Social System and Organizational

Culture

Social System

• is a “complex” set of human relationships interacting in many ways

Understanding a Social System

• A social system is a complex set ofhuman relationships interacting in manyways.

• Within a single organization, the socialsystem includes all the people in it andtheir relationships to one another and tothe outside world.

Why Complex?

1. Behaviour of one affects the behaviour of others

2. It is an “open system”

Social Equilibrium

• A system is said to be in socialequilibrium when its interdependentparts are in dynamic working balance.

• Equilibrium is a dynamic concept, not astatic one. Despite constant change andmovement in every organization, thesystem’s working balance can still beretained.

Social Equilibrium/Disequilibrium

Equilibrium

• when there is a dynamic working balance among its interdependent parts

Disequilibrium

• When the interdependent parts system are working against each other

Psychological and Economic Contracts

• ECONOMIC CONTRACT- where time, talent, energy are exchanged for wages, hours and reasonable working conditions.

• PSYCHOLOGICAL CONTRACT –the conditions of each employee’s psychological involvement-both contributions and expectations- with the social system

The Result of the Psychological Contract & The Economic Contract

Economic Contract

Psychological Contract

Employer:• Expected Gains• Rewards offered

Employee:If expectations are met: Job satisfaction High performance LoyaltyIf not:The opposite

Employer:If expectations are met:• Employee retention• Possible promotionIf not: Corrective

Action;discipline Possible separation

Employee:• Expected Gains• Intended

Contributions

Psychological contract builds upon the concept of “exchange theory’

Whenever a continuing relationship exists between two parties, each person regularly examines the rewards and costs of that interaction. In order to remain positively attracted to the relationship, both parties must believe that a net positive ratio (rewards to costs) exists from their perspective.

Social Culture

Social CultureAn environment of human-created beliefs, customs, knowledge and

practices• SOCIAL- is the behaviour of people when they

act in accordance with the expectations of others

• CULTURE-is the conventional behaviour of her society and it influences all her actions even though it seldom enters her conscious thoughts

Culture differences

Some of the ways in which culture differ includes:

• Patterns of decision making

• Respect for authority

• Treatment for females

• Accepted leadership styles

**Manager’s must know

Cultural Diversity

Cultural Diversity

Job related-(organizationally created)

• Types of work

• Rank

• Physical proximity to one another

Non job related-

(arise primarily from individual’s personal background)

• Ethnicity

• Culture

• Socioeconomic

• Sex

• race

Culture Diversity

• Differences need to be recognized, acknowledged, appreciated, and used to collective advantage.

***

• Culture adaptable

• Culture dependent

• This cultural diversity or rich variety of differences among people at work, raises the issue of fair treatment for workers who are not in positions of authority.

• Problems may persist because of a key difference in this context between Discrimination And prejudice.

• Discrimination is generally exhibited as an action, whereas prejudice is an attitude.

• Either may exist without the other. The law focuses on an employer’s actions, not feelings.

• If actions lead to what is legally determined

to be results, such actions are unlawful regardless of the employer’s alleged good intentions.

Prejudice and Discrimination

• Prejudice is a system of negative beliefs, feelings, and action-orientations regarding a certain group or groups of people.

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Prejudice and Discrimination

Prejudice- means “prejudgment”, and unjustifiable and usually negative attitude toward a group--often a different cultural, ethnic or gender group. It is a mixture of beliefs (overgeneralized - stereotypes), emotions (hostility, envy, or fear), and predispositions to action (to discriminate).

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Prejudice and DiscriminationPsychology of Prejudice

• The psychology of prejudice examines the subjective state of individuals, noting three levels of prejudice:– Cognitive

– Emotional

– Action-orientation

• Some possible causes are self-justification, personality, and frustration aggression

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Prejudice and DiscriminationPsychology of Prejudice

• Cognitive- person’s beliefs and perceptions of group as threatening/non-threatening, inferior/ equal, seclusive/intrusive, impulse gratifying, acquisitive, or possessing positive or negative characteristics

• Emotional - feelings that a minority group arouses in an individual

• Action-orientation - positive or negative predisposition to engage in discriminatory behavior.

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Prejudice and DiscriminationPsychology of Prejudice

• Self-Justification- denigrating a person or group to justify maltreatment of them, leading to prejudice and discrimination against members of another group

• Authoritarian personality - harsh parental discipline, child tends to be insecure and nurture much latent hostility against the parent. As an adult, may demonstrate displaced aggression against a powerless group to compensate for their feelings of insecurity and fear.

• Frustration - result of relative deprivation in which expectations remain unsatisfied

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Prejudice and DiscriminationSociology of Prejudice

• The sociology of prejudice examines the objective conditions of society as social forces behind prejudiced attitudes.

• Some possible causes are--

– Socializations

– Competition

– Conformity to social norms

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Prejudice and DiscriminationStereotype

• A stereotype is an overcomplicated

generalization by which we attribute certain traits or characteristics to any person in a group without regard to individuals differences.

• Once established, stereotypes are difficult to eradicate, as several studies have shown.

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Prejudice and DiscriminationEthnophaulisms

• Ethnophaulisms are derogatory words or expressions used to describe racial or ethnic groups.

• Ethnic humor is often at the expense of a particular group, but may also serve to strengthen group cohesiveness, dissociate oneself from stereotypes of one’s group, or affirm oneself by pointing out the absurdity of one’s predicaments..

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Prejudice and DiscriminationSocial Prejudice

• Greater interaction and education do not necessarily reduce the level of prejudice in a society.

• Use of cooperative learning technique in a classroom setting has demonstrated an effective means of promoting better intergroup understanding and self-esteem

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Prejudice and Discrimination

• Discrimination is an action or practice of differential and unequal treatment of other groups of people, usually along racial, religious, or ethnic levels.

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Prejudice and Discrimination

• Like prejudice, discrimination also exists at different levels of intensity:

Verbal expression

Avoidance

Exclusion

Physical abuse

Extermination

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Social Culture Values

Social Culture ValuesWork ethics

• Views work as very important thing in life

• Views work as a desirable goal

• Likes work and is satisfied with it

Social Responsibility

• Is the recognition that organizations have significant influence on the social system and that influence must be properly considered and balanced in all organizational actions.

Work Ethics Declination

1. The proportion of employees having strong work ethic varies sharply among sample groups

2. The general level of the work ethic has declined gradually over many decades.

The importance of developing a strong work ethic and how

the work ethic you develop will impact your future as an

employee.

Work Ethic

What is Work Ethic?

The Definition:

a standard of conduct and values for job performance

Expectations

for Teachers

What are the traits of a winning teacher?

What does a school head want?

Top 10 Work Ethics

Attendance

Character

Team Work

Appearance

Attitude

Productivity

Organizational Skills

Communication

Cooperation

Respect

Role

What is a role?

Role

• is a pattern of expected actions• It reflects a person’s position with its

accompanyingRights and obligationsPower and responsibility

Function of Role in Social System:

“To anticipate other’s behaviour”

Roles perform by an employeeA leader An adviser A staff person

A Committeechairperson

A specialist A golfer

A follower A worker A club president

A stockholder A consumer An accountant

A spouse A subordinate A student

A parent A musician And more!!

Things to know

• Role Perception

• Role Flexibility

• Role conflict

• Role ambiguity

• Importance of mentorship program

Status

Status is social rank!!!

• The amount of the recognition, honor, esteem, and acceptance given to a person

Terms to remember

Status System/hierarchy

Status anxiety

Status deprivation

Status Relationship(Effect of Status)

High status people

– More influential

– Received more privileges

– More participative in group activities

– Interact more

– Opportunities for a better role in an organization

Status Symbols

• are the visible, external things that attach to a person or workplace and serve as evidence of social rank

• are most in evidence among different levels of managers

Typical Symbols of Status

• Furniture

• Interior decorations

• Location of workplace

• Facilities at workplace

• Quality and newness of equipment used

Typical Symbols of Status

• Type of clothes normally worn

• Privileges given

• Job title or organizational level

• Employees

• Degree of financial discretion

• Organizational membership

Sources of Status

• Person’s abilities

• Job skills

• Type of work also

• Amount of pay

• Seniority

• Age

• stock options

Organizational Culture

What is it?

Organizational Culture

• set of shared values and norms that characterise a particular organization

• organizational culture is a set of shared mental assumptions that guide interpretation and action in organizations by defining appropriate behavior for various situations. (Ravasi and Schultz (2006) )

Importance of OC

• Gives an organizational identity to employee

• Provides a sense of security to its members

• Helps newer employees interpret what goes on inside the organization

• Helps stimulate employees enthusiasm for their tasks

Characteristics of Cultures

• Distinctive

• Stable

• Implicit

• Symbolic

• No one type is best

• Integrated

• Accepted

• A reflection of top management

• Subcultures

• Of varying strength

Communicating and Changing Culture

• People are generally more willing to adapt and learn when they want to please others, gain approval and learn about their new work environment.

• Socialization affects employees

• Individualization affects the organization

Four Combinations of Socialization and Individualization

Conformity

Rebellion

Creative Individualism

Isolation

High

High

Low

Low Individualization(Impact of employee on organizational

culture deviation from norms)

Socialization(Impact of organizational

culture on employee acceptance of norms)

Synthesis

“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow

naturally forward in whatever way they like.”

Lao Tzu