Effect of Top Management on Organizational Culture
Randy Michaels brought a new culture to the Chicago Tribune as illustrated in the story. As the story shows, top management of an organization has the ability to influence organizational culture. This is because top management is expected to provide leadership, and personnel working under top management will view the conduct of top management as appropriate and will also start conducting themselves in similar manner. As illustrated in the story, when the conduct of the management is unethical, employees will also adopt unethical behavior since they will feel that top management has sanctioned such behavior. Behavior such as that exhibited by Randy Michaels would mean that employees would also start behaving in undisciplined manner. This ultimately affects business since the same conduct on customers and suppliers will force them to seek alternatives where they consider the behavior acceptable. In the long run, the organization loses business as a result of poor organizational culture.
Reaction to accusation of being sissy (Weak)
If an employee spoke up, he or she was accused of being sissy (weak). In such a situation, the best course of action would be to explain to the parties that make such accusations why their actions were wrong and needed change, and hence my speaking against them. I point out to such parties the reason the inclusion of sexual innuendo in communication within the organization was detrimental to all the stakeholders both in the short run and in the long run. I would also make my recommendations on how the situation could be changed to reflect positively on the organizational culture. If my proposals for change were declined, I would be forced to leave the organization since such a culture would be a source of harm both to me and to others. I would outline my objections to the direction the organizational culture was taking in a brief to employees before leaving the organization.
How to determine when a line has been crossed between fun and informal culture and one that is offensive and inappropriate
In determining when a line has been crossed to an offensive and inappropriate behavior, several methods can be employed. Equality is used often to determine what is ethical or not, and a culture causes inequality on any grounds, then the line has been crossed. If a culture demeans women and presents men as superior, then such a culture has definitely crossed the line to offensive and inappropriate. If a culture promotes unequal rewarding of effort, it has crossed the line to something offensive. A culture has crossed the line if it causes discomfort in others. A culture that repeatedly offends the sensibilities of others has crossed the line to inappropriate and needs to be changed. Merit can also be used to determine whether or not the line has been crossed. If an action does not accurately reflect the merit of the parties that are involved, then the line has been crossed. For example, if an action benefits individuals in an organization that did not merit and is detrimental to parties who merited receiving the benefits, then such an action would be unethical. The line is also crossed when standard moral tenets are broken. In any culture, there will be an established form and measure of morality. If an action breaks the rules set out in such a morality structure, then the line to inappropriate and offensive has been crossed.
