Assessment of Organizational Culture in Construction – A Case Study Approach

Abstract

Recent studies suggest that Lean concepts can be successfully adopted only when it is aligned with the organizational culture (OC). OC can be defined as the shared values and beliefs of people, according to which they perceive, react and act in any situation. For sustained and effective adoption of Lean, it is important to institute Lean philosophy in the core culture of an organization. To enable effective adoption, it is important to analyze and understand the organizational culture and its dimensions before inducing a change management strategy for sustaining Lean. The objective of this study is to understand the impact of prominent cultural dimensions on the different management levels of employees.The paper presents, results and discussion of an exploratory study conducted using a case study approach. A construction company based in a metropolitan city in India was chosen based on its active program in Lean implementation. To analyze the cultural dimensions of the organization, Competing Values Framework (CVF) was chosen. The key dimensions based on which CVF assess the OC are dominant characteristics, management of employees, organizational leadership, organizational glue, criteria for success and strategic emphases. The data was collected through "Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument (OCAI)" and the target respondents were the top-management and middle-management staff. The data was analyzed by standard scoring mechanisms, to arrive at the particular type of organizational culture. Apart from the questionnaires, views, and opinions from the experts were also taken.From the study, it was found that the perception of employees about the organizational culture varies with different management levels, which might be a potential threat to sustain Lean philosophy. The study concludes by emphasizing the need for detailed understanding on the impacts of cultural dimensions in an organization.