Final answer:
Organizational culture encompasses a company's shared values, beliefs, and attitudes that influence employee behavior, with layers such as observable artifacts, espoused values, and basic assumptions. It mirrors the broader societal culture in that it shapes collective life and behavior. Understanding an organization's culture is integral for both employees and companies to ensure a cohesive work environment.
Step-by-step explanation:
The term organizational culture refers to the collective values, beliefs, attitudes, and systems that shape behaviors within a company. It is the essence of how an organization operates and makes decisions, influenced by the industry it is part of and the visions it holds. Within organizational culture, there are three layers as identified by Ostroff, Kinicki, and Tamkins (2003): observable artifacts, espoused values, and basic assumptions. Observable artifacts include tangible expressions such as symbols and practices that reflect the deeper cultural underpinnings. Espoused values are publicly endorsed concepts that guide employees on preferred behaviors and decision-making. Basic assumptions, often unobservable, are the underlying truths taken for granted within the organization.
Culture goes beyond the workplace and is the set of practices, beliefs, and behaviors characteristic of a larger society. It encompasses how individuals collectively live, from mundane interactions to significant aspects of life. Since culture is learned, it involves the way people think and express themselves. In the context of a job, understanding an organization's culture can help anticipate questions in interviews and smooth the process of integration into the workplace. Successful socialization into workplace culture is crucial for both employees' and the company's success, as noted by organizational experts like Cebollero (2019).