Question

Please explain how in your workplace or in an organization that you are familiar with, culture contributes to organizational effectiveness and performance?

Answer 1

The culture of an organization can both positively or negatively affect the organizational effectiveness and the performance of employees. “Culture” refers to the shared values, beliefs and behaviours of the members of the organization that forms the psychological and social environment of the company. The way an organization treats its employees speak volumes about the culture of that organization.

In one of my previous assignments where I was associated as an intern for a 6-months long internship, I learned about how impactful the company culture can be in keeping the employees motivated, productive and focussed on achieving the organizational goals. In order to ensure desired effectiveness and performance, the company incorporated thoughtful strategic initiatives. Some of these are discussed below:

Flat organizational structure: The company has incorporated a flat hierarchical structure where there are few or no middle managers and all the employees are treated equally. They have complete independence in their work with minimal supervision and are accountable for their decisions and actions. As a result, the employees feel responsible and acknowledged for their work.

Open communication: The organization has the policy of open communication where anyone in the organization can with connect with anyone else in the organization to discuss ideas or to seek suggestions on their job duties or ongoing projects. The organization encourages free flow of ideas through joint brainstorming sessions where each member of the organization irrespective of his or her position in the organizational hierarchy can contribute to the decision-making process.

Remote working policy: The company has incorporated remote working policy where any employee of the organization can choose to work from home or a coffee shop at his or her convenience and may not have to commute to the workplace every single day. The employee can spend time with their family and perform their personal life duties.

Collectively, all these policies and initiatives form the organizational culture and contributes to the increased effectiveness and performance of the employees.