Understanding play patterns

Question I.

How would you describe the culture of your university? What are the strengths and weaknesses?

Question II.

Analyze an organization you are acquainted with by focusing on specific assets. For this purpose, use the matrix model in figure 4.2, page 81 of the book ‘Organizational Change as Collaborative Play’.

1. Try to find clear observations for all the cells.
2. Give an example of a problem in one of the cells that the organization has to deal with and describe how the problem in this cell is connected to other problems in the matrix.

Question III.

In figure 4.3, four different types of cultures are introduced: Clan, Adhocracy, Hierarchy and Market. (Figure 4.3, page 84, of the book ‘Organizational Change as Collaborative Play’).

1. Elaborate the perspectives on organizational cultures in this figure and ask yourself which perspective on organizational cultures is most useful and attractive for you.
2. Why?

Question IV.

In today’s world professional services companies usually offer a varied portfolio of services, where each of its departments might benefit from a different type of culture. Usually cultural differences are patent between departments within the same company.

1. In order to optimize the performance of each department and the overall firm, how should top management provide guidance on the overall company’s culture
2. Where can the balance be found between having an aligned institution and allowing for adaptation within departments?

Question V.

How should companies with a hierarchical culture, driven by process control and improvement of productivity, adapt their culture to allow for inventive ideas and disruptive innovation without devastating the competitive advantage achieved by operational efficiency and individualistic mentality.

Question VI.

In start-ups, there is no past to build on, neither there are hero figures or long time employees to base it on. Nevertheless, most employees in start-ups share a common set of values and characteristics: young, ambitious, hard-working and opposed to strong hierarchy in the company.

1. How can a start-up build up its own culture?
2. Is it possible that in certain occasions an organizational culture has emerged, or is emerging?
3. What are the challenges when the organization becomes more mature?

Question VII.

What is the main reason why managers find it so difficult to change the culture of their organization?

1. Is it because they don’t understand that the change has to go deep as deep as the basic assumptions in order to work?
2. Is it because they do understand it and are afraid of such a far-reaching change?
3. Or maybe because they are not ready to change themselves?
4. How are these possible reactions related?

Question VIII.

Talking about the ambition to play in organizations and the dilemmas emerging from that process that relate to the focus of change, we know that 70% of all change programs fail. Moreover, we know that people are generally resistant to change.

1. How can executives who might also are resistant to change, lead by example and ensure that change becomes widely accepted and supported by the employees in the operating core of the organization?
2. How does this relate to the ability to communicate change effectively in hierarchical organizations?
3. What could be supportive actions to prevent that employees fear and resist change?

Question IX.

When processes of organizational change occur, sometimes new values are formulated to break with the past and guide towards a different organizational culture.

1. Up to what point we can tailor organizational values and culture in order to face difficulties?
2. Up to what point these values and this culture is untouchable?

Question X.

Describe an organization you are familiar with, by using a metaphor that is dominant for this specific organization?