Organization culture. Corporate culture in modern business: types, levels and best examples Which element in the culture of the organization is the main

Let's take a look at some of the most well-known types of organizational cultures. These crops are usually classified according to several parameters (see § 1 of this chapter).

Perhaps the shortest and most accurate version of their classification was given by the American researcher William Ouchi. He identified three main types:

1) market culture, which is characterized by the dominance of cost relations and profit orientation. The source of power within such a culture is the ownership of resources;

2) a bureaucratic culture based on the dominance of regulations, rules and procedures. The source of power here is the position of the members of the organization;

3) clan culture, supplementing the previous ones. It is based on the internal values ​​of the organization that guide the activities of the latter. Tradition is the source of power here.

Based on such circumstances as the orientation of culture to people or material conditions, on the one hand, openness and closeness, on the other, the following types are distinguished.

bureaucratic culture characterized by the regulation of all aspects of the organization's activities on the basis of documents, clear rules, procedures; assessment of personnel according to formal principles and criteria. The source of power, concentrated in the hands of the leadership, here is the position. Such a culture guarantees people stability, security, and eliminates conflicts.

guardian culture manifests itself in a favorable moral and psychological climate, cohesion of people, group norms and values, informal status of employees, their personal activity, mutual understanding, harmony of relations. Culture guarantees staff stability, development, participation in the affairs of the organization.

Praxeological(gr. prak11koz - active) culture is based on order, rationality, plans, careful monitoring of their implementation, evaluation of the employee's performance based on results. The main figure is the leader, whose power is based on official authority and deep knowledge. It allows, within certain limits, the involvement of workers in management. All this ensures high work efficiency.

Entrepreneurial culture supports actions directed outside the organization and towards the future, innovation and creativity of the staff. The attraction of culture lies in the fact that it guarantees the satisfaction of the needs of workers in development and improvement. Management here is based on faith in the leader, his knowledge and experience, as well as attracting staff to creativity.

At the heart of the classification entrepreneurial cultures are ways to make a profit. So, for example, the American researchers Deal and Kennedy, depending on them, identified the following types of such crops.

Trade culture It is characteristic primarily of trading organizations, which are characterized by quick results and low risk. Here, the desire for short-term success dominates, which largely depends not so much on the size as on the number of transactions, the stability of contacts, and understanding the needs of the market. Such organizations are characterized by mutual support of employees and the spirit of collectivism.

Culture of bargains characteristic of organizations such as exchanges. It is also characterized by a focus on getting money quickly in conditions of speculation and high financial risk. Communication between people here is fleeting and occurs mainly on the basis of the pursuit of money. Such a culture requires young or spiritually young employees with fighting qualities and strength of character.

Administrative culture inherent in the largest firms, as well as government agencies. It focuses not so much on profit or resounding success as on risk minimization, stability, and security. It is distinguished by bureaucracy, a formal approach, slow decision-making, focus on titles and positions.

investment culture large firms and banks supports high-risk businesses associated with large capital investments for a long time in an environment of uncertainty where quick returns are not possible. Most decisions here are made centrally on the basis of careful scrutiny, because the future of the firm depends on each of them. This requires experience, authority, prudence, joint discussion of options for action from employees.

The most famous typology of managerial cultures is given by S. Khondi. He assigned each of the types the name of the corresponding Olympian god.

Culture of power, or Zeus. Its essential point is personal power, the source of which is the possession of resources. Organizations professing such a culture have a rigid structure, a high degree of centralization of management, few rules and procedures, suppress the initiative of employees, exercise tight control over everything. Success here is predetermined by the qualifications of the manager and the timely identification of problems, which allows you to quickly make and implement decisions. This culture is typical for young commercial structures.

Role culture, or culture of Apollo. It is a bureaucratic culture based on a system of rules and regulations. It is characterized by a clear distribution of roles, rights, duties and responsibilities between management employees. It is inflexible and makes it difficult to innovate, so it is ineffective in the face of change. The source of power here is the position, not the personal qualities of the leader. Such a management culture is inherent in large corporations and government agencies.

The culture of the task, or Athens. This culture is adapted to managing extreme conditions and constantly changing situations, so the focus here is on the speed of solving problems. It is based on cooperation, collective development of ideas and common values. Power rests on knowledge, competence, professionalism and the possession of information. This is a transitional type of management culture that can develop into one of the previous ones. It is characteristic of design or venture organizations.

The culture of personality, or Dionysus. It is associated with an emotional beginning and is based on creative values, uniting people not to solve official problems, but to achieve individual goals. Decisions here are made on the basis of consent, so the power is coordinating.

Experts believe that, as a rule, at the stage of the inception of an organization, a culture of power prevails in its management; the growth stage is characterized by role culture; the stage of stable development - the culture of the task or the culture of the individual; in a crisis, a culture of power is preferable.

An important element of the managerial culture of the organization is the culture of attitude towards women (both in leadership positions and ordinary performers), which determines their position, as well as towards the weaker sex in general. The following types of such culture are distinguished:

1) gentlemen's club culture. This is a culture of polite, humane, civilized people, in which male managers, based on paternalistic positions, gently keep women in certain roles, not allowing them to rise above. Women are valued in the work they do, but they are not allowed to break down barriers and take leadership positions. The attempt of women to insist on their rights leads to a deterioration in the good attitude towards them;

2) barracks culture. It is despotic and characteristic of bureaucratic organizations with many levels of management, where women occupy the lower levels. Such a culture allows them to ignore their interests and treat them rudely and contemptuously (however, as well as anyone who does not have real power);

3) locker room culture. Within its framework, men build interpersonal relationships on the basis of specific male interests, ideas, and show open disdain for women. Women, even of a high position, for example, belonging to the top management of the organization, are not allowed by men in their circle of communication;

4) a culture of denial of differences between the sexes. This culture rejects discrimination, but at the same time does not see real differences between the sexes, ignores the feminine essence, the seminal duties of women, and therefore requires the same success from them as from men;

5) culture of false protection of women. Within this culture, the idea of ​​equality, based on universal human values, is replaced by myths about equality. Here there is discrimination in the form of patronage, when women (or the weak in general) are forcibly attracted to active work, instill in them a sense of confidence, constantly reminding them that they are victims in need of help and support:

6) smart macho culture. Outwardly, this culture does not take into account gender differences, because the focus is on simply smart and energetic people who are able to ensure high economic efficiency of the company in conditions of fierce competition. Those who do not cope are punished and fired, and sometimes women are more cruel and merciless.

Key questions on the topic:

The concept and elements of organizational culture

Functions of organizational culture

Types of organizational cultures

Organization image

1. The concept and elements of organizational culture

Organizational culture is understood as a system of actively shared values, symbols, beliefs, patterns of behavior of members of the organization that have stood the test of time.

Culture gives uniformity to the joint actions of people, forms a common psychology for all.

The concept of company culture was developed in the early 1980s. in the USA under the influence of research in the field of strategic management, organization theory, individual behavior.

There are several main features of organizational cultures, according to which they differ from each other. A special combination of such features gives each culture its individuality, allows it to be identified in one way or another.

The main features of organizational culture are:

reflection in the mission of the organization of its main goals;

focus on solving instrumental (i.e., production in the broad sense) tasks of the organization or personal problems of its participants;

degree of risk acceptance;

measure of correlation between conformism and individualism;

preference for group or individual forms of decision-making;

degree of subordination to plans and regulations;

the predominance of cooperation or rivalry among participants;

loyalty or indifference of people towards the organization;

orientation to autonomy, independence or subordination;

the nature of the relationship of management to staff;

orientation to the group or individual organization of labor and stimulation;

orientation towards stability or change;

source and role of power;

means of integration;

management styles, relations between employees and the organization, ways of assessing employees.

Culture is usually developed and changed in the course of human activity. People, interacting with each other, over time form and develop norms and mutual expectations, which have a strong influence on their future behavior.

These processes can also be caused by external influence, including purposeful. From the outside, the organizational culture is influenced by the social and business environment, national-state and ethnic factors.

The culture of an organization contains both subjective and objective elements. To subjective include beliefs, values, rituals, taboos, images and myths associated with the history of the organization and the life of its founders, accepted norms of communication. objective elements reflect the material side of the life of the organization. These are, for example, symbols, colors, comfort and interior design, the appearance of buildings, equipment, furniture, etc.

Let us consider in more detail some of the subjective elements of culture.

Yes, under values refers to the properties of certain objects, processes and phenomena that are emotionally attractive to most members of the organization. This allows them to serve as models, guidelines, a measure of behavior.

Values ​​primarily include goals, the nature of internal relationships, the orientation of people's behavior, diligence, innovation, initiative, work and professional ethics, etc. According to studies conducted in Western companies, today such values ​​as discipline, obedience, power play an ever smaller role. , and more and more - collectivism, consumer orientation, creativity, the ability to compromise, to serve society.

It is believed that today it is necessary not only to rely on existing values, but also to actively form new ones. Therefore, it is important to carefully monitor everything new, useful that others have in this area, to evaluate fairly and impartially. At the same time, it is impossible to completely destroy or suppress old values, especially if people have become “addicted” to them (despite the fact that the values ​​are illogical, irrational). On the contrary, they must be treated with care, used as a basis for the formation of new values, including appropriate mechanisms, including joint creativity.

Key values, being combined into a system, form organization philosophy. She answers the question of what is most important to her. Philosophy reflects the organization's perception of itself and its mission, the main areas of activity, creates the basis for developing approaches to management (style, motivational principles, information guidelines, conflict resolution procedures), streamlines the activities of personnel on the basis of general principles, facilitates the development of administration requirements, forms general universal rules behavior.

rite - This is a standard, recurring event held at a certain time and on a special occasion. The most widespread rituals are honoring veterans, seeing off retirement, and initiation into young workers.

Ritual is a set of special events (ceremonies) that have a psychological impact on the members of the organization in order to strengthen devotion to it, obscure the true meaning of certain aspects of its activities, teach organizational values ​​and form the necessary institutions. Employees in many Japanese companies, for example, begin their work day by singing hymns.

Legends and myths reflect in the right light and in a coded form the history of the organization, inherited values, embellished portraits of its famous figures. They inform (what is the main boss, how does he react to mistakes; can a simple employee become a leader, etc.), reduce uncertainty, advise, teach, direct staff behavior in the right direction, create role models. In many Western firms, there are legends about the frugality and prudence of their founders, who managed to get rich due to these qualities, their caring, paternal attitude towards subordinates.

Custom is a form of social regulation of people's activities and their relations, adopted from the past without any changes.

As an element of culture, accepted in the organization can also be considered norms and behavior its members - their attitude towards each other, external counterparties, implementation of managerial actions, problem solving.

Finally, an element of organizational culture are slogans , that is, appeals that briefly reflect its guiding tasks, ideas. Today, the mission of the organization is often formulated in the form of a slogan.

Values, customs, ceremonies, rituals, norms of behavior of members of the organization, brought from the past to the present, are called traditions . The latter are both positive and negative. For example, as a positive tradition, one can consider a benevolent attitude towards all new employees who come to the organization, and as a negative one, the infamous hazing.

The way of thinking of the members of the organization, determined by traditions, values, level of culture, consciousness of the members of the organization, is called mentality . It has a huge impact on their daily behavior and attitude towards their work or job duties.

Experts identify two important features of culture:

1) multilevel. The surface level forms the ways of people's behavior, rituals, emblems, designs, uniforms, language, slogans, etc. The intermediate level consists of ingrained values ​​and beliefs. The deep level is represented by the philosophy of the firm;

2) versatility, multidimensionality.

The culture of an organization, firstly, consists of subcultures of individual units or social groups that exist under the “roof” of a common culture (they can concretize and develop the latter, can peacefully exist along with it, or they can contradict it). Secondly, organizational culture includes subcultures of certain areas and aspects of activity - entrepreneurship, management, business communication, internal relationships.

1. Human culture and organizational culture

The first definition of culture was given by Edward Tylor in 1871: “Culture, or civilization, in the broad ethnographic sense, is composed in its entirety of knowledge, beliefs, art, morality, laws, customs, and some other abilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society” . And the need for culture was clearly shown by Sigmund Freud a little later: "Human culture ... covers all the institutions necessary for streamlining human relationships and especially for sharing the benefits obtained."

Anthropologically, the need for culture is explained by the fact that a person’s main driving force is not social goals, but personal goals - the goals of one’s own development and superiority, which can give rise to antisocial tendencies in people, competitiveness, carried out by harming an opponent, and opportunism, therefore, the coexistence of people is possible only due to the presence in the structure of their personality "Super-I", or "Ideal I" - principles, norms, ... - culture.
But culture alone is still not enough to streamline human relationships: “It seems, rather, that any culture is forced to be built on coercion and prohibition of inclinations; it is not even known yet whether, after the abolition of coercion, the majority of human individuals will be ready to maintain the intensity of labor which is necessary to obtain an increase in the blessings of life. We must, in my opinion, reckon with the fact that all people have destructive, that is, anti-social and anti-cultural tendencies, and that in a large number of individuals they are strong enough to determine their behavior in human society.

Thus, the coexistence of people stands on two pillars: culture (internal interned norms of a person) and external norms of society. A person adheres to internal norms due to internal self-control, and external norms due to control and coercion by society. At the same time: “Our development is going in the direction that external coercion gradually goes inside, and a special mental authority, the human super-I, includes it among its commandments. … This strengthening of the super-ego is an extremely valuable psychological acquisition of culture. The personalities in whom it has taken place are made from opponents of culture into its bearers. The greater their number in a particular cultural region, the more secure this culture, the sooner it will be able to do without the means of external coercion.

What is "organizational culture" - the culture of the organization? And how does it differ from human culture?

The most important difference between a person and an organization is that the elements of a person as a system do not have their own consciousness, and the elements of an organization are just people with their own consciousness. Stafford Beer wrote: "The mental problems that arise if the organs of the body have their own consciousness would be innumerable." Accordingly, the mental problems of an organization can be innumerable. These problems are largely removed by "organizational culture". And the organization can even distinguish several types of culture:

1. An external culture aimed at the coexistence of the organization with competitors and third-party organizations, individuals.
2. An internal organizational culture that directs each member of the organization, who has individual personal goals, to achieve the goals of the organization - this type of culture is absent in a person due to the lack of his own consciousness in his organs.
3. Culture of interaction with consumers, suppliers, investors, partners, etc.
4. Culture of interaction with the state.
5. The culture associated with the impact of the organization on the social and environmental environment.

An organization, like a person, has not social goals as its main driving force, but the internal goals of development and superiority of the organization. And the first noted type of culture just serves to streamline the relationship between organizations.

As for the internal organizational culture, within an organization with a weak culture among its members, not only the noted tendencies are possible. The purpose of the organization and the purpose of the person of its member are different and even have a different nature. Organizational culture serves to harmonize the goals of the organization and the goals of its members. Without it, the activities of people are multidirectional and the effectiveness of the organization in achieving its goal is very low, and it is precisely to achieve a common goal (unattainable by people alone) that people organize themselves for joint activities. Effective achievement by people of a common goal is possible only if the activities of all members of the organization are directed towards it, only if the organization has an appropriate organizational culture.

In relation to the third type of culture - the culture of relationships with consumers, it is often said that an organization should put the goals of the consumer above its own personal goals, but this statement is not very correct. Here we dwell first on the issue of goals, since the term "goal" can have very different interpretations. According to Leontiev, human activity contains the following components: a need, a motive - an object that can satisfy a need, and a conscious goal - a vision of the result of an activity.

The organization also has a need for resources to ensure its development and excellence (profits, etc.), i.e. profit is not the goal of the organization, but its need, just like food for a person. To meet the organization's needs, it must find a motive - an object that can satisfy this need - must determine its products, and having determined the products, set conscious goals - foreseeing specific products, the release and sale of which and satisfy the needs of the organization.

In other words, there is only a known chain: need - motive - conscious goal. Only found motives, conscious goals and their achievement can satisfy both the needs of the person and the needs of the organization. Therefore, the position that the goals of the consumer take precedence over the goals of the organization arose due to issues of terminology. For an organization, its own development and superiority are always primary, but this requires specific motives, specific conscious goals that will allow them to be provided.

Corporate culture, as a resource of the organization, is invaluable. It can be an effective personnel management tool and an indispensable marketing tool. A developed culture shapes the company's image and is also an integral part of the brand building process. This is paramount in today's market realities, where in order to succeed, any business must be customer-oriented, recognizable, open, that is, have the main features of a brand.

You need to understand that corporate culture is formed in 2 ways: spontaneously and purposefully. In the first case, it arises spontaneously, based on the communication models that the employees themselves choose.

Relying on spontaneous corporate culture is dangerous. It is impossible to control and difficult to correct. Therefore, it is so important to pay due attention to the internal culture of the organization, to form it and, if necessary, correct it.

The concept of corporate culture: main elements, functions

Corporate culture is a model of behavior within the organization, formed in the course of the company's functioning and shared by all members of the team. This is a certain system of values, norms, rules, traditions and principles by which employees live. It is based on the company's philosophy, which predetermines the system of values, a common vision of development, a model of relationships and everything that includes the concept of "corporate culture".

So, the elements of corporate culture:

• vision of the company's development - the direction in which the organization is moving, its strategic goals;
• values ​​- what is most important for the company;
• traditions (history) - habits, rituals that have developed over time;
• norms of conduct - the ethical code of the organization, which spells out the rules of behavior in certain situations (for example, McDonald's created a whole manual 800 pages thick, which spells out literally every possible situation and the options approved by the management of employees in relation to each other and to the company's customers );
• corporate style - the appearance of the company's offices, interior, branding, dress code of employees;
• relationships - rules, ways of communication between departments and individual members of the team;
• faith and unity of the team in order to achieve certain goals;
• policy of dialogue with customers, partners, competitors;
• people are employees who share the corporate values ​​of the company.

The internal culture of the organization performs a number of important functions, which, as a rule, determine the effectiveness of the company.

Functions of corporate culture

1. Image. A strong internal culture helps create a positive external image of the company and, as a result, attract new customers and valuable employees.
2. Motivational. Inspires employees to achieve their goals and perform high-quality work tasks.
3. Engaging. Active participation of each individual member of the team in the life of the company.
4. Identifying. Promotes self-identification of employees, develops a sense of self-worth and belonging to the team.
5. Adaptive. Helps new team players to quickly join the team.
6. Management. Forms norms, rules for managing a team, divisions.
7. Backbone. Makes the work of departments systemic, orderly, efficient.

Another important function is marketing. Based on the goals, mission and philosophy of the company, a market positioning strategy is developed. Moreover, corporate values ​​naturally form the style of communication with customers and the target audience.

For example, the whole world talks about the corporate culture and customer service policy of Zappos. Rumors, legends, real stories flooded the Internet space. Thanks to this, the company receives even more attention from the target audience.

There are basic levels of corporate culture - these are external, internal and hidden. The external level includes how your company is seen by consumers, competitors, and the public. Internal - values ​​expressed in the actions of employees.

Hidden - fundamental beliefs consciously shared by all members of the team.

Typology of corporate cultures

In management, there are many different approaches to typology. Since the concept of "corporate culture" in the business environment began to be studied in the 20th century, today some classical models have already lost their relevance. Internet business development trends have formed new types of organizational cultures. It is about them that we will talk further.

So, types of corporate cultures in modern business.

1. "Role model". Here relationships are built on rules and distribution of responsibilities. Each employee fulfills his role as a small cog in a large mechanism. A distinctive feature is the presence of a clear hierarchy, strict job descriptions, rules, norms, dress code, formal communications.

The workflow is thought out to the smallest detail, so failures in the process are minimized. Often this model is used in large companies with different departments and a large staff.

The main values ​​are reliability, practicality, rationality, building a stable organization. Due to these features, such a company cannot quickly respond to external changes, so the role model is most effective in a stable market.

2. "Dream Team". Team model of corporate culture, in which there are no job descriptions, no specific duties, no dress codes. The hierarchy of power is horizontal - there are no subordinates, there are only equivalent players of the same team. Communication is often informal and friendly.

Work issues are resolved together - a group of interested employees gathers to perform a particular task. As a rule, the "bearer of power" is the one who has assumed responsibility for its decision. In this case, the distribution of areas of responsibility is allowed.

Values ​​- team spirit, responsibility, freedom of thought, creativity. Ideology - only by working together, you can achieve something more.

This type of culture is typical for progressive companies, startups.

3. "Family". This type of culture is characterized by the presence of a warm, friendly atmosphere within the team. The company is like a big family, and department heads act as mentors, who can always be turned to for advice. Feature - devotion to traditions, cohesion, community, customer focus.

The main value of the company is people (employees and consumers). Care for the team is manifested in comfortable working conditions, social protection, assistance in crisis situations, incentives, congratulations, etc. Therefore, the motivation factor in such a model has a direct impact on work efficiency.

A stable position in the market is provided by loyal customers and dedicated employees.

4. "Market model". This type of corporate culture is chosen by profit-oriented organizations. The team consists of ambitious, goal-oriented people who are actively fighting each other for a place under the sun (for a promotion, a profitable project, a bonus). A person is valuable to the company as long as he can "extract" money for it.

There is a clear hierarchy here, but, unlike the Role Model, the company is able to quickly adapt to external changes due to strong leaders who are not afraid to take risks.

Values ​​- reputation, leadership, profit, achievement of goals, desire to win, competitiveness.

Signs of the "Market Model" are characteristic of the so-called business sharks. This is a rather cynical culture, which in many cases exists on the verge of an oppressive management style.

5. Focus on results. Fairly flexible corporate policy, the distinguishing feature of which is the desire to develop. The main goals are to achieve results, implement the project, strengthen our position in the market.

There is a hierarchy of power, subordination. Team leaders are determined by the level of expertise, professional skills, so the hierarchy often changes. In addition, ordinary employees are not limited to job descriptions. On the contrary, they are often involved in solving strategic problems, opening up opportunities for them to develop for the benefit of the company.

Values ​​- result, professionalism, corporate spirit, striving for the goal, freedom in decision-making.

These are the main types of corporate culture. But besides them, there are mixed types, that is, those that combine features from several models at once. This happens with companies that:

• rapidly developing (from small business to large);
• were taken over by other organizations;
• changed the main type of market activity;
• experience frequent leadership changes.

Formation of corporate culture on the example of Zappos

Integrity, unity and strong corporate spirit are really important for success. This was proved by one of the world's best brands, Zappos, an online shoe store whose example of corporate policy has already been included in many textbooks of Western business schools.

The main principle of the company is to bring happiness to customers and employees. And this is logical, because a satisfied client will return again and again, and an employee will work with full dedication. This principle can also be traced in the marketing policy of the company.

So, the components of the corporate culture of Zappos:

1. Openness and accessibility. Anyone can visit the office of the company, one has only to sign up for a tour.
2. Right people - right results. Zappos believes that only those who truly share their values ​​can help the company achieve its goals and become better.
3. A happy employee is a happy customer. The brand's management does everything to make it comfortable, fun and joyful for employees to spend the day in the office. They are even allowed to arrange the workplace as they please - the company bears the costs. If the employee is happy, then he will gladly make the client happy. A satisfied customer is the success of the company. The freedom of action. It doesn't matter how you do your job, the main thing is to make sure that the client is satisfied.
4. Zappos does not control employees. They are trusted.
5. The right to make some decisions remains with the employee. For example, in the service department, the operator may, on his own initiative, give a small gift or discount to the customer. This is his decision.
6. Learning and growth. Each employee first undergoes a four-month training, after which they have an internship in a call center in order to better understand customers. Zappos helps you improve your professional skills.
7. Communication and relationships. Although Zappos employs thousands of people, it goes to great lengths to ensure that employees get to know each other and communicate effectively.
8. The client is always right. Everything that is done at Zappos is done for the sake of the client's happiness. There are already legends about a powerful call center, where they can even call a taxi or give directions.

In general, the company is considered the most customer-oriented. And the level of its corporate policy is a model to follow. The internal culture and marketing strategies of Zappos exist in close symbiosis. The company tries its best to retain existing customers, because loyal customers bring more than 75% of orders to the company.

Write in the comments, what model of corporate culture is used in your business? What values ​​unite your employees?

As a result of mastering this chapter, the student should:

know

• o the essence of organizational culture;
• o the content of the functions of organizational culture;

be able to

• o identify and analyze the elements that make up the culture of the organization;
• o identify the characteristics of the culture of various organizations;
• o distinguish between managed and unmanaged elements of the culture of the socio-economic system;

own

o culture building skills in various organizations.

Organization culture: modern approaches

The classical theory of management under the term "organization" understands primarily a business organization. In relation to the sphere of business, organizational culture has received the second, very common name "corporate culture". Both organizational and corporate culture are largely formed from the ideas of the team about the algorithms of actions in certain cases, including in the process of implementing goals of different levels. That is why within the framework of this textbook no distinction is made between the terms "organizational culture", "organizational culture", "corporate culture".

Organization culture- this is a social, moral, ethical and material environment that is formed within the organization, transformed into a corporate way of thinking and corporate norms of behavior of the members of the organization and which, thus, becomes a system-forming factor in the consolidation and development of the organization.

The culture of the organization is manifested in the values, norms, habits, traditions, rituals, and style of behavior shared by the members of the organization. It also manifests itself in some material elements, such as corporate design (logo, emblems, trademark, style of business documentation, clothing, badges, souvenirs, calendars, etc.), architectural design (appearance of the premises, landscaping, cleanliness, organization of approaches and entrances), organization of the working environment (interior, design of workplaces, equipment with modern furniture, equipment and means of work, including electronic, information, communication).

Numerous definitions of organizational culture that are found in the literature can be divided into two approaches. The first characterizes organizational culture as a metaphor, in which case culture is an expression of human consciousness, and the organization itself appears in ideal symbolic images. Followers of the second approach argue that organizational culture is a real-life objective-subjective phenomenon (then a set of specific characteristics of the organization, management techniques, procedures and rules is considered). Among the supporters of the second approach, there are those who believe that organizational culture is what the organization is, i.e. the way of its existence reflected in the mission.

On fig. 16.1 shows both approaches. Both of them have a right to exist, especially since most authors agree on the main thing: the culture of an organization is a complex composition of important, often unformatable assumptions accepted by members of the team without evidence.

The metaphor "organization as a cultural phenomenon" leads to a new understanding of the essence of modern organization. She points to non-traditional, but very effective ways of organizational activity, when corporate ideology, a system of organizational values, norms of behavior, communication and other models of social life come to the aid of the leader. The meaning of the metaphor is that the creation of new forms of organization, the use of new technologies in management actually means a mandatory change in corporate culture, i.e. restructuring of the whole complex of relations shared by members of the organization, standards of behavior, symbols, ways of doing business, emphasizing the individuality of the company.

Rice. 16.1.

In fact, we are talking about changing the spiritual atmosphere of the organization in a new situation. And the formation of a new corporate culture is not just a diversification of activities, a change of slogans or leaders. This is a fundamentally new way of life for the company. That is why it is so important for any organization to be able to diagnose its own culture, constantly answering the questions: what kind of people the organization attracts, how they behave, how they communicate with each other, what values ​​they are guided by, what rules serve as the basis of their professional relations, where are the boundaries of professional risk, etc. .d. Such a "cultural inventory" will give an exhaustive idea of ​​the state of the organization: what it is capable of, what it is contraindicated for, what qualities it needs to acquire, what it cannot do without, and so on.

Gareth Morgan, professor of management from Toronto, believes that corporate culture has the properties of a hologram - each small part of it contains all the information about the whole. Indeed, the experience of the best companies in the world shows that innovative organizations are arranged according to the principle of a hologram. Their activities are based on key concepts shared and accepted by all employees without exception. As a rule, these concepts are enshrined in the slogans or mottos of companies. Generally accepted norms and values ​​create a common vector that allows businesses to move in the right direction, adapt to constantly changing conditions, and increase competitive advantages. If we draw a parallel with Russian management practice, then it is precisely "holographic organizations" in the modern era that remain those consolidated structures that, in spite of everything, help the domestic economy develop.

On fig. 16.2 presents the elements that form the culture of the organization.

Since the main feature of organizational culture is its variability It is not enough, having formed a culture, to leave it to itself in the hope of an autonomous existence of this system. As practice shows, the need to reform the corporate culture arises with a quantitative change in personnel, mergers and acquisitions, merging assets within a single holding, changing managers and business processes, business diversification, etc.

Rice. 16.2.

Which company is better: Western or domestic?

So far, unfortunately, the virtues of the corporate culture of foreign firms look more convincing. This is not only a set of formal rules for external and internal communications, but above all, the transparency of the structure and adherence to laws. For example, in a Western company, the possibility of violation of the Labor Code or contractual terms by the management is excluded.

Another important factor is cultivating pride in the company. Participation in a global brand imposes appropriate moral obligations on each employee and requires quality work. As a result, the staff becomes responsible for their actions, not only within the organization, but also outside it.

Equally important are the ethics of relationships and the style of communication between employees. It is difficult to imagine disrespectful or rude attacks by management towards subordinates in a Western company.

In international companies, it is customary to take care of employees, creating maximum comfort in the office and in the workplace.

This is done not just for humanitarian reasons, but rather for purely pragmatic ones. It is believed that modern workplace equipment, including even small things in the form of tea, coffee, water, dishes, etc., affect the increase in efficiency; social security (for example, health insurance or corporate pension programs) - even more so.

Respect for personnel is also manifested in the creation of an internal information environment, when any employee has information about financial results, promotions, and other corporate news. The development and training of personnel is practiced at the expense of the company.

Alexey Marey, Vice President, Director of Retail Sales and Client Relations, AlfaBank:

I never wondered why I was moving from a Western company to a Russian one. In principle, I was interested in banking retail and, in particular, the AlfaBank Express project, which I came to manage. Undoubtedly, I was confused by the corporate culture of the new company, but, on the other hand, I am sure that even one person can bring his culture, his values ​​and spread them to the people with whom he works. In addition, working in companies with different cultures gives you a lot of experience. Each culture has its strengths, the main thing is to see it and take the most valuable for yourself, because any experience enriches a person.