Understanding organizational culture: A Soft Systems perspective

The concept of organizational culture is currently undergoing a great deal of discussion in the literature which considers organizations. This paper looks at its pragmatic value in relation to organizational analysis by using Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) in combination with descriptive cultural analysis and the findings of a case study on a small retailing firm. The case study is discussed in some detail. It shows that expanding the use of SSM to include the concept of organizational culture in the initial stages of investigation can have pragmatic value in clarifying seemingly discrepant activities in the organization. This clarification led to the making of “culturally feasible” recommendations for change in the organization. The concluding section of the paper explores the relationship between hierarchy and communication by using the concept of organizational culture (explored earlier). The necessity to adopt a systems perspective when looking at organizations from such a stance is expressed.

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