Organizational Culture in Action

This book is a practical guide to "reading" the culture of organizations and to understanding the implications of culture for organizational effectiveness. Sharing their experiences from over 25 years of consulting and teaching, the authors make the process of cultural analysis practical and applicable. Beginning with an explanation of the theories of organizational culture, the book provides guidance on collecting information, leading students through qualitative research methods of observation, interviewing, and analyzing written texts. Students come away equipped to apply cultural insights to fostering diversity, supporting organizational change, making leadership more dynamic, understanding the link between ethics and culture, and achieving personal growth.

Key Features

· Application activities are integrated throughout each chapter: Inviting students to apply the concepts learned, these activities can also be used in class or for assignments.

· Four contexts chapters contain topical cases and examples: These chapters demonstrate the value of cultural analysis as students consider the implications for change, ethics, diversity, and leadership.

· Includes numerous real-life examples: Based on the authors′ extensive consulting experience, these examples help students see the material applied in context.

· NEW! Expanded discussion of ethics with related cases, and sections on multicultural organizations, generational diversity, the use of dialogue groups, and intercultural training bring the text thoroughly up to date.

Dr. Gerald W. Driskill (Ph.D., University of Kansas; M.A., & B.A., Abilene Christian University)is an Associate Professor of Speech Communication at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He has taught graduate classes in Organizational Culture and Intercultural Communication since 1993 at UALR. He has taught Managerial Communication in Bangkok, Thailand and has also published a number of organizational communication articles from observation and interview transcript analysis in a multinational firm to analysis of communication patterns in day care cultures. He has served as a President of the local chapter of ASTD (American Society for Training and Development). The workbook grew from his collaboration with Dr. Brenton as he received positive feedback from mid-level managers and others in the ASTD network that used the course material in their own organizations.   Gerald continues to teach in the areas of organizational and intercultural communication. On campus he continues to take a lead role in internationalizing the curriculum. His current participant observer research focuses on communication and unity among religious, non-profit, and government organizations engaged in community building. This research provides a window into issues relevant to leaders creating a culture of community mindedness within their organizations. Dr. Angela Laird Brenton (Ph.D., University of Kansas M.A., University of Oklahoma, B.S.E. & B.A., Oklahoma Christian University) is Dean of the College of Professional Studies at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She has taught graduate classes in Organizational Culture since 1982 at UALR, Pepperdine University, Abilene Christian University, and Southwest Missouri State University. She has published a number of articles using qualitative research methods to study organizational communication--from critical linguistic analysis of organizational texts to analysis of organizational identification. She collaborated on the workbook with Dr. Driskill using materials she has developed over the years of teaching and consulting in the areas of organizational culture.     Angi, with her current administrative duties as dean of an eight-department college, teaches primarily in the area of conflict analysis and mediation and plans future writing projects in that field. She is particularly interested in conflict analysis in religious and non-profit organizations, as well as developing consensus in public policy disputes. She has been appointed as a founding faculty member of the Clinton School of Public Service, associated with the Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock, and is currently developing a course in Communication Process and Conflict Transformation for that innovative master′s in public service.