Modern globalization has affected organizational culture greatly. Nowadays, people from different countries have an opportunity to work abroad. Of course, some specific difficulties may appear. It is essential to consider the organizational structure and culture before applying to the company position as there are several factors which may affect human behavior. Speaking about organizational culture it may be defined as follows.
Organizational culture is “the set of shared, taken-for-granted implicit assumptions that a group holds and that determines how it perceives, thinks about, and reacts to its various environments” (Kinicki, & Kreitner, 2006). Employees’ behavior depends on the organizational culture. Working as a manager in Walmart, I noticed the importance of the issue.
Observable Artifacts
Each organizational culture consists of the following layers, observable artifacts, espoused values, and enacted values. Observable artifacts are the visible aspects of the corporate culture which may be considered by everyone who wants to get to know more about the company (Kinicki, & Kreitner, 2006). As for Walmart, people are able to check the corporate vales of the company at its website which states that Walmart cares for the services offered to the customers, respects each individual, and strives for excellence.
Moreover, observable artifacts of the organizational culture are the stories of success of separate people and of the particular stores. Decorations, dress and even advertising are the observable artifacts of the company. Looking at the staff it is possible to understand that the company image is rather high, and the observable artifacts are on the level.
Espoused Values
Espoused values are the values which “are expressed on behalf of the organization or attributed to an organization by its senior managers in public statements” (Khandelwal, & Mohendra, 2010) but they are distinct from the really practiced ones. One of the main purposes of such values is to create a specific image of the company, still, without the intention to realize the mentioned facilities in practice. There are may be a lot of reasons why companies refer to such strategies.
Speaking about Walmart, I managed to notice the following espoused values which were not realized but which were substituted with the specific practices. Thus, declaring about the company customer obsession Walmart practiced communication skills as the substitution. The place of innovation and creativity was substituted with mere innovation which is a common practice in all organization. Declaring the desire to openness and learning, the top managers of the store stressed on hardworking.
Enacted Values
Enacted values, contrary to espoused vales, are the norms which are practiced in the corporation in reality. Thus, it does not matter how the company wants to look like and which norms it proclaims, the enacted values are specifically the issues the company peruses (Phillips, & Gully, 2011).
Speaking about Walmart, the staff is to follow particular rules and norms of behavior, for example, the discipline is followed there greatly. The company has specific corporate traditions, such as celebration of the employee’s birthdays and particular attention to the customers who have chosen the store.
Therefore, it should be concluded that each company has three layers of values which may be expressed in various forms and with peculiar power. Thus, some companies may have more enacted values (such as Walmart) and others may refer more to the espoused ones.
Reference List
Khandelwal, K. A. & Mohendra, N. (2010). Espoused organizational values, vision, and corporate social responsibility: Does it Matter to organizational members? Vikalpa, 35(3), 19-37.
Kinicki, A. & Kreitner, R. (2006). Organizational Behavior: Key Concepts, Skills & Best Practices, 4/e. New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
Phillips, J. M. & Gully, S. M. (2011). Organizational Behavior: Tools for Success. Stamford: Cengage Learning.