The organisational culture as a complex and multilayer concept and embraces regarding to Cameron and Quinn “…the taken-for-granted values, underlying assumptions, expectations, collective memories and definitions present in an organisation” (2006, p. 16). Regarding to Lasher (1999) the term of organisational culture describes the general operating mode and the character of an organisation. Further the organisational culture is often distinguished between the external visible and the hidden section (Lewis, 1998). The culture of an organisation becomes visibly manifested in its lived politics, processes, symbols and behaviours. While the emotions, beliefs and values of organisational members as well as the fundamental basic assumptions respectively the ‘Paradigm’ in the inner core of an organisation cause the hidden part of an organisational culture (Lewis, 1998). The employees take an outstanding position. They mark and affect the organisational culture and develop it to an organisation with a unique character. In this respect HRM is of substantial importance for the perceived culture.
In their ‘Cultural Web’ concept Johnson, Scholes and Whittington (2005) focused on the extrinsic observable elements of an organisational culture and factored out the abstract and hidden cultural part of emotions, beliefs and values. The ‘Cultural Web’ represents the organisational assumptions - which are taken for granted and become manifest in the everyday behaviour of the organisational members – in six dimensions of cultural artefacts. Each dimension describes a certain aspect of the operating mode and behaviour in an organisation. The subsequent figure shows the ‘Cultural Web’ respectively the six manifest dimensions of the organisational ‘Paradigm’ of the Dicom Group plc. The artefacts can be attributed fundamentally to the technical, political or cultural subsystems of an organisation (Balogun and Hope Hailey, 2004)...
Table of Contents
1. Drawing on the information given in this case, construct a cultural web for Dicom Group
2. Assess the extent to which Dicom Group’s culture is aligned to its vision and mission
3. To what extent do you consider that Dicom Group’s culture exhibits characteristics identified by Hofstede and by Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner for Switzerland?
Objectives and Topics
This report analyzes the organizational culture of Dicom Group plc by applying the "Cultural Web" framework and evaluating its alignment with the company’s corporate vision and mission. Furthermore, it examines the compatibility of Dicom Group's corporate culture with Swiss national cultural dimensions as defined by Hofstede and Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner.
- Application of the "Cultural Web" to visualize organizational culture.
- Evaluation of the consistency between corporate culture and strategic mission/vision.
- Comparative analysis of corporate practices against national cultural frameworks.
- Assessment of organizational alignment and identification of strategic gaps.
Excerpt from the Book
1. Drawing on the information given in this case, construct a cultural web for Dicom Group
The organisational culture as a complex and multilayer concept and embraces regarding to Cameron and Quinn “…the taken-for-granted values, underlying assumptions, expectations, collective memories and definitions present in an organisation” (2006, p. 16). Regarding to Lasher (1999) the term of organisational culture describes the general operating mode and the character of an organisation. Further the organisational culture is often distinguished between the external visible and the hidden section (Lewis, 1998). The culture of an organisation becomes visibly manifested in its lived politics, processes, symbols and behaviours. While the emotions, beliefs and values of organisational members as well as the fundamental basic assumptions respectively the ‘Paradigm’ in the inner core of an organisation cause the hidden part of an organisational culture (Lewis, 1998). The employees take an outstanding position. They mark and affect the organisational culture and develop it to an organisation with a unique character. In this respect HRM is of substantial importance for the perceived culture.
In their ‘Cultural Web’ concept Johnson, Scholes and Whittington (2005) focused on the extrinsic observable elements of an organisational culture and factored out the abstract and hidden cultural part of emotions, beliefs and values. The ‘Cultural Web’ represents the organisational assumptions - which are taken for granted and become manifest in the everyday behaviour of the organisational members – in six dimensions of cultural artefacts. Each dimension describes a certain aspect of the operating mode and behaviour in an organisation. The subsequent figure shows the ‘Cultural Web’ respectively the six manifest dimensions of the organisational ‘Paradigm’ of the Dicom Group plc. The artefacts can be attributed fundamentally to the technical, political or cultural subsystems of an organisation (Balogun and Hope Hailey, 2004).
Summary of Chapters
1. Drawing on the information given in this case, construct a cultural web for Dicom Group: This chapter defines organizational culture and introduces the "Cultural Web" framework, illustrating the six manifest dimensions of the Dicom Group’s paradigm.
2. Assess the extent to which Dicom Group’s culture is aligned to its vision and mission: This section investigates how well the observed culture supports the stated strategic goals, identifying potential gaps that require management attention.
3. To what extent do you consider that Dicom Group’s culture exhibits characteristics identified by Hofstede and by Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner for Switzerland?: This chapter compares the company's internal practices against established national cultural models to determine the influence of the Swiss environment on the organization.
Keywords
Organizational Culture, Cultural Web, Dicom Group, Human Resource Management, Corporate Vision, Corporate Mission, Hofstede, Trompenaars, National Culture, Power Distance, Individualism, Masculinity, Strategic Alignment, Business Automation, Performance Management
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this report?
The report focuses on analyzing the organizational culture of Dicom Group plc, its strategic alignment with corporate vision, and its relationship to Swiss national cultural characteristics.
What are the primary themes discussed?
The primary themes include organizational behavior, cultural artifacts, the "Cultural Web" model, the role of HRM in shaping culture, and cross-cultural management theories.
What is the main research objective?
The objective is to map Dicom Group’s culture, assess its alignment with its "World Leader" mission, and contrast the firm’s practices with findings from Hofstede and Trompenaars regarding Swiss culture.
Which methodology is utilized?
The report uses the "Cultural Web" framework (Johnson, Scholes, and Whittington) for qualitative analysis and compares findings against Hofstede’s five dimensions and Trompenaars’ seven dimensions of national culture.
What topics are covered in the main section?
The main section covers the conceptualization of culture, the construction of the Cultural Web for Dicom, the investigation of strategic coherence, and an empirical comparison with academic cultural research.
Which keywords characterize this analysis?
Key terms include Corporate Culture, Cultural Web, Strategic Alignment, HRM, Organizational Paradigm, and Cross-Cultural Comparison.
How does the "Dicom Academy" reflect the company's culture?
The academy serves as a central ritual and routine that reinforces the company's commitment to employee development and high-standard performance, aligning with its "World Leader" vision.
Why is there a potential conflict between "Dicom Family" and "Individualism"?
While the company promotes a "family" atmosphere (Collectivism), it simultaneously emphasizes individual responsibility and performance-based rewards, creating a unique hybrid culture that bridges these concepts.
What gap does the author identify in Dicom Group's alignment?
The author notes that while the firm is strong in specialized technical areas, the comprehensive, integrated solution aspect of its mission is not fully manifested in its internal cultural artifacts.
- Quote paper
- Julia Dohrmann (Author), 2008, Corporate culture and group values at Dicom Group plc, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/115244
