The organizational culture of any company is a reflection of the general philosophy of production, reaction to external factors and the attitude of employees to their work. In business and management, this phenomenon has a bilateral nature, assuming that by accepting the philosophy of the company, over time, the person begins to resonate and influence the progress by his actions. Often it is thanks to personnel who have duly assimilated the ideological model of production that new processes of gradual transformation are launched in the company. This happens because each specialist, perceiving the principles and guidelines of the organization through the prism of character and ideals, builds a unique work algorithm, bringing certain innovations to the company. The mechanism according to which organizational culture affects innovation, efficiency of production, and the actions of staff, is based on how deeply the latter absorbs the philosophy of the company.
Innovative activity as a rule, is a response of the company to changes of a situation in the external world. The management makes decisions to launch changes in production when the market and competitors begin to impose new requirements. At such a moment, it is important that the need to switch to an innovative policy is understood at all levels of work (Lauer, 2021). The average employee must know the answer to the question of why it is necessary to restructure the old, well-established mechanisms of work and spend time learning new ones. In order for these actions to be psychologically justified for each member of the staff, the principles of organizational change involve following several rules (Kovoor-Misra, 2019). On the basis of the latter managers are able to organize the culture of production so that any innovative activity was perceived by employees in a positive way.
Firstly, for any business and in general organizational structure, it is necessary that each participant understands the general background. The latter consists in of understanding the current state of the company on the market, its prospects, actions of competitors, trends in the modern world, and possible future changes in consumption patterns or culture. In other words, successful changes in the company require an understanding of the internal and external context by all employees, regardless of their position. Consequently, organizational transformations should always be conducted in as public a format as possible.
The next vital principle influencing innovativeness in the company is the development of the base of material support of employees. If it exists, the risks associated with the transformation and change of the type of work will be outweighed by the possible benefits for employees (Cameron & Green, 2019). This is an effective motivation for employees to feel confident and eager to start new projects when moving the business or structure to a new stage.
In terms of performance, it is important to note that change comes with many risk factors. Employees at all levels must understand that not all changes are appropriate. Sometimes the situation is such that a global change in a company is unprofitable, or at least ineffective, for divisions. Moreover, to implement new programs or change course, the sufficiency of economic and human resources must always be considered (Cameron & Green, 2019). In order for change to be relevant, an analytical department or specific specialists must be included to track the specific benefits and risks of change and to formulate recommendations.
As noted earlier, any transformation at the organized level is inextricably linked to the personalities of the staff. The latter influence the process in terms of their experience, applied knowledge, and point solutions. However, a change, taken in circulation over time, necessarily causes a reciprocal transformation in a person’s personality (Cameron & Green, 2019). In this case, the principle that the environment defines the person comes into play.
Often a new course of a company, reflected for employees in specific new recommendations, with time, unconsciously changes their approach to work and even attitude to the latter. Many employees do not fully understand the meaning of organizational changes, and in less successful cases, they learn about them post-factum (Kovoor-Misra, 2019). However, even in such a situation, working under new conditions, the person eventually begins to analyze the attitude to what is happening and understand that the new format of action is more convenient and effective (Cameron & Green, 2019). This means that if it is easier to perform duties under the new philosophy of the company, then the adopted ideology itself will become attractive to the employee. Perhaps the staff will begin to take a deeper interest in ethical issues and long-term perspectives and thus move to a new level of awareness of the organizational culture.
Along with all managerial processes, organizational change has negative aspects. In addition to the risks of inefficiency and bankruptcy, the danger of mass layoffs is important. The latter phenomenon occurs for two main reasons; the first is associated with serious mistakes in the implementation of the transformation, including the principles mentioned above. In this case, the staff is not sufficiently prepared for the transformation taking place or is not warned of the possible risks. Another reason why employees leave their jobs is their personal disagreement with the changes (Kovoor-Misra, 2019). In this case, we can talk about the natural attrition of those who do not respond to the new work philosophy. Consequently, there is a benefit for the company in this consequence, which manifests itself in the fact that only those people who share the organizational culture and therefore, work in accordance with internal beliefs, remain in their jobs. It is one of the most important prerequisites for the effective and future operation of any organization.
As a Battalion Chief of The City of El Centro, I understand the importance of following all principles of change and their mechanisms of impact on the staff. An important part of my work with employees is quality feedback, which helps me understand how a particular employee feels about their work, the system as a whole, and possible organizational transformation. I make sure that I inform my subordinates about the situation, as well as about the prospects or risks of the organization’s development, in a timely manner.
Thus, all mechanisms of influence of changes, as a part of general culture, influence such components of work as efficiency, innovativeness and personal perception. Only with a proper understanding of each factor that ensures the connection between these aspects, the manager can build a competent performance. Thanks to the latter, my colleagues and I can guarantee the prosperity of the controlled unit, of the organization and of the community directly linked to the particular enterprise.
References
Cameron, E., & Green, M. (2019). Making sense of change management: A complete guide to the models, tools and techniques of organizational change. Kogan Page.
Kovoor-Misra, S. (2019). Crisis management. SAGE Publications.
Lauer, T. (2021). Change management: Fundamentals and success factors. Springer.