Culture's Critical Role in Change Management

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INTRODUCTION It is said that people are the greatest assets to an organization and it is their beliefs, customs, perspectives, attitudes, and values that constitute to the culture that prevails in an organization. Culture, a very common word in today’s world, plays a very vital role in organizations and it not only affects an employee’s professional development but also their personal harmony. Culture gives a sense of belonging to people, a sense of who they are and how productive they are at their work place. It helps in interacting with each other at a work place. Culture varies from one organization to another as it is shaped by the values and beliefs of the people working there. As it progresses over the years, it takes form in such a way that it works or performs in a manner to regulate behavior, action and decision making processes within the organization. It not just includes written rules and regulations, but also the behavioral aspects faced by each one on a day to day basis. Organizational culture can be defined as the glue that holds an organization together through a sharing of patterns of meaning. The culture focuses on the values, beliefs, and expectations that members come to share (Siehl& Martin, 1984). Organizational culture helps to contribute towards achieving the organizational goals, decision making processes, job satisfaction, employee motivation etc. It helps in uniting the employees of an organization. Change in an organization occurs when an organization identifies an area of where necessary change must be undertaken, examines it thoroughly and adapts to it. This may lead to gaps where employees may not adapt to a certain change and therefore it is important that an organization takes into considerati... ... middle of paper ... ...Harris, Sarah V. Moran (2011). Managing Cultural Differences, Leadership Skills and Strategies for Working in a Global World. 8th ed. UK: Elsevier Inc.. 10-25. Gibson, D. E. & Barsade, S. G. 2003. “Managing Organizational Culture Change: The Case of Long-Term Care.” Journal of Social Work in Long-Term Care, Vol. 2(1,2), pp. 11-34. Jones, R.A., Jimmieson,N.L., and Griffiths, A. (2008). The Impact Of Organizational Culture and Reshaping Capabilities on Change Implementation Success: The Mediating Role of Readiness for Change. Journal of Management Studies, Vol.42, pp 362 -386 Lewin, K., “Group dynamics and social change” (1958) in: A. Etzioni, “Social change”, Basic Books Inc. Publishers, New York/London (1964) Dr. Michael A. McGinnis, C.P.M., A.P.P.. (). Change Management: Basic Skills for Purchasing Professionals. Peter Senge. (). The Fifth Discipline.

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