Organizational Culture and Strategic Planning Essentials

Understanding Organizational Culture

Organizational culture is the combination of shared values, principles, traditions, and ways of doing things that influence how organizational members act. Essentially, it determines how tasks are performed, acting as the personality of the organization.

Dimensions and Maintenance

There are 7 dimensions that form an organizational culture. To maintain this culture, organizations typically follow four key steps:

• Organizational Stories: Narratives passed down to new employees to instill values.
• Rituals: Repetitive activities such as award presentations, company events, or annual dinners.
• Material Symbols and Artifacts: Physical assets like furniture, facilities, or items representing organizational beliefs.
• Language: Specialized terminology used to identify members of the culture. Learning this language indicates a willingness to accept and preserve the organization's identity.

Example: The use of the TIMeS platform at Taylor’s University serves as a communication culture that has been embedded in the university system for years.

Strategic Planning in Organizations

Planning defines an organization’s goals, establishes strategies to achieve them, and develops plans to integrate and coordinate work activities. Formal planning involves setting specific goals over a defined period, which are documented and shared with all organizational members.

The Importance of Planning

Planning is essential for four primary reasons:

1. Provides Direction: Employees can perform the right activities only when they understand what the organization aims to accomplish.
2. Reduces Uncertainty: Planning forces managers to look ahead, anticipate change, and develop proactive actions.
3. Minimizes Waste and Redundancy: When work activities are coordinated around plans, inefficiencies become obvious and can be corrected or eliminated.
4. Sets Standards for Controlling: Managers develop goals during the planning phase, which are then used to measure performance and ensure objectives are met.