Page 381 - Cultures and Organizations

346 CULTURES IN ORGANIZATIONS

In a review of twenty years of organizational culture literature, Swed-
ish sociologist Mats Alvesson distinguishes eight metaphors used by dif-
ferent authors:

■ Control mechanism for an informal contract
■ Compass, giving direction for priorities
■ Social glue for identification with the organization

■ Sacred cow to which people are committed
■ Affect-regulator for emotions and their expression
■ Mixed bag of conflict, ambiguity, and fragmentation

■ Taken-for-granted ideas leading to blind spots
■ Closed system of ideas and meanings, preventing people from criti-
cally exploring new possibilities 9

Probably the most basic distinction among writers on organizational
cultures exists between those who see culture as something an organiza-
tion has and those who see it as something an organization is. The former
leads to an analytic approach and a concern with change. It predominates
among managers and management consultants. The latter supports a syn-
thetic approach and a concern with understanding and is found almost
exclusively among academics. 10

Differences Between Organizational and

National Cultures: The IRIC Project

Using the word culture for both nations and organizations suggests that
the two kinds of culture are identical phenomena. This is incorrect: a
nation is not an organization, and the two types of culture are of a differ-
ent nature.
The difference between national and organizational cultures is based
on their different mix of values and practices, as illustrated in Figure 10.1,
which is based on Figure 1.3. National cultures are part of the mental soft-
ware we acquired during the first ten years of our lives, in the family, in the

living environment, and in school, and they contain most of our basic val-
ues. Organizational cultures are acquired when we enter a work organization

as young or not-so-young adults, with our values firmly in place, and they
consist mainly of the organization’s practices—they are more superfi cial. 11
In Figure 10.1 we also located several other levels of culture: a gen-
der level, even more basic than nationality; a social class level, with some