Knowledge management
Organizational culture, tasks, and
knowledge sharing
Organizational culture
• a set of shared mental assumptions that guide
interpretation and action in organizations by
defining appropriate behavior for various
situations.
• At the same time although a company may have
their "own unique culture", in larger
organizations, there is a diverse and sometimes
conflicting cultures that co-exist due to different
characteristics of the management team.
The essence of organization’s culture
• Innovation and risk taking
– Whether employees are encouraged to be innovative and
take risks
• Attention to detail
– Whether employees are expected exhibit precision,
analysis and attention to details
• Outcome orientation
– The degree to which management focuses on results or
outcomes rather than on the techniques and processes
used to achieve those outcomes
Organizational culture cont.
• People orientation
– The degree to which management decisions take into consideration
the effect of outcomes on people within the organization
• Team orientation
– The degree to which work activities are organized around teams rather
than individuals
• Aggressiveness
– The degree to which people are aggressive and competitive rather
than easygoing
• Stability
– The degree to which organizational activities emphasize maintaining
the status quo in contrast to growth
Organizational culture
How employees learn culture
• Stories
• Rituals
• Material symbols
– Building, interiors, furniture
• Language
– Unique terms to describe equipment, offices, key
personnel, or products…
How Organization Cultures Form
Philosophy of
organization’s
founders
Top
management
Selection
criteria
Organization
culture
Socialization
Dimensions of organizational culture
• Sociability
– The emotional and non-instrumental relations which
exist within an organization
– The friendliness among members of a community
– Forster teamwork, promotes information sharing, and
creates an openness to new ideas.
• Solidarity
– The degree to which members of an organization
share goals and tasks
– Makes it easy for them to pursue shared objectives
quickly and effectively, regardless of personal ties
Organizational sharing and knowledge sharing
Organizational culture spectrum
How does it define success?
Combined with tribal leadership model
Tribal leadership
• • Stage One: The stage most professionals skip, these are tribes whose
members are despairingly hostile—they may create scandals, steal from the
company, or even threaten violence.
• Stage Two: The dominant culture for 25 percent of workplace tribes, this
stage includes members who are passively antagonistic, sarcastic, and
resistant to new management initiatives.
• Stage Three: 49 percent of workplace tribes are in this stage, marked by
knowledge hoarders who want to outwork and outthink their competitors
on an individual basis. They are lone warriors who not only want to win, but
need to be the best and brightest.
• Stage Four: The transition from “I’m great” to “we’re great” comes in this
stage where the tribe members are excited to work together for the benefit
of the entire company.
• Stage Five: Less than 2 percent of workplace tribal culture is in this stage
when members who have made substantial innovations seek to use their
potential to make a global impact.