Examining organizational culture with the ocai model with the example of a higher education institution (original) (raw)

STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION OF ORGANIZATION CULTURE AT A FACULTY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

The current study uses an adapted version of Cameron and Quinn's OCAI questionnaire to test the organisational culture of the Faculty of Science and Technology at the University of Debrecen, Hungary, as it is perceived by its students, and also to discover what type of organisational culture the same students think would be ideal for them. An additional objective of this paper is to identify possible gaps between the perceived and the ideal cultures expressed by the students. Our sample includes 128 questionnaires completed by bachelor students from 6 different majors at the faculty. According to our results, the respondents perceive to a significant degree that the faculty's organisational culture is at an average level of clan, market and hierarchy cultures, while it also exhibits a relatively low level of the adhocracy culture. Their ideal faculty culture would be one with average adhocracy, average hierarchy, high clan and low market features. Significant gaps are identified between the perceived and ideal cultures in all the four types: students would prefer an increase in clan and adhocracy cultures, and a decrease in the other two cultures. Keywords: organizational culture, higher education, Competing Values Framework, Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument (OCAI) J.E.L. codes: M14, I23 1. Introduction Organizational culture is ever-present and exists in every organization. Several empirical studies have found evidence of the significant impact of culture on organizational performance (Martinez et al, 2015). Our study is part of a research series at a Hungarian higher educational institution – the University of Debrecen (UD) – which aims to examine the organizational culture as students perceive it. In our research we used a widely accepted culture diagnostic method: the Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument (OCAI). This is a questionnaire-based instrument, invented for the Competing Values Framework (CVF), and developed by Cameron and Quinn (2006). Over the course of the research series, data have been and will be collected from different faculties of the UD. So far, only the data from the technical manager BSc students from the Faculty of Engineering (hereinafter UD-FE) have been analysed (Ujhelyi&Kun, 2016). In this paper, bachelor students on many different majors from the Faculty of Science and Technology (UD-FST) will be examined with similar methods. Therefore, we will be able not only to answer our main research questions, but also to compare the results of the two faculties. Our research questions are: 1. How do the students categorize the organizational culture of the, according to the Competing Values Framework? 2. According to the students, is there a significant gap between the preferred and perceived organizational culture of the UD-FST? If there is, how can this gap be described?

Differences in the Perception of Organizational Culture in Non-Public Universities in Poland by Academic and Administrative Staff – A Study Based on Cameron and Quinn's Model

Foundations of Management, 2021

The purpose of this paper is to present differences in the perception of current and desired organizational culture between two different types of workers – academic and administrative staff – in non-public universities in Poland. A synthetic review of the literature on organizational culture at universities and the workplace attitudes of the two groups of university employees was conducted and presented. Research in the form of a survey based on Cameron and Quinn's model was conducted in three non-public universities in Poland. A sample of opinions of 115 workers was gathered and analyzed. It was found in the study that according to academic workers, the present culture was market culture, whereas for administrative workers, it was hierarchy culture. Both groups chose clan culture as the preferred culture. The findings may be useful for higher education decision makers in their attempts to transform universities into market-oriented, yet friendly workplaces. The study's lim...

A Study of the Organizational Culture at a Higher Education Institution (Case Study: Plekhanov Russian University of Economics (PRUE))

2016

The article offers an analysis of the organizational culture at a higher education institution as in the case of the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, conducted in order to study the students’ involvement in this culture and to draw conclusions as to what organizational culture principles are internalized by the students. The study used survey methodology and the OCAI (Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument) tool. The article’s content is based on the methods of analyzing, synthesizing and aggregating the data acquired during the empirical study. The article concludes that, in the students’ opinion, a hierarchy culture prevails at the university and that the students potentially expect some changes in the style of that organizational culture; it should be pointed out that this piece of diagnostics sets the direction for further development in terms of which the progress of the university’s organizational culture will have to be consistently adjusted and stimulated.

Organizational Culture Type in Turkish Universities using OCAI: Perceptions of Students

Journal of Education Culture and Society, 2019

Aim. The aim of this research is to identify student perceptions of the current organizational culture type in four agship Turkish public universities. Its further goal after this diagnosis was to help the researchers and policy makers to deeply understand the actual situations and make recommendations for organizational culture change and educational innovations. Methods. We applied a mixed-method approach to collect data. The quantitative method consisted of 964 applications of the instrument of OCAI to bachelor students. The qualitative method included 19 semi-structured interviews to foll ow up and verify the results from the survey to have a deeper insight into Turkish HEIs. Results. The variety of ndings through survey and interviews revealed and validated that the dominant culture type of Turkish universities regarding students is hierarchy followed by market culture. It is probable that the national cultural structure of the Turkish society is a result of this nding. It appears that Turkey has a hierarchical workplace attributing control, order, authority, and smooth functioning. Conclusions. Based on student perceptions, this study can provide policy makers, academic leaders, academic staff and employees in administrative units with a broader knowledge of the current organizational culture type in universities in Turkey, and identify the strengths and weaknesses of organizational culture in universities and to improve the quality through making innovations.

Organizational Culture in Educational Institutions

2017

The concept of culture closely refers to a wide scope of effects on how individuals act in a group, an institution, or a public place. Chiefly, it covers a range of universal ideas, beliefs, values, behaviors, criterion, and measures which may be both explicit and implicit. The study on organizational culture has gained much attention among scholars in many areas of study, just like in educational field. Institutions have a model of behavior-a series of beliefs, attitudes, traditions, perspectives, principles and dogmas. The culture of an institution, which has a thorough effect on the performance, determines arrangements, decisions, human resources, and individuals' response to circumstantial challenges. Since the features of organizational culture are complicated and hard to assess as a terminology, a qualitative research design is commonly used for the studies on organizational culture. Yet, several research studies have displayed that it is quite possible to work on organizational culture by employing a quantitative research design. With all these in mind, based upon both quantitative and qualitative research designs, the purpose of this research is to determine the perceptions of the directors and staff of educational institutions on the organizational culture of the schools they work at. In order to obtain information on the mentioned aspect, a questionnaire and an interview were administered to primary, secondary, middle, and high school managers and their personnel. The findings of the study suggested a spectrum of perspectives on the mentioned terminology.

The Organizational Culture Dimensions – The Case of an Independent Private University in Macedonia

Studia Universitatis Babe-Bolyai Oeconomica, 2016

The objective of this study is to explore how the organizational culture as one of the most vital elements of any organization affects the success of an organization. In recent years, the organizational culture has become one of the most important areas of research. Researchers simultaneously examine the concept of organizational culture in different environments in order to develop credibility and productivity in the workplace. The effectiveness of a university and how well it operates depend, to a large extent, on how the university culture is formed. This research examines and takes in consideration the 6 Hofstede's cultural dimensions: process-oriented versus results-oriented; employee-oriented versus job-oriented; parochial versus professional; open system versus closed system, loose versus tight control, and normative versus pragmatic. The paper determines the dimensions that better represent the organizational culture of an independent private university. The study attemp...

An Empirical Study on the Effectiveness of Organizational Culture in the Higher Education in Malaysia

Organizational culture is a vital element of effective management practices in universities. Lately, researchers are motivated to study on the organizational concept to provide managerial effectiveness in the universities. Furthermore, one should analyse the typologies of organizational culture to understand the organizational behaviours in higher education institutions. The purpose of this study is to explore the concept of current organizational culture at private universities in Kuala Lumpur so the effective management strategies will be developed. The Competing Values Framework was employed to identify the organizational culture type displayed by the university faculty. This framework assesses the dominant organizational culture based on four culture types: Clan, hierarchy, adhocracy, and market. According to the results of this study, private university faculty exhibits hierarchy culture type as dominant in the current situation. The hierarchy culture represents University as an organization that concentrates on internal maintenance with stable and where individuals follow procedures, and leaders effectively coordinate and organise activity to maintain a smooth running organisation. However, the strategic objectives of University emphasize the attributes of mainly adhocracy and clan culture types and market culture to some extent. This implies that private University's mission, goals, and strategic objectives are not mostly being met with the dominant current culture type. On the other hand, the second dominant culture type for University is the market culture which is mostly adequate to the strategic objectives of the university. The market culture organization concentrates on results to be achieved and the competition is the significant attribute in this type. Researches on organizational culture indicate that mission, goals and strategic objectives of an organization shouldn't conflict with the current culture and they must work together to enhance effectiveness of the organization

Organizational Culture in Academic Institutions Hofstede’s Five Dimensions

2019

Organizational culture is a case that has a big attention in the world of globalization economy. Nowadays we can hear different kind of debates and also we can find a lot of research papers that are related with organizational culture. In most of research papers we can find different definitions of the organizational culture but in context the concept of culture means the same: “Culture is how organizations do things’.” — Robbie Katanga. Most simple cultures involve three basic human activities: what people think, what people do and what people make. Organizational culture has to be oriented in highly positive virtues, attitudes, and behavior of employees and management that are part of individuals who work together to achieve organizational goals in effective and efficient way. These individuals share their attitudes, values, beliefs between organization, with costumers and furniture and with the whole factors that directly or indirectly are related with the organization work. Orga...

Organizational Culture Types that Academicians Associate with Their Institutions

International Journal of Higher Education, 2018

This study, considering the sample of a university located in central Anatolia region, Turkey, aims to identify culture types that the academicians perceive in relevant with their institutions according to the 4 types of cultures (Clan, Adhocracy, Hierarchy, and Market) given in the Competing Values Framework by Cameron and Quinn. The study includes 205 academicians from different faculties and vocational schools as participants. The data was obtained from the Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument (OCAI) that has been prepared particularly for the research group. Analyzes of the data obtained in the study were carried out with statistical package programs as IBM SPSS Statistics 23 and Interactive Lisrel SSI 8.72. The demographic features of the academicians were determined with percentage and frequency analyzes and the mean and standard deviation statistics were used in determining the perception levels of organizational culture types which academicians associate with their u...

THE IMPACT OF ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE IN HIGHER EDUCATION. CASE STUDY

Journal of Intercultural Management and Ethics, 2019

The aim of this paper is to analyse the functioning of a faculty from different insiders' perspectives on academia, based on organizational culture. 'Insiders' in this case are academic leaders, evaluators, and students. Universities are complicated social organizations with characteristic cultures. On the one hand, academic freedom, critical thinking, and autonomy are protected values and, on the other hand, changing environmental conditions exert powerful impact on the primary functions of universities. Understanding of organizational culture is not a panacea to all problems in higher education. A deep understanding of culture, for example, will not automatically increase enrollments or increase quality of teaching or decrease corruption. This case study is employed for the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration (FEAA) within the "Alexandru Ioan Cuza" University (UAIC) in Iasi, Romania that faces the challenges of transition to democracy and free market economy. The findings of this paper suggests a close link between organizational culture and quality in state higher education.