3.2. What is organisational culture?

Culture is the collective values of a group of people, the relationships between those people, how they see the world and their own place in it (Neill and Smith, 2008: 3). In short, it is ‘the way things are done around here’ (Neill and Smith, 2008: 3).

We all create and re-create our culture every day through the words we use and the work we do, through what we find unacceptable, and what we are prepared to tolerate, what we see as worth working for, giving us meaning and purpose so that it is worth getting out of bed in the morning.

Each organisation has its own culture that reflects the things that staff, or sections of staff, commonly value, including shared visions and beliefs and what work related behaviour is considered appropriate or inappropriate. Organisational culture affects how members of staff relate to each other and to people using services, and the everyday manner in which people work together to get things done.

Culture is larger than any single organisation and belongs to all of us. Consequently we all have a role to play in applying our efforts where it fails to meet the needs and aspirations of the people it is meant to serve.

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Your policy and procedures will be most effective where there is a strong organisational culture where it is seen as being OK to complain.

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3.2. What is organisational culture?

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