outlook handbook 2012-13 edition U.S bureau of labor stastics , !9 Jan. 2008 Web 4 Feb. 2013 . Segovia-Balin, Rossana â€Å"Nursing† World Book Student , 2013 Web. 23 Jan 2013 â€Å"What Comes to mind when you think of nurses?† Travel Now Nurses . 28 Jan 2013 â€Å"Working Enivornment â€Å"† Occupational outlook handbook 2012-13 edition U.S bureau of labor statistics , 9 Jan. 2008 Web 7 Feb. 2013. .

Saturday, January 11, 2020

Babysitting: Game and Kids

No matter how much a person loves kids or the money received from the job, babysitting for an entire night can take you to hell and back; if not done right. Babysitting is a tough job, and it takes a lot of effort and patience. Being prepared and doing the job right can save a lot of time and trouble. Some ways to maintain a person's sanity and do the job correct include; being prepared beforehand, having a schedule, and making sure you have time to relax after all the kids are in bed. Before arriving to the house, be sure to have appropriate â€Å"play† clothes on. Anytime a person baby-sits, they risk having their clothes stained with snacks, or even tugged and pulled on. Also, taking off your flip flops or wearing tennis shoes could help while you're chasing that cute little scoundrel around the house. Your handbag should contain snacks, coloring books, toys, and maybe even a schedule if one is not provided at the house. The snacks for you as the babysitter should be healthy and energizing, and the kids should consume food that's not too high in sugar. Just so they don't have an urge to play tag all night. Coloring books are a great activity to calm the kids down, which can be relieving. New toys are always exhilarating to kids at any age and could keep them entertained, which would help time go by faster. As you arrive at the front door, you should have a schedule planned out in your head if the guardians don't have one for you. Having activities planned and knowing when certain things should be done can save a lot of stress. The activities for the kids should be entertaining as well as safe. You don't want the kids getting boo boos. When babysitting at night, it usually means the kids need to be put to bed. That means they have to get their pajamas on, brush their tiny teeth, and maybe even bathe. At this point your exhausted and just want them to be perfect little angels, but in reality that doesn't always happen. The trick is for the you as the babysitter to keep them entertained while they do it. A kid could use a mouthwash that colors their teeth. You could even find a way to play a game or sing a song while they brush. When it comes to bathing, good luck. That depends on the child, but toys and bubbles are always helpful in the bathtub. After all the kids have fallen asleep, it is time for the babysitter to take a quick break. Sit down for a little, and relax. After a couple minutes, its time to clean up all the little messes that were made. Cleaning up is very important, especially if the you want to be asked to come back. As a babysitter you should always try to make sure that the kids and parents are satisfied. Once you know how to keep everything under control, babysitting will be enjoyable. Kids are full of life and entertaining. Babysitting is always fun when everything is under control. It has its pro's and con's, but as long as you like the kid your taking care of and have everything under control; it will be a breeze.

Friday, January 3, 2020

Creation vs Evolution Essay - 754 Words

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;There are two different beliefs of how everything came to be. One is creation. Creationalists believe in what the Bible says which is that God created everything. Another is evolution. Evolutionalists believe that there was a quot;big bangquot; which brought forth everything. In this paper, Im going to give the arguments that prove evolution wrong. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;One of the main things that evolutionalists have a problem with is time. They say that the world has existed for millions and billions of years. There is a couple problems with this though. The sun shrinks so much every day because it is burning up all its fuels. Scientists can calculate how big the sun was at any point in history.†¦show more content†¦If they go back in time millions of years, the magnetic field would be too strong for anything to live on earth, therefore this being another reason why the earth is not that old. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Evolutionists believe that humans and all other things evolved by mutation. Scientists can force mutations with radiation. Every mutation that has been made has never been good. Mutations only hurt the organism, not help it. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;A main part in evolution is the dating of fossils. This makes a type of circular reasoning though because of the archeologists and paleontologists. The archeologist dates the layers of the earth by the fossils that were found in it and the paleontologist dates the fossils by the layer of the earth it was found in. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Another problem comes up when you talk about fossils. If the world is millions and billions of years old, there would be fossils at lots of different archeological levels. Archeologists have found that most fossils are found at the same level, which would mean that some huge natural disaster happened and killed millions of animals at one time. The Bible mentions of a great flood that wiped out millions of animals and humans. This again proves evolution wrong. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;A way to date old artifacts and bodies is by using the C-14Show MoreRelatedControvery of Creation vs. Evolution in Inherit the Wind, by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee624 Words   |  3 PagesIn Inherit The Wind, by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, is about a big trial in a small town, and a controversial Creation versus Evolution debate. There are many characters with flamboyant and powerful personalities. Among them are: Matthew Harrison Brady, and Henry Drummond. Although all of these influential people are powerful, not all of them have the same amount of power, not only over other people, but over themselves as well. Matthew Harrison Brady is a very powerful, and revered man atRead MoreCreation Vs. Evolution : Creation Versus Evolution2016 Words   |  9 PagesCreation vs evolution Creation vs. evolution has been a very large debate for a long time. People have been debating whether or not evolution was fact or fiction ever since Charles Darwin published his theory of biological evolution in 1859 in his book, On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life, or as it is most commonly known On the Origin of Species. There are several different people in the world, each person having theirRead MoreEvolution Vs Creation Vs Evolution1395 Words   |  6 Pagescame first; the chicken or the egg?† Both evolution and creation make excellent counter-arguments against one another about how Earth came to be, and have also been argued against one another for many years. This paper will contain the topics of comparing evolution and creation; these topics are that they are both based on theories, Earth was one big continent, and natural selection. Along with those topics, there will be contrasts betw een evolution and creation; these topics will include chimpanzeesRead MoreEssay on Creation vs. Evolution1348 Words   |  6 PagesCreation vs. Evolution Ever since the publication of Charles Darwins The Origin of Species was published there has been an ongoing debate between science and religion. Scientists have formulated many theories as to the origins of man and to the creation of the earth, whereas religious groups have one main creation theory, based on the Genesis story of The Bible. These theories, however, are not the cause of the debate because the different theories are simply myths meantRead MoreCreation vs. Evolution Essay1147 Words   |  5 Pagesscientists would have people to believe that evolution is the only reasonable explanation of the universe. Scientists, like Stephen Hawking, claim that they have proved that evolution is the correct answer to the origins of life and the universe, yet evolution is still a theory. This problem occurs because evolution is not the only answer. In fact, the creation theory offers a more feasible answer to the origins of the universe than the evolution theory does. Creation has the backings of the Bible, an extraordinarilyRead MoreThe Creation Vs. Evolution Debate1017 Words   |  5 PagesThe creation vs. evolution debate is a question of origins. How did we get here? Were we created or did we evolve randomly? Are we the product of purposeful intelligence or are we merely the end result of countless cosmic accidents? What does the evidence say? Well in this paper I am writing in re gards to creation and what I learned and what I believe that is true evidence that God was the one that created us in his image, so here we go. In genesis 1:1 its tells us in the Beginning God created theRead MoreEvolution Vs. Creation Essay1654 Words   |  7 PagesEvolution! The theory that every living organism has come from a lesser organism. A theory that claims humans have come from monkeys. This theory, is what’s being taught to our children in school. If a child asks a teacher about the theory of Creation, they are sure to get a response like, I’m not allowed to answer that question, or something along those lines, because schools are not allowed to teach on religious subjects. I guess schools think that evolution is the next best thing. I believeRead More Creation vs. Evolution Essay3066 Words   |  13 PagesCreation vs. Evolution Since the publication of Darwin’s Origin of Species in 1859, there has been a continuous debate in the United States regarding evolution and creation. Recently, this debate has intensified throughout America over the issue of whether or not to include creationism in the public school curriculum either in conjunction with evolution or as a replacement for the theory. With such a volatile subject being argued, there are other issues that are brought up at theRead MoreThe Creation Vs. Evolution Debate1017 Words   |  5 PagesThe creation vs. evolution debate is a question of origins. How did we get here? Were we created or did we evolve randomly? Are we the product of purposeful intelligence or are we merely the end result of countless cosmic accidents? What does the evidence say? Well in this paper I am writing in regards to creation and what I learned and what I believe that is true evidence that God was the one that created us in his image, so here we go. In gen esis 1:1 its tells us in the Beginning God created theRead MoreCreation vs. Evolution Essay2251 Words   |  10 PagesCreation vs. Evolution There has always been a conflict between the religious world and the scientific world. Whether it be when science first challenged that the earth was not the center of the universe as dictated by the Church, or when it was discovered that the earth was round rather than flat. Both these theories today are widely accepted and the rest of society generally ridicules any persons that believe the earth is the center of the universe or that the world