Organizational culture is the criterion through which particular managers of an organization normally dispense their authority. It entails how a leader in an organization influences the subordinate staff in executing his/her duties. The organizational criterion adopted by a leader also influences other leaders in the organization.
Leaders in an organization rely on each other for coordination and synchronization of activities for effective operation. Together, they develop a norm for handling matters and responsibilities in the organization.
The interaction of employees and leaders in an organization cultivates the organizational culture (Pfister, 2009). An organizational culture is said to be developed when certain recurrent traits of running affairs are evident in the organization.
The management is the key decision making authority in an organization. Organizational culture significantly influences the decision making process of an organization. The choice of the criteria for decision making is influenced by the methods used to make past decisions.
If the subordinate staff’s opinion was always being taken into account during the past decision making processes, it was highly likely that any future leader in the organization would adopt the same approach as used by his/her predecessors to make a decision. The majorities of leaders learn managerial skills from other experienced leaders and develop or modify them to suit their situation (Driskill & Brenton, 2011).
Therefore, the interaction of leaders in an organization will nurture a constructive culture of management. Moreover, involving leaders of junior, senior or equal ranks in decisions making may promote a culture of productive and efficient management.
The development of an organizational culture largely depends on the communication between members of an organization, leadership, and clients or customers (pfister, 2009). When a decision is made, its outcome will always be influenced by several individuals in the organization and not only the leader of the department for which the decision has been made.
Furthermore, although a decision may not be the most appropriate, it may be favored because it conforms to the usual conduct of leaders and staff members in the organization. A new criterion of decision making may be unfavorable due to the established and rigid organizational culture.
Therefore, a careful evaluation of all factors including the opinion of other stakeholders and the organizational culture will be essential in making an impartial decision. Furthermore, the opinion of people who do not value the traditions of the organization should be considered in order to make a decision in which all the parties have been involved.
Considering a scenario whereby I am in a position to offer a solution to an institution regarding academic affairs, the first action I would take would be to organize a meeting with all the individuals involved. If the problem is established to emanate from the institution’s administration, the representative of the administration should be allowed to present the institution’s stand regarding the issue of discussion.
However, if the issue concerns other parties, then these parties must be informed and their representative involved in the decision making process. The decision made should not be imposed on the affected parties. They should be given a chance to react to the decision.
This can be realized by establishing effective communication between the decision making and the affected parties. Once communication is initiated in a liberal organization, a response should be expected, appreciated, and taken into account regarding further actions on the issue of concern.
References
Driskill, G. W., & Brenton, A. L. (2011). Organizational Culture in Action: A Cultural Analysis Workbook. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: SAGE.
Pfister, J. A. (2009). Managing Organizational Culture for Effective Internal Control From Practice To Theory. Heidelberg: Physica.