Organizational Culture

Many different organizations and companies have many distinct cultures and climates. However, before one can begin to describe the culture or climate of an organization we must first know what culture and climate is. So, what is Culture? Edgar Schein defines organizational culture as “a pattern of basic assumptions-invented, discovered, or developed by a given group as it learns to cope with its problems of external adaptation and internal integration-that has 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.” (Miller 99) To summarize a culture is simply everything that makes the organization exist. The people, the furniture, the building, the paper, the way people talk anything you can see or hear, shapes the culture of an organization. Furthermore, there are certain key elements that are present in most cultures. These elements are relevant constructs (people/ideas im...