In today’s world work culture plays an important aspect in whatever part of the world one is living. It has direct links with humans. It is important to develop a work culture that is unique for each organisation and that bests suit them.
Work culture has a strong bearing on the character and persona of an organization.
As per Giddens, 2003, “culture is an integral part of human socialization processes as it reflects the values, visions, norms, languages, systems, symbols, beliefs and habits of that particular society.”
In general, culture exists wherever there are human associations and interactions and is inclusive of organizations and workplaces.
It has been revealed that the culture found in organizations is referred to as organizational culture.
The aspect of organisational culture that deals with work
processes, relations, systems and functions are referred to as work culture and
is seen as the most important part of organisational culture.
What is work culture?
Work culture is the belief, thought processes and attitudes of the employees towards and during work processes.
Work culture has recently emerged as one of the key areas of research in organizational behaviour. The type of work culture that exists within the industry influences the employee. Organizational work culture has potential influence on production, satisfaction, absenteeism, motivation, turnover and overall prosperity of the business. The impact of work culture on productivity, profits and organizational effectiveness has, in recent years, drawning the attention of top management.
According to Nelson and Quick 2008 “Work culture is seen as that organisational component that decides and determines the way employees interact with each other and how an organization functions.”
According to some scholars, work culture is the social interlocking mechanism upon which the enterprise can function effectively. Through this, organizations will be in a position to establish better psychological contact with the employees. This, in turn, could lead organizations to a higher level of performance.
Work culture can be:
- Strong or weak
- Positive or negative
- Salient or latent
Above all, a positive culture is on the other hand seen as the ideal/healthy work culture which promotes productivity, growth and employee satisfaction through the creation of a conducive working environment for all employees while a negative work culture is retrogressive to organisational performance and employee relations.
It is important to know the basic features of positive and negative work culture. The following are noted as the most salient ones by Armstrong (2010).
Positive work culture
- Employee empowerment and effective communication - allow for more autonomy in work processes.
- Open, honest and flowing communication - a more coordinated communication.
- Long-term, quality, service and excellence – the further focus of the organisation’s future.
- Individual responsibility - there are no blame games and no figure pointing.
- Embracing new ideas - allows for innovation and creativity.
- Flexible, fluid and rapidly responsive - quicker responsiveness and embrace change.
Negative work culture
- Highly formalised- this occurs when every aspect of work is highly defined and prescribed.
- High employee turn-over- this is when there is a greater employee loss in a given time due to dissatisfaction.
- Resistance to change-employees and the organisation are resistant to change
- Strict rules and rigid policies- there is a strict rationalisation of work which results in formalism
Industrialization today is experiencing a profound pressure to reform and improve the organizational culture where employees will be treated as human capital. To bring up a congenial atmosphere in the industries, it is essential to understand the effects of work culture on the work motivation environment. Therefore, effective management of human resources is a prerequisite for any industry.
Improving work culture
- There must be a constant process of how to improve the work culture to bring out quality and excellence. Here are the suggestions to improve work culture:
- work authority is given with responsibilities and the remuneration is right and consistent.
- clear, efficient and effective communication channels must be established in consonance with employees and structures.
- Openness, honesty and trust and confidence, as well as accountability, must be created to ensure greater satisfaction among employees. Job security must be emphasized.
- Individual responsibility must be enhanced in order to avoid blame games and no figure pointing.
- Encouraging new ideas, creativity and innovation in the organisation through deliberate policies and plans.
Other ways to improve work culture include the following:
- Ensure more involvement of employees in decisions
- Creating a more open and honest work policy, openness and trust as job insecurity results in a bad work culture
- Rationalise communication but ensure it is more flexible
- Give greater employee autonomy to reduce frustrations and increase work satisfaction
- Clarifying tasks, responsibilities, and boundaries
Perceptibly, work culture plays a pivotal role in industrial harmony and development.
|
Unhealthy work culture |
healthy work culture |
|
breeds conflict effects on morale of the workmen |
motivates, improves morale and satisfaction of the
employees |
|
results in loss of production |
attracts the best talent and touches the new heights of development. |
Dynamics of work culture
Work culture refers to work-life and work systems. It includes work habits, work standards, the behaviour of the individual towards each other and their attitude towards the organization’s public image.
We can say that the effectiveness and extent of attainment depend upon the work culture of the organization. Productivity and efficiency are the outcomes of the work culture. Customers’ high expectations, escalating environmental pressures and ever-increasing competitive atmosphere are a few of many challenges that business organizations are facing today. In such intimidating contexts, work culture, in any organization, assumes great importance as a pivot for attaining competitive advantage.
Dynamics of Work Culture
[Leads to Productivity and Prosperity]
|
ORGANIZATION |
|
Job and its Contents |
|
The
Trust of and support from superiors |
|
Group
atmosphere and climate of teamwork |
|
|
|
Leadership
and deeds and actions of superiors |
|
Goal
settings and performance evaluation |
|
Response
to Challenges and Rewards. |
|
INDIVIDUAL |
|
Skills |
|
Education and Training |
|
Personal Traits |
|
Acquired Social Values |
|
Believes |
|
Approaches |
|
Behaviors |
|
WORK CULTURE |
|
Discipline |
|
Teamwork and Cooperation |
|
Communication
and consultation |
|
|
|
Flexibility
and work innovation |
|
Delegation
of Authority |
|
Response
to challenges of responsibility |
|
Role
of Unions and associations |
Footsteps to develop a conducive climate
It is imperative that there should be a healthy
manager-employee relationship. Growth
Dimensions International notes that to build a highly engaged workforce, a
manager must do five things:
 ConclusionEvery organization has its own personality, values, and ways of doing things. We should understand that positive work culture is geared towards progressive improvement for the individual staff and the organization while a negative work culture fosters disintegration, loss of cooperation and collaboration among staff. Work culture is key to organisational performance and effectiveness and the need to create a positive work culture is imperative to organisational success. Policy reform therefore must be embarked which ensures a safer and more secure work environment which is tailored toward greater employee satisfaction. The organization has to depend upon its work culture to attain its objectives. In other words, we can say that the effectiveness and extent of attainment depend upon the work culture of the organization. Hence, productivity, efficiency and prosperity are the outcomes of the work culture. Work culture can have potential effects on employee motivation and behaviour, so it has a long been effect on outcomes such as productivity, performance, commitment, self-confidence and ethical behaviour. The success of any company depends in part on the match between individuals and the culture of the organization. Thus, if we have to move forward with time, say any organization or nation, the concept of Work culture and Human Resource Development should acquire a significant presence in the world.
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