The Culture and Social Structure of an Organization - Case Study Example

Introduction Before exploring the culture and the structure of the organization I am familiar with, it is imperative to understand the meaning and the elements of organizational culture and structure. Organizational culture is defined as a pattern of developed, discovered and invented shared basic assumptions by a group of people that guides the group in the day to day running of their affairs (Mohr, 2006). This includes the manner in which the group is able to cope and solve internal integration and external adaptation problems that crop up in the course of carrying out organizational functions. Organization culture can also be defined as the set of shared norms and values shared by groups and people in the organizational setting that control the manner in which group members interact. Thus, an organizational culture influences the feeling, thinking and the perception of people regarding the problems that arise in the organization. On the other hand, organizations structure is defined as the hierarchical framework within which duties, rights, line of authority and communication are arranged in the organization. Organization structure affects the extent and the manner in which responsibilities, power and roles are delegated, co-ordinated and controlled and how the flow of information in the organizational management takes place (Mohr, 2006). The strategy chosen to achieve the organizational objectives is the key determinant of the structure adopted in the organization. The structure of the organization affects the activities carried out in the organization in two ways (Mohr, 2006). First, it provides the routines and operating procedures upon which activities in the organization are based. Second, it spells out the participation processes of people in the decision making processes. From the above definitions it is evident that organization culture and structure are core elements in organizational processes as they affect significantly the manner the operation of the organization. In this paper, I will explore the organizational culture and structure of church where I fellowship. Organization The organization under consideration is Lakewood Church. The church has more than 1000 members. This included the adults and children. Organizational culture As defined above, culture is the way things are done in the organization. According Schein (2004) organizational culture can be viewed from three different perspectives including what can be heard, seen and felt (Schein, 2004, p.17). At Lakewood Church, culture can be viewed from these three perspectives. This includes the attributes of the organization that can be heard, felt and seen in the church. What can be seen, heard and felt in the church include the artefacts such as church offices, church facilities, the dressing code of the church members, church mission statement and slogans and the church creed as well as the interaction of the church members (Jacobides, 2007). The church has four main offices occupied by the senior pastor of the church, the deputy senior pastor, the church boardroom and the secretary’s office where enquiries are made. Among the facilities available in the church include the parking bay for all church members and the playing ground for the children and their parents. The church mission statement is stated as follows “To Deliver the Word of God to the Whole World”. The church members have varied dressing modes depending on gender. The female gender puts on long dresses while the male gender wears trousers. Members of the church interact directly with one another before, during and after the church service (Jacobides, 2007). This is evident in the way people communicate, shake hands, and hag each other. Every church member must greet his/her neighbour in the church. These elements form the material aspect of Lakewood church culture. The non-material aspects of the church’s culture include the shared values. One of the shared values evident among the members of the church includes loyalty. Every church member demonstrates loyalty towards church leadership. This is evident in the manner in which church members undertake their duties and responsibilities as instructed by the senior pastor and other church leaders. The other shared values include impressions of individuals, assumptions and beliefs that church members have towards the church. This is evident in the amount of supportiveness and trustworthiness expressed by church members towards the church in terms of monetary contributions and other types of material and non-material contribution towards the church’s activities. This is also evident from the positive attitudes of the church members towards the church. The third aspect of Lakewood culture includes the professed moral standards observed by the church members. Although, the moral standards are not discussed in the church, it is evident that church members conduct their affairs from a high moral stand view always observing the bible teachings taught to them by the church leadership (Jacobides, 2007). This includes loving each other unconditionally and helping those in need. The close relationship between the married couples is an evidence of the high moral standards observed by the members of Lakewood church. Other elements of the church culture include socialization of new members into the church. New members are officially welcomed by the senior pastor into the church every during Sunday services and they are given identification forms where they fill their personal details and their residential details (Black, 2003). This information is used to make follow ups on such members in order to integrate them fully into the church. Among the symbols that define the church culture include the church design and logo as well as facilities such as executive washrooms and parking sites. Among the routines and rituals that define the church culture include the regular meetings held by different church groups such as the choir, the board of directors and the praise and worship team. The church has a control system that comprise of individuals drawn from different church groups. The function of the control system is to control and monitor how different activities are carried out in the church. The feedback from the control system is used to make decisions that impact on the whole church membership (Black, 2003). The unruly church members are not ex-communicated from the church; rather proper disciplinary channels are followed to ensure that such church members are made disciplined without harassing them. The offences that attract disciplinary action include stealing church resources and actions that go contrary to the moral standards of the church. Organization structure As defined above, organizational structure defines the manner in which duties, roles and responsibilities are shared among different individuals in the organization. It is imperative to note that Lakewood church is divided into several departments and workgroups. The bureaucratic organizational structure is the most evident type of structure in the church. This is because the church structure is characterized by respect for experience and merit, clearly defined responsibilities and roles performed by different church departments or church groups and a hierarchical structure with the senior pastor being the highest in the hierarchy (Black, 2003). The church departments or groups include praise and worship, church choir, children department, department of welfare services, outreach services department, evangelism department, the finance department, construction and building department, the transport department and store department (Parker, 2000). The formal structure of the church includes the functions and mechanism of reporting. The church departments report directly to the group matron/chairman or chairperson. The different chairpersons/matrons that head the different groups in the church form the church executive committee that reports directly to the board of directors (Parker, 2000). The board of directors is headed by the senior pastor together with the deputy senior pastor who makes key decisions pertaining to the functions and operations of the church. Other members of the church’s BOD include the matrons of the different church departments and groups (Shein, 2004). Feedback from the BOD is relayed down the hierarchy through formal communication memos to the members of the church groups. Respect for merit is highly observed in all appointments with formal interviews performed on every individual that leads a church group. However, informal structure can also be observed in the church particularly in the formation and the membership of different church groups and departments. This is particularly the case in departs such as welfare services, church choir, praise and worship and evangelism where membership is not based on merit (Shein, 2004). Membership to such groups is voluntary and based on individuals’ willingness to perform activities in the church. The formal rule in the church is that the BOD is responsible for decision making process and every other group must adhere to the decisions made by the church’s BOD. In order to reach the senior pastor for counselling and other personal issues, the church member must make formal appointments through any of the group matrons. The group matron must forward the request to the executive committee who informs the senior pastor regarding the appointment. In conclusion, it is evident from the above report that Lakewood Church ha both material and non-material culture. The material culture includes the design and the symbols available in the church such as church facilities, offices and the church mission statement and logo as well. The non-material culture comprises of the moral standards, believes, loyalty, supportiveness and trustworthiness of the members towards the church and church leadership. Lakewood Church has a bureaucratic structure characterised by clearly defined responsibilities and roles, respect for experience and merit and a hierarchical structure in decision making process. REFERENCES Black, R. (2003). Organizational Culture: Creating the Influence Needed for Strategic Success, London UK. Jacobides, M. (2007). The inherent limits of organizational structure and the unfulfilled role of hierarchy: Lessons from a near-war. Organization Science, 18, 3, 455-477. Mohr, L. (2006). Explaining Organizational Behaviour. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers. Parker, M. (2000). Organizational Culture and Identity. London: Sage. Shein, E. (2004). Organizational Culture and Leadership: A Dynamic View. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. pp. 17 Read More