| A Proposed Model of Total Quality Culture in Organizations |
| | Detert, James R. | U. of Minnesota | jdetert@csom.umn.edu | (612)-625-1046 |
| | Schroeder, Roger | U. of Minnesota | rschroeder@csom.umn.edu | (612)-624-9544 |
| | Mauriel, John | U. of Minnesota | jmauriel@csom.umn.edu | (612)-624-5845 |
| | In this article, we address the relatively unsubstantiated claim that there is an important relationship between organizational culture and the ability to successfully implement Total Quality Management (TQM) programs in organizations. This relationship has not been adequately explored in the literature due to the lack of a comprehensive framework for defining and measuring the values and beliefs at the root of specific types of organizational cultures. In this article, we present a synthesis of the general dimensions of organizational culture used in research to date and outline how these correspond to what we argue are the specific values and beliefs underlying TQM practice. These TQM values and the accompanying propositions provide a first step toward future empirical research aimed at understanding the relationship between organizational culture, TQM implementation, and organizational outcomes. |
| | Keywords: TQM; Culture |
| Disentangling Subcultures: The Differentiated Influence of Societal and Organizational Factors |
| | Greenberg, Danna N. | Boston College | dgreenberg@mediaone.net | (617)552-2613 |
| | Although organizational culture may have initially been portrayed as a force for organization-wide solidarity with all
organizational members sharing the same cultural understanding, today organizational culture is frequently described as
being comprised of multiple overlapping, nested cultures (Stevenson & Bartunek, 1996). Martin (1992) labels this portrayal
of culture as the differentiated framework with researchers focusing their attention on the subcultures that comprise an
organization. In studying organizational subcultures, researchers have tended to focus on generating comparative descriptions
of the diverse subcultures that coexist in an organization or on exploring how these diverse subcultures impact other
organizational processes. Yet, there has been limited research that investigates issues related to subculture formation.
In this study, the interpretive literature regarding the development of shared understanding provides the theoretical foundation
for exploring such issues. Two theoretical perspectives, the demographic perspective and the structuralist perspective, are
developed, contrasted, and integrated in order to: 1) identify the underlying factors that influence subculture formation; and
2) explain why the influence of these factors varies across different organizational contexts. To address these research
questions, qualitative and quantitative data were gathered from five offices spanning four countries of a multinational
information systems consulting firm. The findings from this study are used to develop a differentiated model of subculture
formation and to build upon current conceptualization of the frameworks and definitions of organizational culture.
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| | Keywords: culture |
| Social differentiation and cultural convergence as competing and co-existing organizational processes |
| | Anderson, Ruth A. | Duke U. | ruth.anderson@duke.edu | 919 684-3786 |
| | Allred, Charlene A. | Duke University | allre006@mc.duke.edu | (919) 684-3786 |
| | Owensby, Sue | | SueOwensby@aol.com | (512) 459-1671 |
| | McDaniel, Reuben R. | U. of Texas, Austin | mcdaniel@mail.utexas.edu | (512) 471-9451 |
| | We tested hypotheses concerning the effect of social differentiation (age and race/diversity group membership) and cultural
convergence (organizational membership and tenure) on employee perceptions of management practices. Hypotheses were
supported with the three-way interactions explaining greatest differences in perceptions. In terms of complexity theory and
social exchange theory, the study demonstrated organizations as complex adaptive systems, with co-existing, yet competing,
processes of social differentiation and cultural convergence. We discuss implications for successful organizational adaptation,
practice and research. |
| | Keywords: complexity theory; diversity; cultural convergence |