Setbacks of Organization Culture

What is Organization ?

A common platform where individuals from different backgrounds, mentalities, educational qualifications, interests and attitudes come together to work towards a goal as well as earn bread and butter for themselves is called an organization. Every organization has a unique style of working often called its culture.

Culture - The ideologies, beliefs and policies of an organization form its culture.

It is essential for the employees to adjust well in the culture of the organization for them to deliver their level best. However it has been observed that in certain cases the employees might find themselves in trouble whenever there is a change in the work culture. The work culture instead of giving the employees a sense of direction might become a burden for them. The first and the foremost problem which arises out of a set work culture is adjustment.

Setbacks of an organization culture

• The culture of an organization is not formed in a single day. A culture is the cumulative outcome of the interaction amongst the employees and their behavioural patterns at the workplace. A culture is formed when individuals follow certain values and adhere to guidelines over a considerable period of time. Problems arise when new employees step into the shoes of the existing ones and take charge. They bring new ideas, new plan of actions and new concepts along with them and thus cause problems for the existing employees. They tend to hire their own people and eventually side-line the current employees.

• Adjustment problems arise when new joinees find it difficult to adjust to the prevailing work culture. They find it difficult to concentrate and tend to lose interest in work. For them the work becomes a burden and they simply attend office to earn money. They never get attached to their workplace.

• Culture in certain cases can also become a liability to an organization. Strict policies and harsh rules can sometimes create problems for the employees and they find it difficult to stick to the organization for a long time. Retaining the employee becomes a nightmare in cases of weak cultures. The policies must be employee friendly and benefit one and all. An organization where male employees dominate the female counterparts follow a culture where late sitting is a regular feature. Male individuals might find this kind of culture extremely comfortable but a female employee would not be able to adjust well in such a culture. The youngsters would have a problem in organizations where the older generation decides the policies and forms the culture.

• An individual working in any particular culture for quite some time would develop certain habits and mindset. It is not easy to get rid of a habit all of sudden. Difficulties arise whenever employees wish to move on for better opportunities. The new organization might not promise them the same facilities and comforts which their previous organization offered. The incentive plan in this organization might not be as lucrative as it was in the previous organization.

  Example: Janet worked with an organization where the employees had the liberty to reach office as per their convenience. Her current organization followed a strict culture where the management was particular about the work timings, hence causing problems for Janet as she was used to flexible timings.

• An employee finds it difficult to implement new ideas and concepts in a culture which has been practised for several years. For him the culture becomes a limitation, where he has to work as per the set guidelines and predefined policies.

• One should always remember that no culture is more important than employees. They are the true assets of an organization. The work culture should never bind the employees to do something innovative.