Week 5

HRMN 367 

Final Project Part 1: Culture Analysis Paper
You will be asked to analyze an organizational culture. This could be the organization you work with, or it could be some other organization to which you have access. Remember that clubs, associations, and churches can be considered organizations.
Research (data gathering) should include (but does not need to be limited to)  mainly primary sources.
Primary data is the data collected by the researcher themselves, i.e.

interview
observation
action research
case studies
life histories
questionnaires
ethnographic research

Secondary sources are data that already exists

Previous research
Official statistics
Mass media products
Diaries
Letters
Government reports
Web information
Historical data and information

Collect your data and analyze it. Describe how you collected the data (observation, interviews, surveys).
Then, analyze the organizational culture along three dimensions: artifacts, values, and underlying assumptions. Give examples of behavior, speech, or symbols that illustrate your findings. This paper should be 5-8 pages in length. Any data used (interviews, surveys, websites, etc.) should be attached as appendices. 

Activity #1 – Case Study
The XYZ Company was started in 1975 as a small consumer product company. During the first 25 years the company’s research and development (R&D) staff developed a series of new products that proved to be very popular in the marketplace. Things were going so well for the company that they expanded the plant and added a second production shift. The company’s slogan became “We don’t sell our products. We allocate them.” This was reference to the fact that the firm only had a staff of 25 salespeople who generated annual revenues in excess of $88 million and without any type of marketing department.
However, there was a change in the industry’s environment and the company experienced its first financial setback in 1995. The company had a net operating loss of $1.8 million. Two years ago, the loss was $2.4 million, and last year it was $3.6 million. The chief financial officer estimates that this year the organization will lose approximately $7 million dollars.
Alarmed by this information, Big Bank, the company’s largest creditor, insisted that the firm make some changes and start turning things around. In response to this request, the CEO (and founder of the company) agreed to step aside, although he was respected and still very popular with the employees. The board of directors selected Beatrice Malone (Consultant wizard and financial genius of the 90s).
After making an analysis of the situation, Ms. Malone concluded a number of changes must be made to turn the firm around. Four most important were:

More attention must be given to the marketing side of the business, although the most vital factor for past success has been the sales force.
There must be improvement in quality. Currently 3 percent of the company’s output is defective, compared to a 0.5 percent industry average.
There must be a reduction in staff. Ms. Malone estimated that the company could get by with two-thirds of its current production personnel and only half of the administrative staff.
Hire a new CEO.

Ms. Malone has not shared these ideas yet with the board of directors, but she intends to do so. For the moment, she is considering the appropriate steps and strategy to recommend, and the overall effect that the changes will have on the employees and culture.
Discuss the following:

What was wrong with the organization’s culture?
Identify some of the cultural forms (levers) that must be contended with?
What needs to be done to change the culture?
What resistance to the recommended changes do you anticipate? What strategies do you recommend to counteract the resistance?
What specific steps should Ms. Malone take in implementing this change?

Support your response with at least TWO citations from the literature we have read up to now.
Respond to at least TWO colleagues.

Week 5; “Lecture”
/content/enforced/127846-005294-01-2162-OL3-7380/Lecture5_HRMN367.ppt
disregard any mention to modules – and the chapters 16 and 17 from which this lecture was designed refers to Schein edition 4

Week 5; Question 1
Explain how “leading at a strategic level” varies from leading at a tactical level.

Week 5; Question 2
In the commentary for this week, five “value clusters” are introduced.
In your opinion, which value cluster is the most powerful force behind culture

Week 5; Question 3
How does ethnocentrism (within societies or organizations) influence interacting with other cultures?

Week 5; Question 4
give some examples of
symbols—concrete indications of abstract values, such as logos and flags

Week 5; Question 5
give some examples of
language—jargon, slang, gestures, signals, songs, humor, jokes, slogans

Week 5; Question 6
give some examples of
narratives—stories, legends, myths, saga

Week 5; Question 7
Give some examples of 
practices—rituals, taboos, rites, ceremonies

Week 5 Question 8
What was/were your most important take-away(s) from week 5?

IFMS 305

Topic:  Identify the ethical, legal and regulatory policy issues related to health care information systems.
Last week’s readings covered ethical, legal and regulatory policy issues related to health care information systems.  As you work on your Stage 3 assignment, you will provide definitions for a list of these issues and policies, and explain their impact on the implementation and use of health care IT systems.
GROUP 1:  Review the list of 20 ethical, legal and regulatory topics in the Stage 3 assignment.  Select one (preferably different from others previously chosen, but this is not required) and:

Put the topic in the Subject line of your posting
Discuss an event in your life that relates to that topic

What it meant to you
What suggestions you have for improving the outcome or ensuring that others benefit if it was a positive outcome.

GROUPS 2, 3 and 4:  For at least two postings, respond by discussing your own experience with that topic and your suggestion(s) for improving the outcome or ensuring that others benefit if it was a positive outcome.
EVERYONE:  Review the criteria in the Discussion Grading Rubric, and reply to those who critique your work or post other points of view.  Be sure to demonstrate your understanding of the topic and analytical thinking.

Patients are taking a much more active and involved role in their health care and, in doing so, they can help ensure the accuracy of their health information and its use.  The Journal of Participatory Medicine, on its website http://www.jopm.org/ provides the following:
“Participatory Medicine is a model of cooperative health care that seeks to achieve active involvement by patients, professionals, caregivers, and others across the continuum of care on all issues related to an individual’s health. Participatory medicine is an ethical approach to care that also holds promise to improve outcomes, reduce medical errors, increase patient satisfaction and improve the cost of care.”
EVERYONE:  Visit the website http://www.jopm.org/ and click on the “Evidence” or “Columns” drop down menus and select an article.  Provide a brief summary of the article, and explain in your own words how the approach described can help improve outcomes, reduce medical errors, increase patient satisfaction, and/or improve the cost of care.  Add 2-3 sentences with your opinion of the article, the research, or other aspect of what you read.