Organisational culture, management and control Essay

Organisational culture, management and control - Essay Example utine. To illustrate the different shades of culture, a sociologist uses the parameter of international viewpoints (Fineman p.18); in a survey conducted on car mechanics from different countries, the responses generated reflect peculiar cultural attributes. To the resp- ondent from the UK, when asked to define his job, he simply puts it as "fitting the hub caps". The respondent from the US had a broader picture in mind, although his opinion may be said to stem from a stereotypical cynicism that characterises material-conscious Americans, "I make profits for Henry Ford." Finally, when the question was asked to a Japanese, his response smacked of intense loyalty and devotion people in Japan have towards their organisation, "I am member of a team that makes the best cars in the world." Is there any doubt why Japanese car companies continue to dominate the world market Indeed, as Alvesson points out (p.2), an organisation's culture is principal means to achieve effectiveness, growth and success in business. If culture plays such a major initiative in defining success or failure, the stakes only get higher when an organisation has to manage transformations and great upheavals, that when come with mergers and acquisitions, employee induction or retrenchment, dive- rsification or consolidation. It is on occasions like these that the true mettle of a mana- ger is tested. Rather than sitting on the fence and lamenting that "cultures can't be cha- nged", an intelligent manager looks for solutions, ways and methods to help the organis- ation tide over circumstances, and retain its control. Harrison (p.2) unfailingly mentions that transformations are both "desirable and feasible, but accomplishing it would be risky and difficult." It is an inevitable challenge that competent managers have to always brace themselves for. And, there are established tools and strategies that apply to change mana- gement. To corroborate the diagnostic methodology he presented in his book, Harrison offers a simplistic assessment on going about cultural transformations (p.1). His three cri- tical facets of diagnosis start with a detailed process to prepare a diagnostic study follo- wed by usage of suitable methods to frame issues, and closing in by devising innovative methods for collecting, analysing and summarising of relevant data. In the case study mentioned therein, we witness a real-life example of the problem faced by the Head of training in a national health maintenance organisation (HMO). An ambitious programme was envisaged to undertake a major organisational transform for overall benefits. Now, this