ComSt 475 - Communication and Leadership

Understanding Organizational Culture

I. Organizational Culture as “shared sensemaking”

A. Culture provides framework for interpreting and making sense of everyday life

B. The “substance” of a culture (cognitive elements such as values, beliefs, attitudes) is communicated through cultural “forms”

1. Stories and legends

2. Physical artifacts

3. Norms

4. Ceremonies and rituals (formal and informal)

5. Language

6. Influential people

7. Reward/punishment systems

8. Etc.

II. Culture and leadership

A. “An effective leader facilitates, rather than imposes, a vision that will inspire identification at every level of the organization”

1. Macro-level: mission statements, vision statements, etc.

2. Micro-level: other cultural forms

B. Cultural change requires shifts in the “deep structures” and beliefs of the organization and its members

1. Transformation vs. Transaction

2. Cultural consistency

3. “Reframing” is the key to cultural change