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7 The Role of Organizational Culture

As the soil, however rich it may be, cannot be productive without cultivation, so the mind
without culture can never produce good fruit.
— Seneca (Roman Senator, c. 60 BC – c. AD 37)

This chapter examines the role played by organizational culture in more detail. Dif-
ferent types of organizational cultures are described with a view to better understand-
ing the key dimensions of the different microcultures that thrive in organizations.
Cultural enablers and obstacles to knowledge sharing are presented together with a
discussion on how to institute desired organizational changes to better accommodate
knowledge management. Finally, the long-term nature of organizational culture
dimensions is addressed by presenting major organizational and KM maturity models.

Learning Objectives

1. Defi ne what organizational culture is.
2. Understand the relation between organizational culture and the business context.
How does culture contribute to organizational innovation and success?
3. Appreciate the contribution of organizational culture to the management of change;
understand the analytic elements of organization culture, such as different types of
cultures and organizational maturity models.
4. Describe how organizational culture intersects with KM.
5. Discuss the key organizational culture enablers and the key obstacles to effective
knowledge sharing and KM.
6. List the major phases involved in initiating organizational change and review how
the organizational culture would have to evolve so that KM goals can be attained.
7. Discuss to what extent organizational culture can be managed.