28 mins, 2012        [password required] Key Topics Culture Group Norms Power Culture Role Culture Task Culture People Culture What's meant by the culture of an organisation? What are "group norms"? How do these invisible factors influence the way a business works? INTRODUCTION: THE CULTURE 16 mins The culture of an organisation is about the way staff do their work and their attitudes to their work. How flexible are they? How willing are they to embrace change? There are different types of culture, too. In a power culture everything centres around "pleasing the boss". In a role culture authority is with people who've worked their way up a formal hierarchy. In a task culture power comes from a person's expertise, while in a people culture power is shared equally. Fair trade companies like People Tree and the Divine Chocolate company create their cultures by doing things staff believe in. But in some organisations the hype doesn't match the reality... CASE STUDIES: THE CULTURE OF FAILURE 6 mins Something's gone wrong at Blakeway Ltd's Lake End factory. Morale is low, absenteeism is high. It wasn't always like this. In the past there was a family atmosphere and a spirit of cooperation. What's happened to the company's culture? What can be done? GROUP NORMS 12 mins Group norms are informal standards staff establish among themselves. They are about humans' deep need to conform, not stand out. Group norms may damage an organisation, making it hard to introduce change and stifling creativity. But group norms can also be a positive influence - especially in encouraging team-working. Conforming isn't bad - if it's conforming to good things!

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