Essay Sample on Organizational Culture: Value, Norms, and Artifacts

Introduction

Organizational culture is the collective norms, values, and artifacts present in a firm. Different organizations have distinct values, which are different from the rest of other firms. Organizational culture is important in any firm because it enhances its competitive advantage. Employees in a firm learn about organizational culture through a process referred to as socialization. Through socialization, workers internalize the firm's values and norms by immersing themselves in the everyday operations of the business. The paper discusses an employment experience describing the values, norms, and artifacts, the socialization process, and a discussion of whether the example would increase an organization's competitive advantage. Every organization should have its unique culture to achieve a competitive advantage.

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Employment Experience

During summer break, my dad organized a job offer for me to work as a part-time cashier in an accounting firm. During the first two weeks on the job, I noticed that the firm has its culture. Regarding the values, all employees were encouraged to always be committed, open-minded, and be loyal to the firm. Concerning the norms, all employees were encouraged to provide satisfactory services and promote creativity while at work. Pertaining to the artifacts, all employees had their desk and computer in their working area. More so, all employees were required to wear company labeled t-shirts while at work. Rothaermel (2017) indicated that organizational culture is the building block for a company's competitive advantage. Hogan and Coote (2014) cited research by Homburg and pflesser who they say found that values, norms, and artifacts shape employee's behavior and market-orientation in regards to being informed of market trends and establishing customer's experience. The organization I worked for had a unique culture and did well in the market.

The Socialization Process of Embedding the Culture

The socialization process took place during my orientation. The human resource director of the company asked the receptionist to take me around the work station and introduce me to other employees. Also, during that period, I was informed of the company norms and values. Ekwutosi and Moses (2013) discussed organizational commitment and the socialization process where they indicated that employees derive norms and values during socialization. Furthermore, according to Rothaermel (2017), successful socialization results in productivity. Arguably, this productivity is what increases the firm's competitive advantage.

Discussion

I consider the socialization process to be an example of an effective culture for contributing to the organization's competitive advantage. The reason is that when such values and norms are internalized, employees become accustomed to the daily activities of the organization, which eventually improves their productivity. Rothaermel (2017) articulated that an organization's culture affects employee behavior and performance. Apparently, when an organization instills good values and norms to its workers, the improvement in performance would contribute to their competitive advantage. This was noticeable in the company I worked for during the summer break. The organization had a good standing in the financial market.

Conclusion

As discussed, organizational culture is important because it improves performance. Companies need to create a culture that has appropriate norms and values that employees can use as a guide in their daily activities. Besides, the socialization process appears to be beneficial because, through that, values and norms are instilled in the workers. Overall, building a strong organizational culture is the key component to survival in the competitive market.

References

Ekwutosi, O.C., and Moses, O.S. (2013). Internalization of Organizational Culture : A Theoretical Perspective. International Journal of Business Tourism and Applied Sciences Vol. 1 No.2. Retrieved from http://www.ijbts-journal.com/images/column_1356587255/8%20UL0093-ONUOHA%20CHARITY%20EKWUTOSI.pdf

Hogan, S.J., and Coote, L.V. (2014). Organizational culture, innovation, and performance: A test of Schein's model. Journal of Business Research 67 1609-1621. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2013.09.007

Rothaermel, F. T. (2017). Strategic management concepts (Custom 3rd ed.) New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.