TIPS for Good Management – Study Guide

CMI Level 6 Leadership & Management

Unit Number: 6001V1 Unit Name: MANAGE ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE

Welcome to TIPS for Good Management. This is your study guide for the
qualification shown above. This document will lead you through the learning you
need to undertake to satisfactorily answer the questions on the CMI assignment
brief.

This guide is laid out in the same order as the CMI assignment so you can
complete it as you study.

To assist you further, there will be suggested activities for you to carry out and
hyperlinks to specific learning and study materials. Most of the reference
materials are hosted in the Management Direct section on the CMI website. You
will need to have your CMI login information available to access this.
Some study documents will be within your learning library. Other referenced
learning materials will require you to research independently through Google for
example.

You will be shown how this all works on your induction session.

If you are in any doubt, please contact us info@tipsfgm.co.uk

One to one online coaching is also available to help you through the qualification.
To request a coaching session please contact your online coach at
info@tipsfgm.co.uk

UNIT OVERVIEW
This unit is about organisational culture, its impact on strategy,
performance and the development of appropriate cultures; it also
addresses national culture difference.

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TIPS for Good Management – Study Guide
CMI Level 6 Leadership & Management
Unit Number: 6001V1 Unit Name: MANAGE ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE

1 LEARNING OUTCOMES
Understand how organisational culture can impact on organisational behaviour

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA Please click here and read this document before continuing
1.1 Analyse the concept of culture to organisations
1.2 Compare the traits of power culture, role culture, task culture and person culture
1.3 Evaluate internal and external factors that could influence organisational culture, including
national cultures

1.1 STUDY GUIDE Click here for Management Direct resources

Organisational culture is quite a complex concept and thorough research is required as a
starting point. There are many theorists in this area you could study including Deal & Kennedy,
Dennison, Charles Handy, Harrison, Hofstede, Johnson & Scoles, Kotter, Mulder, O’Reilly,
Chatman & Caldwell, Parsons & Shils, Ravasi & Schultz and Schein.

1.1 ACTIVITY
Using the work of Hofstede and Johnson & Scoles, list out the key factors that describe and
explain culture. Against these key factors (for example rituals and routines) write down what
they mean and examples from your either your own organisation, or one you are familiar with.

1.2 STUDY GUIDE Click here for Management Direct resources

Having studied Charles Handy’s Organisational Culture Types you should now understand what
power culture; task culture and person culture means. The next step is to make a comparison
between these cultural traits.

1.2 ACTIVITY
Please review your own organisation against Charles Handy’s model. Where different cultures
exist in different parts of the organisation, compare the impact this has on the way people
behave and how the outcomes may be different as a result. You might write this as comparison
table.

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TIPS for Good Management – Study Guide
CMI Level 6 Leadership & Management
Unit Number: 6001V1 Unit Name: MANAGE ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE

1.3 STUDY GUIDE Click here for Management Direct resources

You are required here to critically appraise the factors influencing organisational culture.
External factors might be firstly identified using the STEEPLE/PESTLE model. There is a range of
internal factors including knowledge, expertise, task design, role structures, and levels of
empowerment. Many factors may be considered as influential, such as the individuals involved
(and their gender) including staff, customers and other stakeholders; the nature of the
business, its history and traditions, the leadership and management styles and the legislation,
policies and procedures in place.

1.3 ACTIVITY
Consider either your own organisation or an organisation with which you are familiar and
evaluate whether the factors that influence the culture do so in a positive or negative way.
The study of Hofstede’s ideas and theories may be helpful here.

2 LEARNING OUTCOMES
Understand the relationship between organisational culture, strategy and performance

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
2.1 Identify values and cultures that encourage behaviours consistent with organisational
strategy
2.2 Evaluate personal managerial behaviours that reference organisational values and cultures
2.3 Establish how to communicate organisational values to the organisational that motivate the
organisation to apply these values

2.1 STUDY GUIDE Click here for Management Direct resources

You should first explain the organisational strategy or strategies that you are considering. If you
are able to base your answer on your own organisation, or one with which you are very
familiar, that would be useful.

2.1 ACTIVITY
Please research the strategy of your organisation or one you know quite well. You should also
consider what the organisation’s vision and values are. Write these down and consider what
behaviours would be needed to support the Vision & Values. Alternatively, you can make a
comparison between two companies with very different cultures. You may wish to use a chart
to present this.

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TIPS for Good Management – Study Guide
CMI Level 6 Leadership & Management
Unit Number: 6001V1 Unit Name: MANAGE ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE

2.2 STUDY GUIDE Click here for Management Direct resources

Here you will need to investigate and report on both good and bad managerial behaviours that
impact on the Vision and Values both positively and negatively. This includes your own
managerial style and approach
.
2.2 ACTIVITY
Drawing on personal experiences, investigate those behaviours which are thought to reinforce
organisational values and cultures and compare whether you and other managers in the
hierarchy are behaving in this way. You could consider how closely the behaviours exhibited by
the top leadership team reflect the organisation’s stated values, and whether these behaviours
are mirrored in other parts of the organisation – if not, you could appraise why this might be
case. You might involve staff and colleagues in the evaluation of managerial behaviours, to
obtain their perceptions. Write down to what extent you are personally reinforcing
organisational values and cultures and how you could further develop or change your
behaviour to do so more effectively.

2.3 STUDY GUIDE Click here for Management Direct resources

This section is about being able how the Vision, Values and therefore the Culture of the
organisation is communicated throughout the organisation and by which methods.

2.3 ACTIVITY
Think about how you translate your organisation’s values into behaviours and how you
encourage these behaviours. You may wish to focus on specific methods, whilst acknowledging
that there are many. Consider, areas such as sharing results, rewards, living the values,
reviewing and recruiting all in a way that all reflect the organisation’s’ values. You should apply
communication theories and models such as Blake & Mouton’s Managerial Grid, McGregor’s
Theory X and Theory Y, Bass’s Four I's of Transformational Leadership, Blanchard’s Situational
Leadership model as well as Herzberg and Maslow’s theories on motivation to your examples to
further illustrate your depth of understanding.

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TIPS for Good Management – Study Guide
CMI Level 6 Leadership & Management
Unit Number: 6001V1 Unit Name: MANAGE ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE

3 LEARNING OUTCOMES
Understand the techniques of culture development
ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
3.1 Discuss the tools available to an organisation to identify and develop its culture
3.2 Devise methods of dealing with messages and behaviours which are in conflict with
organisational values
3.3 Determine legitimate strategies and tactics to influence people in support of organisational
values
3.4 Evaluate how national differences and cultures can impact on transferability of
organisational structure, systems and processes

3.1 STUDY GUIDE Click here for Management Direct resources

This section is about how present culture is identified and how actions are established to put in
place any changed needed. This includes types of measurement that can ascertain the current
situation regarding the culture of the organisation.

3.1 ACTIVITY
You should investigate what types of measuring tools are available, such as the Organizational
Cultural Assessment Instrument (OCAI) developed by Cameron and Quinn (2006) and the
Denison Organizational Culture Survey(DOCS) which can both be found here. Consider how the
culture is developed to meet strategic aspirations and make some notes about how you can
move from the current situation to where you would like to be. Consider areas such as top
management commitment and clear objectives and how these relate to things such as energy,
attitudes, vision, performance, satisfaction, challenge and support. Review your organisation’s
policies such as promoting multi-culturalism and avoiding discrimination. Also note the
associated sanctions for breaching these policies. You could explore the use of rewards and
sanctions, teaching and training, recruiting and releasing and any other relevant subjects.

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TIPS for Good Management – Study Guide
CMI Level 6 Leadership & Management
Unit Number: 6001V1 Unit Name: MANAGE ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE

3.2 & 3.3 STUDY GUIDE Click here for Management Direct resources
This section is closely linked with AC 3.1 and the tools that are used to develop the culture may
also be appropriate to influence people to support the organisational values. Here you need to
be able to demonstrate you can create a system that effectively deals with situations,
communication and people that are not aligned with the organisation’s values.

3.2 & 3.3 ACTIVITY

Please read Cialdini’s Six Principles of Influence, 1984 and explore how this might be used to
create strategies to change culture in your organisation. You should justify why you consider
these strategies to be legitimate.

3.4 STUDY GUIDE Click here for Management Direct resources

Here you will need to be able to demonstrate you understand the strengths and weaknesses,
the good and bad, the for and against of enforcing organisational values and culture (including
systems and procedures) on different national cultures.

3.4 ACTIVITY
Consider two entirely different national cultures. Write down under each one a comparison of
what might be entirely acceptable in one country or culture but is not in another. Think about
why this may be and suggest how it could be addressed in terms of changes to organisational
structures, systems and processes. Evaluate the possible impact upon these areas. The work of
Hofstede may help in this regard, and there may be links to some of the work you studied in 1.3
above.

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