Final answer:
Organizational culture is a collective understanding of how an organization functions, consisting of values, hierarchies, norms, and employee interactions, managed by those within it.
Step-by-step explanation:
The organizational culture is a collective understanding of the way an organization operates, which is known and preserved by those who run it. Organizational culture encompasses various elements such as values, visions, hierarchies, norms, and interactions among employees. It includes observable artifacts like symbols and language, espoused values that represent endorsed concepts or beliefs, and basic assumptions that often remain unobservable and unquestioned.
These layers of an organization's culture significantly affect decision-making processes and overall operation, contributing to the industry it participates in and potentially varying across different departments within the same organization. Understanding organizational culture can be crucial in identifying the expectations of employers and finding the right fit for one's career development, even when the ideal organizational culture for someone may not always be accessible.