models for assessing organisational culture

1. Models For The Assessment Of
Culture
YPTC
For CIPS Level 6

2. Models
• Competing values Framework-Quinn and
Cameron’s
• Hofstede International cultures
• Trompenaar’s dimensions of culture
• Cultural Web

3. The Competing Values Framework
The Four Culture Types
• From Quinn and Cameron’s extensive study, it
was found that most organizations have
developed a leading culture style. An organization
rarely has only one culture type. Time and again,
there is a mix of the four organizational cultures.
• The Competing Values Framework states that the
values and the corresponding organizational
cultures compete with each other.

4. The Competing Values Framework
The Four Culture Types
Based on: Cameron & Quinn (1999)

5. Cultural profile from Completing Organizational
Culture Assessment Questionnaire

6. A culture profile illustrates the
following:
1. The dominant culture
2. The strength of the dominant culture (the amount of
points given)
3. Discrepancy between present and preferred culture
4. The congruency of the six features. Cultural
incongruence frequently leads to a desire to change,
because different values and goals can take a lot of
time and debate
5. Evaluation of the culture profile with the average for
the sector
6. Comparison with average tendencies; in what phase
of development is the organization?

7. Trompenaars cultural dimensions
Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner
(1997) classified cultures along a mix
of behavioural and value patterns.
Their research focuses on the cultural
dimensions of business executives.
In their book "Riding The Waves of
Culture" (1997), Trompenaars and
Hampden-Turner identify seven value
orientations.

8. Note
• Some of these value orientations can be
regarded as nearly identical to Hofstede's
dimensions. Others offer a somewhat
different perspective.

9. TROMPENAARS AND HAMPDEN-
TURNER'S 7 DIMENSIONS OF CULTURE
• They concluded that what distinguishes
people from one culture compared with
another is where these preferences fall
on each of the following seven
dimensions:

10. 7 DIMENSIONS
1. Universalism vs particularism.
2. Individualism vs communitarianism.
3. Specific vs diffuse
4. Neutral vs emotional.
5. Achievement vs ascription.
6. Sequential time vs synchronous time.
7. Internal direction vs outer direction.

11. Trompenaars’ Cultural Dimensions
• Universalism: belief that ideas and practices
can be applied everywhere in the world
without modification
– In countries with high universalism, focus is more
on formal rules, business contracts are adhered
to closely, people believe “a deal is a deal”
– Includes Canada, U.S., Germany, U.K.,
Netherlands, France, Japan, Singapore, Thailand,
and Hong Kong.
VS.Universalism Particularism

12. Trompenaars’ Cultural Dimensions
• Particularism: belief that circumstances
dictate how ideas and practices should be
applied and something cannot be done the
same everywhere
– In countries with high particularism, legal
contracts often modified, well-acquainted people
often change the way in which deals are executed
– Includes China and South Korea
VS.Universalism Particularism

13. Universalism vs. Particularism

14. Trompenaars’ Cultural Dimensions
• Individualism: people regard themselves as
individuals
– In countries high on individualism, people stress
personal and individual matters, and are more likely
to make negotiated decisions on the spot by a
representative, achieve things alone and assume
great personal responsibility
– Includes Canada, Thailand, U.K., U.S., Netherlands,
France, Japan, China, Singapore, and Hong Kong
VS.Individualism Collectivism

15. Trompenaars’ Cultural Dimensions
• Collectivism: people regard themselves as
part of a group
– In countries high on communitarianism, people
value group-related issues, refer decisions to
committees, achieve things in groups and jointly
assume responsibility
– Includes Malaysia and Korea
VS.Individualism Collectivism

16. Individualism vs. Collectivism

17. Trompenaars’ Cultural Dimensions
• Neutral: culture in which emotions are held in
– In high neutral culture countries, people try not to show
their feelings, act stoically and maintain their composure
– Includes Japan and the U.K.
• Emotional: culture in which emotions are expressed openly and
naturally
– In high emotional culture countries, people smile a great
deal, talk loudly when excited and greet each other with
enthusiasm
– Includes Mexico, the Netherlands and Switzerland
VS.Neutral Emotional

18. Neutral vs. Emotional

19. Trompenaars’ Cultural Dimensions
• Specific culture: individuals have a large
public space shared with others and a small
private space they guard closely and share
only with close friends and associates
– In high specific cultures, people are more open
and extroverted, and there is a strong separation
of work and private life
– Includes Austria, U.K., U.S. and Switzerland
VS.Specific Diffuse

20. Trompenaars’ Cultural Dimensions
• Diffuse culture: public and private space are
similar in size, individuals guard public space
carefully because it is shared with private
space
– In high diffuse cultures, people often appear to
be indirect and introverted, and work and private
life often are closely linked
– Includes Venezuela, China, and Spain
VS.Specific Diffuse

21. Specific vs. Diffuse

22. Trompenaars’ Cultural Dimensions
• Achievement culture: status is accorded
based on how well people perform their
functions
– Includes Austria, U.S., Switzerland and the U.K.
• Ascription culture: status is based on who or
what a person is
– Includes Venezuela, Indonesia, and China
VS.Achievement Ascription

23. Achievement vs. Ascription

24. Trompenaars’ Cultural Dimensions
• Sequential approach
– People do only one activity at a time, keep appointments
strictly, prefer to follow plans as laid out (United States)
• Synchronous approach
– People tend to multi-task, view appointments as
approximate, schedules are seen as subordinate to
relationships (France, and Mexico)
• Present oriented/future oriented
– Future is more important (U.S., Italy, and Germany
– Present is more important (Venezuela, Indonesia, and Spain
– All three time periods equally important (France and
Belgium)
Time

25. Sequential vs. Synchronic

26. Trompenaars’ Cultural Dimensions
• Inner-directed: people believe in controlling
outcomes
– Includes U.S., Switzerland, Australia, Belgium,
Indonesia, Hong Kong, Greece, Singapore, and
Japan
• Outer-directed: people believe on letting
things take their own course
– Includes China and many other Asian countries
The Environment

27. Internal vs. External control

28. Geert Hofstede
Defining culture in 6 dimensions, based on research
at IBM:
• Power distance index
• Individualism
• Uncertainty avoidance index
• Masculinity
• Long term orientation
• Indulgence versus gratification

29. Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions
Power Distance
• Power distance: The extent to which less powerful members
of institutions and organizations accept that power is
distributed unequally
– High power distance countries: people may blindly obey the orders of
their superiors and are less likely to question authority. Companies
tend to use centralized decision-making and tall organization
structures (many levels of management)
– Low power distance countries: flatter and decentralized organization
structures, smaller ratio of supervisors. Employees are more likely to
question their bosses. Participative management may be used.

30. Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions
Individualism and Collectivism
• Individualism: Tendency of people to look after themselves
and their immediate family only
– Countries high in individualism: High individual initiative.
Promotions are based on achievement. Salaries are
based on market value.
• Collectivism: Tendency of people to belong to groups or
collectives and to look after each other in exchange for
loyalty
– Countries high in collectivism: Low individual initiative.
Salaries and promotions may be based on seniority

31. Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions
Uncertainty Avoidance
• Uncertainty avoidance: Extent to which people feel
threatened by ambiguous situations and have created
beliefs and institutions that try to avoid such situations
– High uncertainty avoidance countries: people have high need for security,
strong belief in experts and their knowledge, more written rules and
procedures, less risk taking by managers
– Low uncertainty avoidance countries: people are more willing to accept
risks associated with the unknown, fewer written rules and procedures,
more risk taking by managers, higher employee turnover, more ambitious
employees

32. Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions
Masculinity and Femininity
• Masculinity: the dominant social values are success, money
and things
– Countries high in masculinity: People place great
importance on earnings, recognition, advancement,
challenge, and wealth. High job stress.
• Femininity: the dominant social values are caring for others
and the quality of life
– Countries high in femininity: great importance on
cooperation, friendly atmosphere, employment security,
and the natural environment. Low job stress.

33. Hofstede’s cultural dimensions- the
new 5th and 6th Elements
• Long-term vs. short-term orientation. Long-term emphasizes practice and
practical value. Short-term focus their content on truth and the certainty
of beliefs. Countries which scored highly on Confucian work dynamism or
long-term orientation exhibited a strong concern with time along a
continuum and were therefore both past- and future oriented, with a
preoccupation with tradition but also a concern with the effect of actions
and policies on future generations.
• A sixth dimension has now been added Indulgence versus gratification-
Indulgence stands for a society that allows relatively free gratification of
basic and natural human drives related to enjoying life and having fun.
Restraint stands for a society that suppresses gratification of needs and
regulates it by means of strict social norms.

34. More Information
• Visit Hofstede’s website and compare 2 countries:
• https://geert-hofstede.com/national-culture.html
Video
• Hofstede's cultural dimensions by Ashesh
Manandhar 3m 07s all 6 dimensions
• https://youtu.be/rBxCUZnRSjA

35. The cultural web
The cultural web shows the behavioural,
physical and symbolic manifestations of a
culture that inform and are informed by the
taken-for-granted assumptions, or paradigm,
of an organisation-Johnson & Scholes

36. The Cultural Web
A cultural web (Johnson et al., 2008) is a useful
device for highlighting the different strands of an
organisation's culture. These include:
• symbols
• rituals and routines
• stories
• power structures and organisational structures
• control systems

37. Cultural Web

38. Cultural Web
There are 6 interrelated areas
• Routines and rituals - routines are 'the way things are done around here' and may even
demonstrate a beneficial competency. They can be the written or unwritten rules of the game
within the organisation.
• Stories and myths - that employees tell one another and others about the organisation, its history
and personalities; used to communicate traditions, standards and role models.
• Symbols - such as logos, offices, cars, titles, type of language and terminology commonly used
become a shorthand representation of the nature of the organisation.
• Power structure - formal or informal power or influence by virtue of position, control of resources,
who the person knows, or history. This may be based on management position and seniority but in
some organisations power can be lodged with other levels or functions.
• Organisational structure - reflects the formal and informal roles, responsibilities, and relationships
and ways in which the organisation works. Structures are likely to reflect power.
• Control systems - the measurement and reward systems that emphasise what is important to
monitor and to focus attention and activity upon.
• The paradigm is at the centre-The paradigm is the set of assumptions held in common and taken for
granted in an organisation.

39. Routines ...
• … are the scheduled and deliberate
practices of day-to-day life in an
organisation
• … ensure the smooth running of the
organisation

40. Rituals ...
• … are used to reinforce routines
• … include induction and training
courses
• … and routines will be very clear and
important in strong culture
organisations

41. Stories...
• … represent an organisation’s history
• … highlight significant events and people in
the past

42. Stories ...
• … are told to new organisational members
by existing members
• … highlight acceptable and unacceptable
behaviour in the organisation

43. Symbols ...
• … represent the power an individual has in
an organisation
• … indicate the value of an individual to the
organisation

44. Power structures ...
• … are groups of individuals with power
underpinned by a common set of values
and beliefs
• … often based on technical or professional
expertise

45. Organisational structure ...
• … determines where the power will
exist in the organisation
• … simple structure - power rests with
the owner
• …functional structure - power rests
with senior management

46. Organisational structure ...
• … divisional structure - power is
spread throughout the organisation
• … matrix structure - power rests with
individuals in the matrix

47. Control systems ...
• … monitor what is important to the
organisation
• … can monitor money, budgets, people -
rewards systems, work - efficiency and
effectiveness