Information, culture and structures

To have a perspective on the relations between three factors influencing tional life, we are forced to study what the influence of information is to tional culture and structures and what the meaning of structures is to tional culture and information. How does organization culture affect organiza-tional structures and information? Through this kind of reflection we are able to have a perspective on possible influences of these factors on organizational effi-ciency and total quality.

Organizational culture causing structures and information

Internal organization cultures are an organizational context in which structures are formed. Along with technology and size, it is a part of configuration of internal organizational factors. These factors have been formed in interaction to yield structure and to compose the context in which future structural arrangements are developed. (Hall 2005: 73)

Culture is a property of a group. Culture begins to form whenever there is enough common experience within group. Culture can be found at the level of families, workgroups and small teams. It can also be raised at the level of departments and functional groups. Culture can be found also at the level of a whole industry be-cause occupational backgrounds of the people in industry are wide. (Schein 1999:

13-14)

According Schein 1987, inefficient meetings and communication within organiza-tion in interrelaorganiza-tionship between people can be considered as a cultural problem.

This is happening because communication problems are actually caused by the differences in people’s way to observe and understand things because they belong to different subcultures. (Schein 1987: 57)

Organizational structures causing subcultures and information

It can be seen that if we consider culture as a group-related issue, we can also say that if we are creating groups through structures, we are then creating also subcul-tures. Subcultures can be defined as a subset of an organization’s members who are interacting regularly with one another, identify themselves as a distinct group within organization, sharing a set of problems which are commonly defined to be the problems of all and routinely take action on the basis of collective understand-ings unique to the group.(Hatch 1997: 226)

Subcultures within organization may relate directly to the structure of the organi-zation; as for example the differences between functional groups such as market-ing, operations and finance. (Johnson, Scholes & Whittington 2008: 195)

When having a perspective of a subculture, the view makes us aware of the many differences that show that multiple subcultures are coexisting within single or-ganization and that the oror-ganization culture is really formed by many fitted sub-cultures. (Hatch 1997: 226)

If we accept the existence of many subcultures, we can assume that very few be-liefs, values or attitudes are shared by all members within organization. A domi-nant culture is normally referred to as the organization’s culture. Subcultures are found in geographical areas and departments and reflect the common experiences or problems of employees. Sub-culture can include the core values of the domi-nant culture as well as the values unique to the area or department to which it re-lates. (McKenna 2006: 470-472)

Subcultures can often be stronger than the main culture and therefore they can influence attitudes, perceptions and behaviours of employees with a greater extent than main culture. (Bellou 2008: 499)

When designing the organizational structure and starting from the “clear table”, according to Galbraith (2001: 98), the designers of the organization and leaders can determine what kind of organizational culture they want to create. Also when doing the organizational change in existing organization, redesigning efforts have to recognize the large organization and the history, values and culture that have shaped it.(Galbraith 2001: 98)

Organization’s information causes cultures and maybe even structures

Communication is very clearly involved in the organization culture because with communication common culture is maintained. (Juholin 2006: 141)

With the development of communication and information technologies, new forms of organization structure have emerged as virtual organization, horizontal organization and network organization. There have been formed due to constant change of the world. (Nikolenko & Kleiner 1996: 23)

Cultural company involvement must be supported through good information and data systems. This issue is a must due the fact that realistic information is used for decision-making within meeting, and it has been clearly found that atmosphere has been more constructive due to good information quality. (Southern & Murray 1994: 35)

According the Desphane and Webster (1989), the marketing concept defines a certain organizational culture with a shared set of values and beliefs focused around the issue of importance of customer in the organization’s operations and strategy. Symbols are an outcome of the communications involved in the social interaction of people. These shared symbols allow for the continued interaction of individuals without the need to constantly renegotiate meaning. (Turner &

Spencer 1997: 110-112)

Because symbols are powerful, they can be used by managers for creating, chang-ing or preservchang-ing organizational behaviours and symbols. Symbols direct or elicit individual members’ values or feelings. When any element of organizational life functions in this way, it acts as a symbol. In organization, symbols can take nu-merous forms including artefacts or physical symbols as well as slogans, stories, language and specialised vocabularies. (Turner & Spencer 1997: 114-115) Subculture and culture development can be considered to be similar for large or-ganization. Leaders at the mid-level of the organization must accomplish the issue of social development task without trappings of the official organization. They must settle on a value foundation, communicate that to selected staff, and cause a change in their behaviours and attitudes without resorting to official mechanisms.

(Fairholm 2001: 75)

Organization cultures are created and re-created by organization members through interaction processes. (Nicotera, Clinkscales &Walker 2003: 2)

Mukherji (2002: 506) suggests that information has a remarkable impact on or-ganization structures. Changes in oror-ganizational structure, decision-making

proc-esses and strategy have been possible because of changes in computer design and technology. It is possible to explain many inter-organizational relationships through computer technology. Information technology is making it possible to play roles in market which were not possible before.

According to Mallak et al (2003), strong cultures can only be created through visible, consistent leadership and role modelling, consistent feedback on perform-ance - negative and positive - to ensure that personnel know what is allowed and what is not; constant communication about what is really important within or-ganization is necessary. (Mallak et al. 2003: 34-35)

Working community is defined by Tukiainen (2001:47) as a group of people in a specific part of organization. The group has come together for administrative or functional reasons and may create its own subculture in an organization. Commu-nity’s communication has a relationship to the communication in other working communities within organization.

10.6 Summary of the theory; assumptions for further