Culture
Organisational culture is the pattern of basic assumptions that a given group has invented, discovered, or developed in learning to cope with its problems of external adaptation and internal integration, and that have worked well enough to be considered valid, and, therefore, to be taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think, and feel in relation to those problems.
Culture arises from a complex, highly non-linear dynamic. It is created by a social network involving multiple feedback loops through which values, beliefs and rules of conduct are continually communicated, modified and sustained. This system of shared values and beliefs create an identity, based on a sense of belonging. People’s behaviour is informed and restricted by their cultural identity, which in turn reinforces a sense of belonging.
In this paradigm, culture determines what a group monitors in the external environment and how it responds to this environment. In this vein, Culture is a strategic phenomenon: strategy is a cultural phenomenon. The two are inextricably linked and interdependent.
Schein’s (1985) model views culture as having distinct, interacting levels and represents one of the dominant cultural metaphors. The Onion has a number of skins from the visible surface outer layer of artefacts and products to deeper layers of norms, values, attitudes and hidden assumptions.
Another ‘classic’ metaphor has been used to explain culture: the iceberg, with an (overt) visible top that represents the facts: the technology, the price, the written contract of a negotiation, and a (covert) invisible bottom of emotions: the human relation, the unspoken and unconscious rules of behaviour.
The overt culture refers to the rational, formal influences and indicators - observable symbols, ceremonies, stories, slogans, behaviours and physical settings. The covert deals with all those soft, irrational areas - relationships, feelings, assumptions, beliefs and underlying values.
Both of the dominant metaphors within organisational culture point towards the same things. The unconscious, covert, taken-for-granted assumptions at the heart of the organisation’s culture are the “timeless guiding principles for behaviour, decisions and actions” (Thornbury, 2000, p23).
You cannot create a new culture. You can’t even change a culture; you can only set the stage for the culture to evolve.
So, what does this mean for our organisation?
It means we accept that organisational culture is a vital determinant of success. It means we recognise the varied and constantly evolving nature of culture. It also means we understand that prescriptive, top-down, approaches to setting the culture are likely to be superficial at best and unsuccessful the rest of the time.
How have we set the stage for our culture to evolve?
Well, as shown above, there are certain things we can consciously influence - through transparency and openness we can encourage a similar culture within the organisation.
Values show culture at its most superficial level. They will be written down in the Mission Statement. Goals, structure, standards and procedures, services and management style are all overt indicators of preferred culture and will provide direction, especially in the early stages.
Beliefs will be more specific and will be communicated openly throughout the organisation. Beliefs will become visible through communication and through the way that staff and users are treated.
Taken-for-granted assumptions are the real core of an organisation’s culture, they are the aspects of organisational life that are difficult to identify. It is these underlying assumptions that determine ‘the way we do things around here’. These will obviously be the most difficult things to proactively control since they are 'soft' and depend on more than rational, detached, analysis.
Understanding that values, attitudes and beliefs, leadership style and behaviour, power-politics and conflict resolution, informal groupings and feelings, perceptions and assumptions all impact on the mental models that people build, which in turn provide the basis for their behaviour, should help the culture to evolve in ways that match with - and reinforce - company values.
The organisation has sought to be as open as possible from the beginning.
Initial ideas were openly discussed and presented to the Town Council (as representatives of the residents of the town). These ideas were then refined by Tom Barker, before presenting them to the community in an open "Making it Happen" meeting. People have been actively encouraged to get involved and the Steering Group is a representation of this.
The intended positioning of the organisation has been clear from the beginning:
"As a non-profit, community-centric, organisation. Ethical, ecological, and community-owned, our raison d'etre is to improve the ICT facilities available to our community."
The creation of the company has also been thoroughly thought through to ensure the company is as open and inclusive as possible. Essentially, it solidifies the concept of democracy into the organisation's management and structure. It keeps the organisation open and enhances the opportunity for community involvement. It also allows the flexibility to enable the organisation to grow with the users and wider community expectations.