Exploratory Study of Cultural Impact on Management Practices and Organizational Behaviour in Christian-based Universities on Java Island

Abstract

Universities, especially in the United States, have developed from an organization that aims to educate someone with a higher knowledge and spiritual awareness of God which is at the same time related to the interests and goodness of society (Murphy, 2005) into an organization that considers profit as a measure of success (Bridgman, 2007). Therefore, the application of a business management system to manage a university to produce high performance is important and this is known as a university enterprise or entrepreneurial university (Sandgren, 2012). Culture is central to management because it influences various things in the organization such as leadership, organizational management, adaptability, performance, and others that will influence in the long run (Paksoy, Genc, and Kilic, 2015). In the context of a Christian-based university in Indonesia, the understanding of cultural meanings and the process of cultural formation is an interesting topic to study. Even though it has a fundamental similarity, namely Cristianity, it appears that there are different management practices and behaviours in 'A' rank accreditation Christian university on Java island. The process of cultural formation in Christian universities and its elaboration in management practices and patterns of organizational behaviour are things that are rarely studied. The purpose of this study is to explain the process of organizational culture forming in Christian-based universities on Java island. The description of this process is expected to inspire how to build an organizational culture in a university. Keywords: Culture, Organizational Culture, Organizational Behaviour, Universities, Christianity