Organizational Development, Action Research

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1. Organizational culture consists of organizational values, vision, working language, systems, beliefs and habits. It includes the norms, of the company. Culture creates common ground for team members. It provides a language for interpreting events and issues. The culture creates order in organizations. The organizational members understand what is expected of them. For example, an organization culture includes wearing formal clothes during working hours. The organizational members know that they are expected to wear formal clothing. The culture provides a direction continuity, and unity to the organization. At another level culture provides behaviors and strategies that support the goals of the company. For example, a company's culture is to be courteous to its customers. This behavior directly supports the company's goals of developing positive relationships with customers and increasing the sales revenue. Culture develops when the leadership supports some values. Further, when the organization supports some assumptions it forms culture. For example, an organization may support the assumption of making the best quality products. If these assumptions are supported by the organizational leadership, working towards the best quality becomes the unspoken assumption in the company. Norms are a set of beliefs that an organization has. These beliefs guide the organization in its everyday dealings and working. Norms help decision making and allow organizational members be efficient and consistent. Norms are an integral part of organizational culture. In some cases norms can become barriers to organizational change. This happens when the team members do not want to let go of some deeply held beliefs.

2. Action research is a process of inquiry carried out by and for those taking action. Action ...