Leadership and Organizational Culture - Free Essay Example

As members of an organization work towards achieving the set goals, they tend to adapt specific ways and methods to achieve the goals (Chang et al., 2015, p. 770). They gain specific values and practices. These practices are referred to as the organizational culture. As an intern in a law firm, I learned that specific cultural practices are impacted by the organizations founders. The founders choose the firms mission and defined the environmental context in which the members operate. Personal productivity determined the profitability of the organization as a whole. Team work was also encouraged. Members from different departments came together to solve cases that were challenging. A compensation system was established to reward members who had achieved the companys short-term goals. The rewards encouraged the members to work harder in their areas of expertise. The decision-making process was done at the corporate level. Junior partners and the interns had minimal participation in the decision making process. As a result, they were hindered from using their own initiatives in carrying out their duties. The authoritarian culture caused conflicts between the management and other membe rs of the organization. As a company develops, its cultural values are diversified and strengthened. The initial cultural values determine the organizations future (Dasgupta Vaghela, 2015, p. 27). To maintain these values, the organization hires individuals who can easily fit in. In the law firm, the leaders taught the new employees the way of doing things in the organization. Through the process of onboarding, the new employees learned the norms, values and behavioral patterns of the organization. Each new employee received a mentor who assisted them to become an organizational insider. Orientation programs were also carried out to introduce the new members to other employees. References Chang, Y. T., Su, C. T., Chen, R. Y., Yeh, C. Y., Huang, P. T., Chen, C. J., Chu, M. (2015). Association between organization culture, health status, and presenteeism.? Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine,? 57(7), 765-771. Dasgupta, M., Vaghela, D. (2015). Integrating Organization Culture with Corporate Sustainability Strategy: A Review.