1、中文 4370 字 本科毕业论文（设计） 外文翻译 外文题目 Corporate Culture 外文出处 Management Decision Volume: 27 Issue: 1 1989： P15-16 外文作者 Liam Gorman 原文 ： Corporate Culture Liam Gorman What is Corporate Culture Let us now look more specifically at the question of what corporate culture is, the types of corporate culture that
2、 may exist,and at the question of best fit between culture,company and environments. All definitions of culture refer to the underground nature of culture and to the hidden hand with which culture guides behaviour,thought and feelings. Looking at how culture is formed helps us to understand its char
3、acter and impact.Scheinl,for instance,points out that culture is the total of the collective or shared learning of the group as it develops its capacity to survive in its external environment and to manage its own internal affairs.It comprises the solutions to external and internal problems that hav
4、e worked in the past and that are taught to new members as the correct way to perceive,think about and feel in relation to those problems. Culture is composed of: (1)Valuesandassumptions which prescribe what is important. (2)Beliefs on how things work； (3) Behavioural norms a set of attitudes that a
5、re easier to decipher than values and assumptions. In the past, culture was thought of as a set of attitudes at the bottom of organizations which could be problematic, in that it was frequently an anti-management culture and thus bad. It was assumed that management had the right attitudes, or attitu
6、des in support of company goals. Culture,however,operates at all levels, and we are now more aware that there can be aspects of culture affecting all hierarchical levels which can be self defeating for the organisation. Past crises, achievements,successes and failures lead to the creation of assumpt
7、ions about: (1) reality(you cannot trust banks)； (2) truth(people are a companys most important asset)； (3) time(you must always be seen to be busy)； (4) human nature(women are less committed to work than men)； (5) human relationships(do not let subordinates get close to you). The conditions under w
8、hich past organisational issues and problems were resolved do not remain in the consciousness of the organisation.Responses to these conditions become automatic and accepted as the way things are done.In this way,severe limitations are set on individualsbehaviour and thought,and the strong buthidden
9、 impact of culture is established.This is not to say that because culture embodies past solutions,it is inappropriate per se.Obviously,some solutions found in the past do not have applications in the present,e.g.the wheel.The danger,however is that the problems facing an organisation may undergo cha
10、nge,and the past solutions and methods may be inappropriate to the new problems. More devastatingly,decision makers may be unaware of how the hidden forms of culture are influencing them. Culture can influence what managers see,and thus how they respond. Lorsch2 contends that the beliefs that top ma
11、nagement hold can inhibit strategic change in two ways: (1)beliefs can produce a strategic myopia leading them to see events with tunnel vision,and this leads them to overlook the significance of changing external conditions； (2)when top management recognizes the need for strategic change,they respo
12、nd within their existing culture,using responses that have worked in the past.In this way,yesterdays solutions may become todays problems. Variations in Culture Culture can vary from one organisation to another,or even within one organisation.It varies along such dimensions as strength,pervasiveness
13、,direction and obviously, Content. (1)Strength of culture refers to the extent to which members of an organisation embrace the values of the culture.Customer service,for instance,will take a higher priority in some organisations than in others. (2)Pervasiveness refers to the extent to which beliefs
14、and values are shared amongst departments in an organisation.Culture depends on experience and departments are likely to have different problems to solve,different experiences and,hence, differences in culture. (3)Direction refers to the extent to which the culture embodies behaviour in line with th
15、e expressed strategy of the organisation, or behaviour counter to the expressed strategy. For example, the existence of alternative cultures arising from trade union commitments have, on occasion, threatened the survival of some business organisations. Overall then,a culture can be said,from a manag
16、erial viewpoint,to be positive if it creates behaviour consistent with the expressed strategy；if it constitutes values ownedby members at all levels.It has negative impact if,for instance,the culture is such that it is strong and pervasive but antagonistic to company goals；then the organisation has
17、big problems in the strategy area.Equally, if it is strong and supportive of company goals but only subscribed to by one group in the organisation,this too has adverse strategy implications. The Appropriate Culture for an Organisation The appropriate culture for an organisation depends on many facto
18、rs,including the age of the organisation,its market,its geographical location,history and even the preferences of the chief executive and top management. Organisations which operate in dynamic environments in which consumer preferences change rapidly,technology developments occur frequently,and competition is intense, place a great emphasis on creativity,innovation and adaptability. However,in government departments,hospitals,welfare institutions etc.,stability,predictability and getting it right at all costs may be more appropriate.
