Organizational culture is influenced and depended upon personal characteristics of a leader and cultural environment of a group. In order to improve culture and help international students to adapt to the new environment, the University should select a strong leader who is able to coordinate and direct activities and relations between students. Taking into account Edgar Schein’s statement, it is possible to say that student with different cultures may have different preferences for values, morals and culture, but one of the major factors in the creation and development of culture is the influence of a leader on a group and supportive activities.
One of the functions of organizational culture is to help the organization function smoothly by providing the bond that keeps people together. However, strategy can also become one of the factors that influence the evolution of culture. Given that leadership becomes particularly important, it is crucial to understand the role and influence of leaders in the acculturation process and healthy organizational culture. The strength of the bond varies from one organization to the next and even within subgroups inside a single organization. However, regardless of the strength, culture provides the identity and collective commitment that are central to encouraging stability in an organization (Erickson 45).
A healthy culture is essential for the health of the organization. It can be achieved through string personal image and effective communication. Another strategy which helps to maintain a healthy culture is giving identity and creating commitment. Culture makes every organization unique. Culture allows one group to set itself apart from others. Therefore, one of the essential aspects of culture is to provide a clear and unique identity to members of an organization. By demonstrating and communicating its culture, the University can attract and retain students from different backgrounds. The unique identity can also become a source of competitive differentiation in the development of strategy.
The presence of an identity leads to higher students’ commitment. Belonging to the University with a strong identity provides students with a sense of family and belonging, which are essential factors in employee morale and satisfaction. Much has been written about the positive aspects of such an identity. The structure of the University limits or encourages interaction and, by doing so, affects, as well as is affected by, the assumptions shared by members of the organization (Erickson 45).
Similarly, the strategy selected by the leader/educator or the top management team will be determined by, as well as help shape, the culture of the organization. A proactive differentiation strategy that requires innovation and risk taking will engender a very different culture than a strategy of retrenchment. Similarly, it may be very difficult for an inflexible leader to implement a highly innovative strategy that requires quick adaptation to the external environment and a healthy organizational culture. “Core values and core purposes in enduring great organizations remain stable, while their operating values, practices, strategies, tactics, processes, structures, and methods, change continually” (Tannenbaum 19).
The University should leave an almost indelible mark on the assumptions passed down from one generation to the next. As a matter of fact, the University often comes to mirror its leader’s personality. If the leader/educator is control oriented and autocratic, the organization will be centralized and managed in a top-down fashion. If the leader is participative and team oriented, the University will be decentralized and open (Sorensen 76). Stories are told about them, and myths are created about their courage, creativity, and physical prowess. Such stories help perpetuate educators influence on their groups and therefore safeguard the culture.
The role of the University is to establish and grant many of the status symbols that are the main artifacts of culture. They grant special awards within the organization that again set up role models for other students. These role models are more often than not individuals who are excellent representatives of the culture of the organization (Erickson 45). The role of educators is to teach students to appreciate the contributions of different cultures in part because such an approach might lead to a greater appreciation of American culture. The dilemma is the popular print media and television try to present multiculturalism in colored pictures.
The message here is that people with different skin colors represent different cultures. Thus, modern education is not merely learning about other cultures, but about creating cultural unity. Ultimately, such education undermines America’s national identity.
By setting themselves up as role models, teachers and educators send the signal to their groups that unity and cross cultural relations are important and beneficial for all students. The University should employ diverse teaching staff and introduce culturally sensitive programs and curriculum. The responsibility of the University is to establish core values and high morale among students. The power of university authorities is to make decisions for the organization regarding morale and strategy is another significant means of shaping healthy culture. A highly organic structure is likely to be the result of an open and participative culture, whereas a highly centralized structure will go hand in hand with a bureaucratic culture.
Works Cited
- Erickson, J.A. 2000. Corporate Culture: The Key to Safety Performance. Occupational Hazards, Vol. 62 (4), p. 45.
- Sorensen, J.B., The Strength of Corporate Culture and the Reliability of Firm Performance. Administrative Science Quarterly, Vol. 47 (1) 2002, p. 70.
- Tannenbaum, M.A. (2003). Organizational Values and Leadership. The Public Manager, 32 (2), 19.