Organization Culture
Organization culture gives a direction on how individuals or groups in an organization should behave. Groups or individuals who come together to work for an organization share common ethical values and norms in which the organization is founded on thus becoming a lifestyle (Popa, 2013). Ethical standards that have been developed by the organization over time are used as a principle which guides groups and individuals within the organization to behave in a certain way or act in a particular manner. Such influence can be positive or negative. For example, an organization that promotes good ethical practices like integrity will influence a positive ethical behavior to an individual than an organization that supports unethical behavior like cheating. Therefore, a person’s moral behavior is significantly affected by the organization’s culture.
Leaders have a considerable role in maintaining or changing an organization’s culture because they give direction to their junior employees. Firstly, leaders can alter or retain their organization’s culture by acting as role models through leading by example, thus making others to follow in their footsteps. Secondly, a leader can change or maintain a lifestyle in an organization by helping in building required skills by providing resources like training, reading materials to the organization that will help them improve or appreciate organization’s values. Lastly, leaders should reinforce a culture of accountability which will help to make people accountable for their actions.
There are various strategies which an organization can utilize to change its ethical behavior and legal compliance. For instance, an organization can train and educate its members on how to behave ethically and the legal consequences of unethical behavior (Yaseen et al., 2015). This will help to instill knowledge that will assist them in their daily undertakings. Recruiting and hiring people with high moral and ethical standards is also a strategy by which an organization can adopt. People with high moral standards will help the organization to reinforce its legal compliance. Strengthening accountability among the staff is an important strategy which an organization can use to change its ethical behavior and legal agreement. Responsibility will make individuals accountable for their actions, thus will help reduce the risk of legal noncompliance.
References
Popa, B. M. (2013). Risks resulting from the discrepancy between organizational culture and leadership. Journal of Defense Resources Management, 4(1), 179.
Yaseen, A., Liaquat, M., Hassan, I., & Masood, H. (2015). Impact of organizational culture and social influence on organizational citizenship behavior with mediating effect on interactional justice. Science International, 27(4).