Beliefs, Values, and Norms
The unseen core of every organization
Introduction
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Beliefs, values and norms within an organization
are a part of what is commonly referred to as
organizational “culture.”
Norms and beliefs are expressions of values.
Every organization develops distinct beliefs and
patterns over time. Many of these are
subconscious or taken for granted. They are
demonstrated in the beliefs, values and norms of
an organization as seen in the rituals, stories,
ceremonies and other symbolic forms.
Beliefs - Theory
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An organizational belief system embodies the
myths, values, and ideologies of the
organization.
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“While these taken-for-granted ways of
seeing the world (beliefs) are often invisible
to those who hold them, they shape
organizational practices, guide how people
do things, and, in turn, determine what skills
and capabilities people develop based on
those organizational practices.” (Senge,2006,
p. 285)
Beliefs – Theory Continued
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“To really understand culture, we have to get
to the deepest level, the level of assumptions
and beliefs.” (Schein,1985)
National cultures influence those of the
organization. (Hofstede, 1997, 2001)
The beliefs (and values and assumptions)
shape behaviors and help individuals
understand the organization. (Shafritz, Ott,
and Jang, 2005)
Organization cultures emanate from norms,
values and beliefs.
Beliefs - Positive Impact
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“Beliefs and assumptions, established practices, skills and
capabilities, relationships, and awareness and sensibilities are
five elements of culture that influence one another and impact
the success of an organization.” (Senge, 2006)
“The beliefs …. shape behaviors and help individuals
understand the organization.” (Shafritz, Ott, & Jang, 2005)
Strong organization beliefs, when pronounced and made
visible, help to shape the character (internal) and the
perception (external) of the organization. Example:
Southwest Airlines “You are now free to fly…”
“Culture (beliefs, values, norms) informs employees of exactly
what is expected of them. In a strong culture, employees
waste little time in deciding how to act in a given situation. …
The impact on productivity is remarkable.” (Deal & Kennedy,
1982)
Beliefs - Negative Impact
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“Culture (beliefs, values, norms) is often so strong and so
powerful that when there is a discrepancy between the current
culture and goals of organizational change, the culture will
win, and status quo will prevail.” (National Defense University,
n.d.)
Significant changes in the organization’s environment are
often ignored when the organization is too entrenched in its
beliefs and inflexible. Example: US intelligence community
prior to 9/11.
“Culture informs employees of exactly what is expected of
them. In a strong culture, employees waste little time deciding
how to act in a given situation. In a weak culture, the reverse
is true. The impact on productivity is remarkable.” (Deal &
Kennedy, 1982)
“An organization’s culture is directly related to it’s
effectiveness and has everything to do with its success or
failure.” (Center for Organizational Effectiveness, n.d.)
Beliefs – What to look for…
• Look around. What do the headquarters and other
buildings look like? How are people dressed? How much
interaction is there? Who is talking to whom? How does
the place “feel”?
• Read newsletters and other internal documents. What
values are emphasized? Who is held up for praise? Are
parties, celebrations, or other ceremonies mentioned?
What sorts of things are discussed?
• Look at annual reports or other communications to those
outside the firm. What “face” is being presented to the
world?
Beliefs – What to look for…
• See what you can learn about rites and ceremonies in
the organization. What happens when people accomplish
something? Are there “rites of passage” such as
promotion ceremonies and retirement parties? Are there
regular “get-togethers” such as holiday parties, social
events, and company softball games?
• Ask, “What sorts of behaviors are expected and
rewarded here? What sorts of behaviors are punished?
• Ask people outside the firm what they think of it.
• As appropriate, use quantitative measures such as the
QFIT-C, Organizational Culture Profile, Organizational
Culture Inventory or a tailored Culture Survey.
Values - Theory
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“Values are the social principals, goals, and
standards that cultural members believe have
intrinsic worth. They define what the members of a
culture care about most and are revealed by their
priorities.” (Hatch, 2006)
“Values are also beliefs and are defined as ‘Beliefs
about what is a desirable or a “good” (e.g. free
speech) and what is an undesirable or a bad (e.g.,
dishonesty).’” (Krech, Crutchfield and Ballachey as
cited in French & Bell, 1999).
Values can be good or bad. They are concerned with
what it is good to desire. (Stacey, 2007).
Values - Theory
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“Values influence every aspect of our lives: our
moral judgments, our responses to others, our
commitments to personal and organization goals.
Values set the parameters for the hundreds of
decisions we make every day.” (Kouzes & Posner,
2002).
Values guide our behavior.
 Values empower our decision making.
 Values motivate us.
 Values keep us focused.
(Kouzes & Posner, 2002; Holman, Devane, & Cady, 2007;
Stacey, 2007)
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Values - Theory
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The highest level of commitment to an organization
comes from a person who is clear about both
personal and organizational values. The lowest level
of commitment comes from people who have high
clarity about organizational values but low clarity
about personal values. (Kouzes & Posner, 2002)
“…members of an organization are able to recognize
their values fairly easily and they become particularly
sensitive to them when someone challenges their
culture in some fundamental way, such as breaking
with tradition.” (Hatch, 2006, p. 186)
“Norm are expressions of values…While values
specify what is important to the members of a
culture, norms establish what sorts of behavior to
expect from one another.” (Hatch, 2006, p. 187)
Values – Positive Impact
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Values are the foundation for an
organization’s mission, vision, and overall
business drivers, so we must:
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Clearly and continuously communicate
organizational values to all members at all
levels.
Enroll new members
Collect feedback
Revisit and update (if necessary)
Values – Negative Impact
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Without clearly articulated values:
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An organization lacks direction
An organization lacks a foundation for the
work it does
Outsiders cannot understand an
organization’s purpose
Members do not understand their purpose as
part of the organization
Dysfunction can develop
Values – What to look for…
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Are the organization’s values explicit (written in
value statement, mission, etc.) or implicit?
Are the organization’s values clear to all
members of the organization at all levels?
Is there a high level of commitment to the
organization’s values?
Do the leaders “live” the values of the
organization?
How are new members taught the values of the
organization?
Norms - Theory
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Norms should be consciously set to be most
effective.
The facilitator (or leader) of a team/organization has
the responsibility to set the norms that guides the
team. These are the agreements the team will “live
by” during the initial stages of team development.
(Jones, Bearley, Corkrum 2001)
“Norms are informal ground rules that provide
guidelines concerning appropriate and inappropriate
behavior in a group. They are implicitly understood
by members and are substrata beneath behavior in
and of the group.” (Smith & Berg 1987)
Norms - Theory
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“Norms stem from the values and beliefs that
constitute the group’s culture” (Schwarz,
2002)
“Norms can promote change if the group is
not in the desired state; they maintain the
status quo if the group is in a normative
state” (Arrow, McGrath, and Berdahl, 2000)
“Establishing norms for adjudicating and
resolving competing claims is thus a key
issue for groups…” (Arrow, McGrath, and
Berdahl, 2000)
Norms - Theory
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“Norm are expressions of
values…While values specify what is
important to the members of a culture,
norms establish what sorts of behavior
to expect from one another.”
(Hatch, 2006)
Norms – Positive Impact
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They control the groups interactions
They allow fair communication
Help keep people respectful of others,
Distribute Power to weaker members of
the group
Norms – Negative Impact
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Not having group norms causes lack of
trust
Group becomes more task oriented
Fail to recognize and tap into one
another's skills and experiences
Lack of relationship building
Members’ lack a clear understanding of
their purpose within the organization
Norms – What to look for…
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Does the group test assumptions and inferences?
Is all relevant information shared?
Are specific examples used to agree on what important
words mean?
Are reasoning and intent explained?
Do they focus on interests, not positions?
Is there a combination of advocacy and inquiry?
Does the group jointly design next steps and ways to test
disagreements?
Are undiscussable issues discussed?
Do they use a decision-making rule that generates the
level of commitment needed?
(Argyris as used in Schwarz, 2002)
Conclusion
“Organizational culture is the culture that
exists in an organization, something akin to
societal culture. It is composed of many
intangible phenomena, such as values,
beliefs, assumptions, perceptions, behavioral
norms, artifacts, and patterns of behavior. It
is the unseen and unobservable force that is
always behind the organizational activities
that can be seen and observed.”
Shafritz, J., Ott, J., & Jang, Y. (2005), p. 351.