The Effects or Relationship Between Culture and the Management

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Management and culture
Introduction
Problem
Arguably there has always been a debate about the effects or relationship between culture and the management. Researchers argue that there exists a relationship whereby one is influenced by the other. Culture is among the key major factors as contained in the pyramid of organisational development that is fundamental to the success of any business over a long period. Corporate cultures are the common norms, values and beliefs that exist within an organisation over a period and the norms that the employees value at work and which influence their attitude and behaviour. In many cases, managers often adjust their leadership behaviours in the best interests of the organisation, but at times this can affect the employee’s job satisfaction. It is for this reason that it is important to understand the relationship that exists between organisational culture, the behaviour of the management and employee satisfaction while working (Grau and Moormann, 105).
A management team which recognises the importance of culture tends to create its culture based on their version of what is most important. This can be reasonable on the surface, but the truth is that there are five key factors of corporate that are linked to the financial results and it is for this reason that they should be included in culture statements which are formal and additionally managed explicitly. The factors include:
Customer-client orientation. This is the way in which a corporation thinks about and treats its customers. A company should be careful about how it thinks and even treats its customers because customers can lead to its downfall. According to a recently concluded research customer satisfaction is among the leading factors that can contribute to the growth and success of an organisation. It is crucial always to make sure that the customers are happy because without them there will be no sales. A company must ensure that its customers are treated equally and fairly and always make sure that they feel appreciated and comfortable. This can be done through promotions where they are awarded goods at lower prices or even after sale services, for instance, a warranty for something purchased.
People orientation. It is the way that the organisation treats its employees. Good management should create a culture where employees feel happy, appreciated and comfortable. This is to ensure that they perform to the best of the capabilities. Once the employees are happy, then the company is destined for success since it has a provision of goods and services of higher and better quality.
Accountability and standards of performance. These are the standards that are set for the performance of employees and the way that the company holds them into account. In every organisation, different employees have different roles and responsibilities. Failure to perform these roles/duties will lead to one being held accountable for the actions. When setting a culture, the management should look at this aspect because some punishment might be too harsh.
Innovation. How the organisation sees, reacts to and helps manage change and innovation. Innovation is necessary for the growth and development of every organisation, and an organisation needs to be ready in case it is developed. Technology has over the past recent years played a significant role in making work easier and it for this reason that firms should devise strategies to either, react to it or help initiate it.
Company process orientation. These are the views that people hold about the company regarding decision making, communication, social responsibility and planning. These are vital factors since they can contribute to the failure or success of the company. What people think about the organisation is critical for success and for this reason every management should strive at ensuring that the organisation has a positive image both among the public and among the employees.
Organisations have different cultures which could be strong or weak in that they are either functional or dysfunctional. A strong culture is one whereby all the employees understand and work in accordance with the values, norms and beliefs held by the organisation, on the other hand, a weak culture is at this moment people do not understand what culture is and do not recognise nor embrace it. There existed a difference between real and desired cultures in that real culture is the one that already exists in an organisation while the desired culture is the strategic culture that an enterprise is hoping to achieve. The most successful cultures often combine both real and desired are aligned with other. To achieve a high order of alignment between the two any organisation needs to have a good culture management process already working and the following are the six steps towards achieving a successful management culture:
Desired culture. It can be defined as the culture that will be the most effective in supporting long-term achievements. This decision is often made by the most senior leadership team. Every organisation has goals that it has set to achieve in future, and it is advisable to set a culture that will go according to its goals failure to which will lead to the company’s downfall.
The identification of the current culture. This is the identification of the culture that is currently influencing the behaviour and attitude of the employees. It is important to note that the current culture may or may not be consistent with the desired culture. This step involves going to the employees themselves and inquiring about their perception of the current culture. From the diverse results acquired one can be able to tell their views and see if there is a need for change.
Identification and analysis of the gaps between desired and current culture. It is in this section that an analysis of the differences between the two cultures is done. One identifies the differences between the two and decides whether the implementation of another culture or a renovation of the old one is needed. The identification of gaps is important in the devising of a new plan since it sheds some light on some areas that had previously been forgotten.
Development of a culture management plan. At times the old one is not properly working and needs a change while in some cases the old culture just needs some adjustment. However while developing a strategic culture, it is important to identify the goals and objectives of the organisation which are concurrent with step one, the closure of the gaps that were identified in step two and three and finally build on the strengths of the culture. Here one has to devise a strategy that is constituent with the goals of the organisation failure to which will lead to the failure of the culture hence the collapse of the firm. Additionally, the team setting the culture should concentrate on the current behaviour of the current culture instead of relying only on the questions answered by the employees. This is for them to get a clearer understanding of the current culture thus identify the gaps and fill them.
Communication of the new culture. After devising a new culture, it is important to communicate it to the employees and throughout the company while explaining how it functions. In most cases, it involves setting and holding all managers and employees accountable for the development of culture management goals. After communication one should ensure that the whole company comprehends how the new structure functions and make them work towards achieving and improving it. Additionally, it is during this stage that the implementation is done.
Monitor implementation. After the implementation, it is essential to closely monitor the culture to identify whether it was a success or failure. Additionally, occasional updates are necessary to ensure that it does not become outdated hence dragging the company behind its competitors. Monitoring the progress of a culture is essential towards developing future goals and objectives. Moreover one can be able to tell the impact that it has on the employees and the company in general and whether it is going to lead the firm in the right direction.
When the management and the culture are in conflict the company will most likely register losses. This is because the management, employees and consumers do not understand each other at the same level. The best solution for this is ensuring that the employees re diverse in their culture and developing a strong working culture for the employees. They should also be made to understand the local culture and this can be done through the incorporation of some of the locals on the work force.
Problem
In Bangladesh the company footwear international has just received criticism from a newspaper article which was pro-Libyan. The article suggested that one of the products was abusive to Allah and that the company is Jewish owned and can be linked to attacks on Palestinians. This clashed with the culture of majority of the population as most of them were Muslims.
Solution
However unbeknown to the person who drew the logo for the goods was also Muslim. Additionally a majority of the workers in the design department were Muslims. This created tension as students were already calling for demonstrations against the company. The president later announced that the report as a result of instigations by Libya. Were it not for the statement from the president the company could have been in ruins because it has been revealed that the company was owned by Christians ever since its establishment. The relationship between culture and management is crucial because if the people decided to take the matter seriously they could boycott sales hence leading to losses that eventually turn into the downfall of the firm.
Roles of international manager
Due to global competition, many companies around the world have been forced to change how they operate and manage both at home and abroad. This has been contributed to by a variety of factors including technological advancements, short product lifecycle and fast communication systems, for instance, the internet which has virtually made the world a global village. The new method of management that is being employed focuses on the establishment of an efficient system of communication that has a high involvement of employees. Additionally, these structures have to be versatile to be able to adopt with the changing times in the market. The staff development programs that are currently ongoing including design control procedures that are acceptable and understandable are as a result of this new approach. Because management values are changing manager should now have visionary skills with the ability to communicate them to all the staff members. Although international managers have the same roles as domestic managers, they must adjust to various environments which might be new and challenging to them. It is in this sense that the five basic roles of the manager must to slightly adjust to incorporate the roles of an international manager. The five basic roles include:
Planning. In every international organisation planning is the most crucial step whereby the organisation has to choose whether it will venture into the exporting business, operate as a multinational corporation which has facilities in other countries or to enter into the countries as joint ventures. The manager must ensure that they monitor the environment very closely so as to develop plans for international activities and to set future goals and objectives. The key factors that the manager should closely monitor should include political stability, inflation in the market, pressure from local governments, competition from the local government, protection of trademark and competition from other competitors already established in the market. There have been many examples of exemplary leaders that saw it upon themselves to plan the company and still get engaged in other things and still succeed in them. A good example is the manager at footwear international who was a freedom fighter while at the same time planning the organization of the company (blake, 2).
Organizing. One of the most important things is to ensure that the plans of the organisation do not contradict the culture of the local people. Many US-based international firms argue that the long term period should be between 3-5 years while others argue that the period is too short. Many countries work in conjunction with government agencies and working through the bureaucratic policies and structures can be time-consuming and challenging. It is a requirement for the international manager to be organised so that they can be able to adapt to cultural and environmental agencies (Guo and Calderon 74-83). The times when companies used to clone themselves just put carbon copies of themselves in foreign countries are long gone. The manager should be organised so that they can be responsive to foreign employees, suppliers and customers. Most importantly it is essential for a manager to develop a communication system through which all grievances, ideas and problems can be aired and quickly addressed throughout all levels of management. Failure to doing this the employees will not be involved in the decision making while their ideas and visualisation are crucial to the growth and development of the organisation. An organisation planning on extending its operations internationally need to constantly adapt to their structure. When the manager is increasing his international focus he has to go through the following three stages:
- Pre-international stage- organisations that are involved in the production of goods and services that require the latest technological advancements might consider themselves ready for the international market. The first method that t...