Literature Review

Literature Review

Table of Contents

Bellot, J. (2011). Defining and assessing organizational culture. Nursing Forum, 46(1)

 The author of this article presents a detailed assessment of the various issues characterizing the definition of organizational culture. According to the author, there is the absence of a single framework for defining the concept of organizational culture. Consequently, this creates a platform for controversy among different theorists. Among the most notable issues is the assessment framework for organizational culture (Bellot, 2011). Different specialists in organizational management use different tactics in assessing organizational culture.


From the article, the author is assertive that organizational culture exists. In essence, most organizational theorists subscribe to this assertion. For instance, Schein (1987) suggests that there are three main levels of organizational culture. The first level pertains to the use of underlying assumptions. The other two levels comprise of the assessment of values and artifacts that characterize the operational framework of organizations (Bellot, 2011). On his part, Schneider (2000) postulates that the three levels of organizational culture are values, rituals and symbols. These perspectives can strongly influence the nature of organizational culture. The article also highlights that the definition for organizational culture varies across different disciplines. For instance, sociology emphasizes on the cohesion of systems while business emphasizes on the role of leadership in organizational culture.


The issue of organizational climate conflicts extensively with organizational culture. This creates another avenue for controversy while defining organizational culture. Both qualitative and quantitative frameworks of research may be used to assess organizational culture. The quantitative framework facilitates for an effective empirical analysis of the different variables affecting organizational culture. The author also examines the applicability of organizational culture concepts in health care organizations. However, most concepts are based on the conventional corporations. Consequently, further research is essential in order to enhance the implementation framework.


Wolf, D. & Dulmus, C. (2012). Empirically supported treatment’s impact on organizational culture and climate. Research on Social Work Practice, 22(665)

This article describes the implications of empirically supported treatment (EST) upon organizational culture. In essence, the authors utilize a quantitative approach to investigate different attributes pertaining to organizational culture. In terms of defining the concept, the authors present organizational culture as a set of principles that characterize the operational framework of an organization. The nature of organizational culture has significant implications on overall operations in an organization. Consequently, organizational leader must work towards fostering an effective framework for organizational culture (Wolf et al, 2012).


For the study, the researchers use two different types of organizational settings. The first category comprises of large scale organizations which employ EST programs to streamline organizational culture. In contrast, the second category comprises of organizations which do not implement EST programs in the enhancement of organizational culture. After the survey, the authors establish that organizations which lack a framework for ESTs have a more effective organizational culture compared to the other category. Consequently, this implies that rigid frameworks for organizational culture do not guarantee results. These perspectives also apply to organizational climate. Empirical treatments contribute immensely towards suppressing the standards of morale in an organization (Wolf et al, 2012).


Without sufficient motivation, it is extremely difficult for organizations to attain an effective framework for organizational culture. According to the authors, it is fundamentally essential for organizations to enhance stability within the workforce.  The use of a self-reinforcing system is among the most effective strategies for attaining this goal. Based on the findings, EST programs can lead to a disruption of organizational culture as well as climate (Wolf et al, 2012). This is because it encompasses numerous complexities. Most employees might be uncomfortable with such complexities and thus result into the deterioration of organizational culture.


Freeman, J. (2011). From coercion to connection. Relational Child and Youth Care Practice, 24(1-2)

In this article, Freeman (2011) focuses on the implementation of change within an organization in order to enhance organizational culture. According to the author, change is an essential component of organizational culture. It facilitates for the establishment of the most effective leadership framework in line with the prevailing trends. In essence, the leader must prepare the employees adequately for the change process. It is possible to achieve this through training.

Staff development ensures that all employees are familiar with the implications of organizational culture. This is helpful in terms of averting potential conflicts during the implementation stage (Freeman, 2011). In order to change the culture within an organization, there are various significant aspects of consideration. Firstly, it is pertinent to ensure that all employees have tremendous value for respect. Within an organization, respect is an essential attribute that helps in mitigating likely conflicts.


Apart from respect, another essential component of aspect of organizational change is integrity (Freeman, 2011). It is fundamentally essential for employees to maintain the relevant standards of integrity.  In the article, the author also addresses the issue of alleviating restrictive environments in order to facilitate for the successful implementation of organizational culture. Some perspectives such as poor leadership mechanisms might serve as significant barriers towards the implementation of change (Freeman, 2011). The prevailing attitudes among employees are also pertinent in terms of streamlining the change process. Through regular training programs, prepare the entire workforce about the different aspect of the change process. Organizational leaders in the modern world should work strongly towards aligning their companies according to the prevailing challenges. Additionally, leaders must have the capacity to identify the most effective culture in line with organizational needs.


Allard, K. & Hwang, C. (2011). Family supportive organizational cultures. Gender, Work and Organization, 18(2)

This article assesses the implications of organizational culture on work-family conflicts. The nature of organizational culture has extensive implications upon the behavior of employees at the family level. Similarly, the family climate has substantial influence on the behavior of employees in the workplace. The researchers focus on working class fathers in the Scandinavian country of Sweden. Based on the research findings, support at the organizational level minimizes the likelihood of work-family conflicts. Although most participants categorize the workplace and family as distinct units, both have an extensive influence on each other (Allard, 2011). The absence of stability at the family level undermines the concentration of employees in the workplace. However, when organizational leaders establish family support programs, they significantly enhance the concentration standards among employees.


The article emphasizes on the significant role of organizational culture in the mitigation of work-family conflicts. For instance, the working environment should not cause unnecessary pressure to the employees. Most employees transfer work related stress into the family. Organizational leaders must be keen to establish an organizational culture that helps in promoting the wellbeing of employees. In the modern world, marriage is a significant life goal for most people. It is thus inevitable that organizations must face work-family conflicts from time to time (Allard, 2011).

Authors of this article express concern about the lack of adequate research for on the effect of organizational culture on work-family conflicts. Researchers must thus devote efforts towards evaluating these perspectives in order to enhance the standards of operational efficiency. Additionally, researchers must also focus on the different aspects of enhancing the involvement of leaders in developing support programs for alleviating these kinds of conflicts.


Huang, C. & Tsai, M. (2012). A multidimensional analysis of ethical climate. Nursing Ethics, 19(4)

This article focuses upon the different perspectives that affect organization citizenship behavior. During the research, the authors mainly focus of health care organizations with emphasis on the productivity of nurses. According to the authors, enhancing the turnover of nurses requires health care organizations to adequate frameworks for streamlining ethical climate. Without enhancing the commitment of nurses, it is difficult for health care organizations to boost their productivity. A notable perspective in this study is the evaluation of job satisfaction.


According to the authors, there are numerous perspectives that influence job satisfaction in addition to the nature of income. Motivation levels among employees serves as a critical perspective that influences organizational citizenship behavior. It is fundamentally essential to always ensure that employees are passionate about their work. Another essential aspect of job satisfaction pertains to the establishment of effective communication platforms.  The absence of adequate communication platforms undermines the level of job satisfaction among employees. In some health care organizations, nurses derive extensive pressure and stress from the workplace. This is an undesirable perspective with regard to the enhancement of the standards of job satisfaction. According to the article, most nurses show extensive concern about the prevailing ethical framework in an organization.


It is fundamentally essential for health care organizations to maintain a stable ethical climate. In such a climate, nurses should be familiar with the organization’s expectations of their behavior in terms of ethics. With excellent levels of job satisfaction, it becomes easy to streamline organizational culture. In the article, the authors highlight different types of ethical climates. In some organizations, rules serve as the main platform for the ethical climate. In contrast, some organizations use a code of conduct as the main framework for the ethical climate.


Thumin, F. & Thumin, L. (2011). The measurement and interpretation of organizational  climate. The Journal of Psychology, 145(2)

In this article, the authors’ main focus is on the evaluation and interpretation of organizational climate. In order to establish the most effective tools for assessing organizational climate, the authors use two samples. The first sample in the study comprises of ninety four participants all of whom are MBA students. In contrast, the second group comprises of seventy seven participants all of who are medical workers. Consequently, the entire survey had a total of 171 participants (Thumin & Thumin, 2011). During the survey, the researchers had to use different aspects of organizational climate in order to obtain data from respondents. From the findings, the researchers identify the most pertinent components influencing the climate within an organization.


According to the article, organizational flexibility is among the most sensitive components of organizational culture. From the findings, it is evidently clear that the change is an essential attribute that determines flexibility in an organization. The absence of adequate mechanisms for change can tremendously undermine the standards of organizational flexibility (Thumin & Thumin, 2011). The second component that influences organizational climate is job satisfaction. Different researchers emphasize upon the inherent association of organizational culture and job satisfaction. In the survey, most respondents were assertive that the standards of job satisfaction determine the quality of organizational climate.


Another outstanding component of organizational climate in this article pertains to the prevailing reward system. In essence, different organizations have different frameworks for rewarding employees (Thumin & Thumin, 2011). The absence of an effective reward system tremendously undermines the quality of organizational climate.  The prevailing clarity within the organizational structure is also a significant perspective that influences the climate.


Fong, P. & Kwok, C. (2009). Organizational culture and knowledge management.Journal of Construction Engineering and Management

 In their comprehensive survey, the authors sought to examine the different approaches used by organizations in the development of knowledge management systems.  Additionally, the researchers investigate the implementation of culture at organizational and project levels. According to the article, these attributes are highly sensitive with respect to the performance and operational efficiency of organizations (Fong & Kwok, 2009).


Although the authors investigate four types of cultures, the clan culture was the most predominant among the different respondents. According to the authors, this culture facilitates for adequate communications within an organization since it enhances honesty. This culture type also helps in the establishment of excellent relationships among employees. Such relationships are critical building blocks in terms of enhancing operational efficiency. For most managers, a hierarchy culture does not appeal to most managers. This culture is highly rigid since it emphasizes on the control framework for employees. Apart from the culture types, knowledge management systems have an inherent capacity to influence organizational culture. According to the authors, knowledge management is an essential platform for streamlining the standards of job satisfaction in the workforce (Fong & Kwok, 2009). Additionally, knowledge management enhances operational efficiency.


Knowledge management enhances operational efficiency at both organizational and project levels.  The authors also highlight different knowledge management strategies for organizations. However, it is extremely crucial for organizations to invest heavily in the establishment of knowledge management frameworks. Such frameworks are essential in ensuring that employees get the relevant exposure to new knowledge systems. From the article, it is evident that the involvement of staff is a critical success factor with regard to knowledge management systems. This approach enhances the levels of awareness within the workforce.


Mansur, N. & Ahmad, J. (2011). Personality and organizational outcomes. The International  Journal of Academic Research, 3(6)

The authors of this article focus on personality in organizational culture. Within an organization, different employees have different personality attributes. These attributes have an inherent impact upon organizational culture. One of the most outstanding personality attribute in this article is uncertainty avoidance (Mansur, 2011). The prevailing values and principles within an organization determine the nature of uncertainty avoidance among employees.


Uncertainty can cause substantial discomfort among employees within an organization. Consequently, such discomfort undermines the organizational culture. Within an organizational setup, uncertainty avoidance also helps the employees to deal with different challenges. The second notable personality attribute in this article pertains to power distance. To some extent, social and cultural contexts have far reaching implications on the power distance attributes (Mansur, 2011). The article presents power distance as the prevailing standards of power distribution in the society. In some organizations, power distance serves as a significant challenge. This is because senior executives do not include other employees in the decision making process. In contrast, other organizations have an exemplary framework for reducing the gaps of power distribution.


An excellent perspective of enhancing this is through the establishment of transparent mechanisms for decision making (Mansur, 2011). The presence of an extensive power distance usually undermines the standards of organizational culture. Individualism serves as another pertinent personality attribute which is evident in this article. Individualism encompasses the exclusion of other people when making decisions. Individualistic employees rarely consult colleagues even in critical situations (Mansur, 2011). Such employees strongly believe their skills and are highly self-centered. Although individualistic attributes enhance innovativeness, they undermine the spirit of togetherness within an organization.


Tsai, Y. (2011). Organizational culture, Health Services Research, 11:98

In this article, the author focuses on the interactions between job satisfaction, leadership and organizational culture. The three organizational attributes have numerous kinds of interactions with each other. According to the author, standards and beliefs are inherent attributes of organizational culture (Tsai, 2011). In essence, the organizational culture must conform to its mission statement. On the other, job satisfaction refers to the degree of contentment among employees with their respective responsibilities in the workplace. Although there are numerous attributes that influence the standards of job satisfaction, leadership behavior is extremely pertinent (Tsai, 2011).


Effective leadership systems enhance the standards of job satisfaction while redundant leadership frameworks undermine the standards of job satisfaction. In order to collect data on these attributes, the author used a sample of 300 respondents. This focused on nursing practitioners from different health care organizations in Taiwan (Tsai, 2011). The main platform for assessing the relationship between the three variables was correlation analysis. Based on the results, leadership behavior has massive implications on organizational culture. This is because of the significant degree of correlation. Additionally, the survey shows a significant correlation between the standards of job satisfaction and the prevailing leadership framework.


According to the article, it is fundamentally essential for organizational leaders to establish an effective framework for fostering collaboration among employees (Tsai, 2011). This is vital in terms of developing a favorable working environment for all employees. In order to streamline the standards of job satisfaction, it is extremely crucial strengthen the communication systems in the organization. This helps in boosting employee attitudes and thus enhances organizational culture. The author also emphasizes on the pertinent role of organizational values. In essence, these principles form the basis of mitigating potential conflicts within the workforce.


Kimbrough, R. & Componation, P. (2009). The Relationship Between Organizational Culture and Enterprise Risk Management. Engineering Management Journal,    21(2)

The researchers examine the interaction between enterprise risk management and organizational culture. Enterprise risk management comprises of the different tactics used by an organization to mitigate different kinds of operational pitfalls. The absence of effective risk management frameworks can cause extensive losses to any organization. For instance, the change in consumer trends can undermine the standards of operational efficiency in a business organization. Similarly, organizations in other fields face numerous risks (Kimbrough & Componation, 2009). Consequently, it is fundamentally essential to implement an effective framework for enterprise risk management.


This framework has significant implications on organizational stability. Instability can significantly undermine the prevailing organizational culture. In addition to organizational culture, enterprise risk management also affects the levels of morale within an organization. The absence of enterprise risk management strategies creates an unfavorable working environment in an organization. In the article, the author also presents several frameworks for organizational culture. For instance, it is pertinent for leaders to ensure that there is a multidisciplinary approach towards the establishment of organizational culture (Kimbrough & Componation, 2009).


Additionally, all frameworks for organizational culture should be measurable. The enterprise risk management framework provided in this article has numerous components. Objective setting serves as one of the most pertinent components of enterprise risk management. The specification of objectives is vital in terms of streamlining the effectiveness of the ERM framework. The second component comprises of a risk response framework (Kimbrough & Componation, 2009). The risk response framework is extremely pertinent towards developing an effective mechanism for mitigation. Additionally, communication is another notable component of the ERM framework. The presence of an effective communication platform also facilitates for organizational culture.





Is this your assignment or some part of it?

We can do it for you! Click to Order!



Order Now


Translate »

You cannot copy content of this page