15 April 2013

HR MANAGEMENT - How Organization Culture Affects Work Performance






HOW ORGANIZATION CULTURE AFFECTS WORK PERFORMANCE

By Faudzil Harun


The organization culture has a powerful influence throughout the organization. It affects everything that goes on in the organization, from the way the employees dress and greets each other, to even the basis of promotion within the organization, and how decision are made.

The organization’s culture has an impact on the employee’s degree of satisfaction with the job as well as on the level and quality of their performance. An employee for example, who seeks an environment where his inputs are important, will be happy in an organization where employee’s suggestion is taken seriously. On the other hand, an employee who believes that “the boss is always right” and prefer to be told what to do rather than making his own decision would choose to perform at the minimal capacity just to safeguard his employment.

Strong organizational culture is where every employee knows what is expected of them. In a strong culture, the system of the rules is widely shared and accepted and these spell out how people are to behave. When people know what is expected of them, there is little time wasted in deciding how to act in a given situation.

In an organization where the culture is weak, people are confused and unsure as to how they should act. Thus mush time is wasted in trying to figure out what is expected of them. The management will then be spending much time in rectifying problems.

A strong culture will also allow employees to feel better about the organization and motivate them to work harder. The culture becomes a way of life that enables employees to identify with the organization and have sense of belonging.

The impact of a strong culture on productivity can be tremendous. The culture removes a great deal of uncertainty. Thus strong organization culture will inspire the people towards high quality performance.



“Only highly motivated people are keen in seeing quality in their work.”

- Faudzil Harun -