Week 1 discussion
Please respond to all questions, one question at a time.
Each topic should be addressed as a separate thread.
Indicate the activity in the title of your response, for
example: Activity # 1 or Activity # 2
__________________________
Activity #1 – Introduction
Welcome to our course discussions!
Post an introduction explaining why you are taking this
course, what you hope to learn in the course, and an interesting fact about you
and/or your professional/ educational goals.
Feel free to communicate your message in an advanced way,
such as audio, video or a Web 2.0 tool.
If you choose this option, it would also be helpful to post a text
version.
Activity #2 – Organizational Culture
Based on your reading of the textbook chapter, describe and
give an example of an assumption in your organization. This should be a belief
that is “taken for granted”, about “the way we do things
here”. The attached chart may help you identify some basic assumptions.
Respond to at least 2 other classmate posts with meaningful,
positive comments. “Good job!”
or “me too” is not meaningful.
Instead, be specific and share your experiences about the stated topic. As a reminder, keep conferences on task and
not off the main topic. Always check
your spelling before you submit.
Week 2 discussion
Activity # 1
Based on the reading for this week, identify an artifact and
a value in your organization.
Respond to two colleagues.
Activity #2
1) Watch this video on the OCAI survey instrument:
http://www.ocai-online.com/downloads/videos/4-Culture-Types-in-Competing-Values-Framework
2) Go to this page and take the FREE survey:
http://www.ocai-online.com/products/ocai-one
Based on these:
a) How did your organization rate on the OCAI instrument you
did? (Share the results)
b) Do you agree with the results? Why or why not?
No need to respond to colleagues.
Week 3 discussion
Activity #1
Take the INCA Survey and calculate your scores.
Then post a paragraph with a summary of your scores and a
short reflection on where you are in terms of cultural awareness.
No need to respond to colleagues.
Activity #2
The GLOBE study built on another study conducted by Geert
Hofstede, one of the most comprehensive studies of how values in the workplace
are influenced by culture. In Hofstede’s study, he describes and measures 6
cultural dimensions – some of which were also used in the GLOBE study : Power
Distance, Individualism, Masculinity, Uncertainty Avoidance, Long Term
Orientation and Indulgence.
1) Go to this page: http://geert-hofstede.com/countries.html
and select United States.
2) Then select under Comparison Country any country of your
choice.
3) What can you tell us about the difference between the
U.S. and the other country?
Please respond to two colleagues. You may give input or
opinions on cultures that you know, or have lived in. Remember that these
results are general and may not apply to every experience or example you have
seen.
Week 4 discussion
Activity #1
In your own words, explain the relationship between either:
a) leadership and culture
b) performance and culture
Please respond to at least two colleagues.
Activity #2
Based on the reading of organizational life stages, what
life stage do you consider your organization to be in? How does the life stage
impact the culture of the organization?
No need to respond to colleagues.
Week 5 discussion
Activity #1
Based on the reading from Cameron and Quinn, discuss the
difference between culture and climate.
No need to respond to colleagues.
Activity #2 – Value Clusters
Search the Web and compare at least five companies’ slogans.
Briefly state what value cluster is represented in the advertising. For
example:
Kentucky Fried Chicken – We do chicken right! Value Cluster
– Efficiency
Respond to two colleagues, agreeing or disagreeing and
explain why.
Activity #3 – Cultural Values
List five common sayings or proverbs in your culture and
indicate what cultural values they are conveying: Example:
Time is money and money is time – Efficiency
Good old American know how – Ethnocentrism
It takes a village to raise a child – Collectivism,
humanitarianism
Respond to two colleagues, agreeing or disagreeing and
explain why.
Week 6 discussion
Activity #1 –
Think of a recent change that happened in your organization.
Try to focus on a large change, not just a small change in artifacts, such as a
form. It might be a policy change, a change in leadership, a change in
organizational goals. Think about how it was implemented.
Based on Kotter’s 8 steps, describe the change. Did your
organization follow each step? If so, describe how. If not, describe how
“skipping” that step may have impacted the change and how employees
responded to it.
Respond to two colleagues
Week 7 discussion
Activity #1
Piderit (2000) believes that the definition of the term
resistance must incorporate a much broader scope. She states that “a
review of past empirical research reveals three different emphases in
conceptualizations of resistance: as a cognitive state, as an emotional state,
and as a behavior” (p. 784).
What is your understanding of these three types of
resistance? Can you give an example of each type?
Respond to two colleagues.
Week 8 discussion
Activity #1
In 1-3 paragraph, summarize what you learned about culture
and change in this course.
In the body of your paragraph(s), use at least three
citations from different sources.
At the end of your paragraph(s), list your references.
Please also respond to at least two colleagues.
GLOBE Table
Assignment
Instructions
Create a table that compares two societal cultures on the
nine dimensions of culture identified by the GLOBE project. Depending on the
countries you choose, you may need to do more research. Your table should have
three columns, one with the nine dimensions, one with the first country, and
one with the second country.
Following is an example of comparing one dimension between
Germany and China:
Dimension
Germany
China
Assertiveness
GLOBE scores: West 4.55 & East 4.73
Highest 25% GLOBE study
Work relationships are to the point and strict
GLOBE score: 3.76
Moderate range score
Indirect approach to communication
Background and Summary of GLOBE
The Wharton Business School of the University of Pennsylvania
was the home of the GLOBE Research Project, which investigated variations in
business leadership worldwide. GLOBE
comprised 170 researchers in 62 societies over 11 years. The research team’s stated objective was…
To determine the extent to which the practices and values of
business leadership are universal (i.e., are similar globally), and the extent
to which they are specific to just a few societies.
The team is attained this objective. GLOBE’s findings present to us all a
breakthrough in our ability to think about business leadership in a way that is
accurate, action-oriented, and – most importantly – genuinely global.
Any organization that devotes resources to developing global
leaders now has within its grasp the data and the guideposts to accomplish this
critical goal. It’s now possible with
unprecedented confidence to assess, develop, and measure top leadership talent
in a way that captures the full meaning of “global.”
The first report from the GLOBE team was an 818-page book by
R.J. House et al., Culture, Leadership, and Organizations, published by Sage in 2004; this précis
addresses the 2004 publication only. A
second report of the GLOBE team was published in 2007 (note). A third report is in press. The other three articles at Grovewell.com/GLOBE
(total 8,500 words) provide all those responsible for leadership development
with an overview and interpretation of the findings reported in 2004.
The first question addressed by the team was which
measurement standards (“independent variables”) to use to be precise about the
similarities and differences among various societal and organizational
cultures. Their efforts yielded nine “cultural dimensions” that serve as their
standard of measurement.
Performance Orientation
Uncertainty Avoidance
Humane Orientation
Institutional Collectivism
In-Group Collectivism
Assertiveness
Gender Egalitarianism
Future Orientation
Power Distance
GLOBE Paper
Write a paper that compares and contrasts the cultures from
the table in Part 1. Use three additional sources (not including the GLOBE
resources) to support your analysis of the two cultures. This paper should be a
maximum of three pages in length.
Culture Analysis
Paper
Final Project Part 1: Culture Analysis Paper
You will be asked to analyze an organizational culture. This
could be the organization you work with, or it could be some other organization
to which you have access. Remember that clubs, associations, and churches can
be considered organizations.
Research (data gathering) should include (but does not need
to be limited to) mainly primary
sources.
Primary data is the data collected by the researcher
themselves, i.e.
interview
observation
action research
case studies
life histories
questionnaires
ethnographic research
Secondary sources are data that already exists
Previous research
Official statistics
Mass media products
Diaries
Letters
Government reports
Web information
Historical data and information
Collect your data and analyze it. Describe how you collected
the data (observation, interviews, surveys).
Then, analyze the organizational culture along three
dimensions: artifacts, values, and underlying assumptions. Give examples of
behavior, speech, or symbols that illustrate your findings. This paper should
be 5-8 pages in length. Any data used (interviews, surveys, websites, etc.)
should be attached as appendices.
Change Management
Plan
Final project part 2: Change Management Plan (presentation)
Based on your last paper, create a change-management plan.
Put yourself in the position of a consultant making recommendations to the CEO
of the organization.
Present your recommendations in a PowerPoint presentation of
10-15 slides. State how the organization can be better prepared to meet the
needs and challenges of the future. Defend your argument.
Your presentation should include the following (at a minimum):
1) an evaluation of
the current situation (current culture)
2) an analysis of how the culture should change in order to
better address the needs of the future (be specific!)
3) recommendations for change, with specific strategies that
need to be adopted by the leadership, including how to communicate the changes
and how to respond to resistance to change (Keep your recommendations to two or
three, otherwise it becomes overwhelming)
4) justification and support for the recommended changes,
based on both your own observations and the literature (at least three sources)
