Organizational Culture: Marks & Spencers

Introduction

While research of corporate/organizational 'climate' in Marks & Spencers looks at the link between individuals? groups? and performance experienced on a daily basis (communication? networking? reward systems? leadership styles)? the term 'organizational culture' in Marks & Spencers refers to the context in which these events organizational culturecur.

Organizational culture is what a group learns over a period of time as it solves its problem of survival in an external environment and internal integration (Schein? 2000). Schein points out three areas where culture manifests itself: observable artefacts? values/norms? and basic underlying assumptions to which most researchers refer to. organizational culture supports effective control (to regulate behaviour)? normative order (to guide behaviour)? promotion of innovation (in a culture that encourages creative thinking)? strategy formulation? and employee commitment. Sackmann? Phillips? Kleinberg? and Boyacigiller (1997) suggest in that respect that cultural context contains greater regional? national? industry and regional level? and within the organization a functional? hierarchy and tenure level? that are influenced by gender? profession? ethnicity and religion.

Another aspect of organizational culture in Marks & Spencers highlights how well an individual fits an organizational context (O'Reilly? Chatmann & Caldwell? 2001). In this regard values and expectations of individuals interact with facets of the situation (incentive systems? norms) to affect the individual's attitudinal and behavioural responses. Furthermore organizational culture-concepts guide OD and Change Management activities. The sustained interest in organizational culture in Marks & Spencers throughout the past decade has confirmed that? in order to understand and change an organization? a researcher must examine the linkages between underlying values? organizational structures? and individual meaning (Denison & Spreitzer? 2001).

Discussion

In regard to the assessment of organizational culture in Marks & Spencers it is challenging that values/norms and basic assumptions influence behaviour on a subconscious level and are therefore not directly accessible for questioning or observation. Even the examination of artefacts and their meaning remains at first on a descriptive level (in the form of typologies)? because terms of measurement and correlations have not been established yet.

Culture as Internal and as External Variable

Smircich (1983) distinguishes between culture either as an independent (external) variable (like the culture of a nation)? as a dependent (internal) variable (like corporate culture)? or as a root metaphor for conceptualizing organization.

Culture as an External Variable

Culture as an external variable refers to the specific culture of a country influencing organizations. This specific culture in Marks & Spencers is brought into the organization by leadership practices (commitment to employees? collective decision making) and leads to comparative management studies that investigate? e.g.? variations in management styles? employee practices? and attitudes across countries? e.g. Japanese and American (Ouchi? 2001).

In reference to Hofstede (2004)? one needs to closely examine the selection and meaning of the four? later five? dimensions. It is suggested by Strohschneider (2001) that there might be several more cultural aspects than originally found by Hofstede? i.e. religious assumptions about mankind or approaches to problem solving. Because of the low reliability of the test? one might also conclude that the representatives of the different ...