CULTURE
VISUAL ASPECTS IN ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE
Visual aspects are formal aspects of an organisational iceberg- a way to recognise why people behave as they do at work. There are various characteristics that need to be taken into consideration when looking at the formal organisational culture. These are:
· Goals
· Strategy
· Structure
· Systems and procedures
· Products and services
· Financial resources management
“What sinks a ship isn’t always what sailors can see, but what they can’t see”
(Hellriegal, Slocum, & Woodman)
Firstly, during my work experience at Halifax, the branch manager held a meeting with the team and identified several goals that the team had to meet within a week. The workers took this on board and started working on the targets, which were fairly straightforward. One of the targets set was attracting the customers to the new type of account that was on offer, which was the ‘Reward Current Account’. This account paid customers £5 every month they paid in £1000, whether in credit or overdrawn. It was a way of Halifax saying thank you to their loyal customers. By the end of the day, a small number of customers had acquired the account, which shows great deal of commitment along with good communication and teamwork.
Following that is the notion of strategy. Being the only student on work experience at that time, I had to prioritise the tasks that I carried out in order of importance. For example, when I started in the morning, I had to make sure the ATM machines were clean and fully working. In addition, I had to fill the empty leaflet stands so if and when a customer required any information on savings or various accounts, they can easily find it on the leaflets provided. Over the two weeks of work experience, I was able to use my own initiative and complete all the work that needed to be done in a strategic way.
Thirdly, the structure of Halifax was hierarchical. During my first day, the manager introduced me to all the colleagues that worked under him. Everyone had their position written underneath their name on the name badge so it was not difficult to spot out what their job was in the company. Moreover, having a clear structure in an organisation benefits them in more than one way, such as: giving focus and direction to an organisation and having clear and defined reporting lines, making it easy for employees to know whom to report to.
Being a bank, Halifax had to ensure all the systems and procedures were in place in case of an emergency. During my first day there, the manager thoroughly explained the procedure in case there is an emergency. All the back rooms and doors were alarm coded allowing only the staff, who knew the code, through. In addition, the lift, leading to the upper floor, was also alarm coded; a member of staff had to accompany a customer, who had an appointment with an advisor, to the right room on the upper floor. All the members of staff were safe in the working environment at Halifax due to the systems and procedures in place.
Halifax offers a great deal of service to their customers. One of the services being offered is the “Halifax Secure, which is a new service certified by Visa International, offering secure Internet shopping, using your preferred form of Internet payment - the credit card. Halifax Secure lets you add a personal password to your existing Halifax Visa card, getting added security and the reassurance that only you can use your Halifax Visa card online. Halifax Secure is a part of Visa's global Verified by Visa scheme.” The main service Halifax offers is storing every person’s money safely. However, during my experience at the bank, my knowledge on the services being offered developed significantly. Halifax has grown into corporate giant with offerings across the board. The customer service at Halifax is of high quality. The staff are always there for the customers if they have any queries that need answering. In many businesses worldwide, customers are said to be their main priority and it is no different with Halifax.
The final aspect is financial resource management. During my time at Halifax, I helped the cashiers count the money at the end of the day, pack it all into bags and put it away safely in the safe. Halifax always used to be busy during my time there; many customers came in and deposited money, so there was a lot of money that needed counting. Also, the firm attracted many new customers, who opened accounts with Halifax, and whose financial data was taken care of. On the whole, the staff managed to look after the financial resources extremely well.
Handy’s explanation of the different organisational cultures
ü POWER CULTURE: Within this culture, having the control is vital. Power cultures are normally found within fairly small businesses. Decision making displaying such culture tends to be based around one key member of the organisation. When decisions are made, there is no consultation involved as these decisions are not made by a group of people but by an individual who has power. In other words, there is no team work involved in power culture. Nonetheless, this culture has its problems; lack of consultation can lead to staff feeling undervalued and de-motivated. A good example of firm with task culture present is owner of a football team. For example, John W Henry just took over Liverpool; he now has the control of the club and the power to make decisions. In addition, he has experience in having control of a big brand.
ü ROLE CULTURE: In a role culture, individuals have different roles to carry out from one another. This culture has a benefit of specialisation. The employees focus on the role assigned to them by their job description, which leads to increased productivity for their firm. The main power in role culture is the power of the employee’s position in the company. However, this culture is bureaucratic and is quite logical to organise in larger organisations. A good example of firm with task culture present is Topman. Staff will work to their job title and description, for example, a supervisor and sales assistant, who both have different job descriptions.
ü TASK CULTURE: This culture is mainly about teamwork. It is taking a team based approach when looking to complete a set task. Task culture is familiar with modern businesses as they tend to engage their employees in specific tasks, which motivates the staff as they are empowered to make decisions within their team. A good example of firm with task culture present is Cadburys. Teamwork is at hand so as to work together to ‘create brands people love’.
ü PERSON CULTURE: such cultures are normally found in few organisations and local charities. Individuals are of focal attention to the organisation. A good example of firm with person culture is a solicitors firm.
Culture is a difficult notion to denote. Every organisation has a unique culture. Nevertheless, there are businesses out there that have a mix of culture present. Each business operates in its own unique way and therefore employees experience different methods of working. Also, each individual has unique attributes that he/she brings to a business. If these attributes are steady with the culture at work then they will be satisfied with their job. Organisations can easily change cultures in due course, with adapting new system and procedures. Moreover, in current economy, there are firms taking over other firms, for example, Kraft taking over Cadburys. Due to the takeover, there is a possibility of cultures changing over time. On the whole, it is difficult to classify culture into one of the four types mentioned above.
EVALUATION
Organisational culture has been one of the most enduring catchphrases of popular management. Many may wonder why this is the case and what the appeal is of this concept. Well, many organisations in the modern world try and find ways to prevent its competitors from building its market share. To prevent this, they use different methods, with different cultures being experienced, to increase their own market share and try reducing competition. Also, different cultures can exist in a working environment when employees, with different attributes and skills, are working together in a team. Moreover, the culture of an organisation is also often likened to the personality of an individual. Conversely, there have been questions raised of whether or not organisational culture can be managed. There is no right or wrong answer to this question; people make judgements and those interested in understanding and analysing culture tend to say no. On the whole, organisations that experience culture tend to perform better than organisations with ineffective culture. After having studied culture, I have learnt that everyone does things differently and have different skills and attributes that they bring to a business. In addition, everyone’s definition of culture may not be the same; they perceive culture in various ways.
REFERENCES
Mullins, L. (2010) Management and Organisational Behaviour. 9th e
M.Simpson, 2010, powerpoint presentation.
