Elements Of The Cultural Web Model
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qM0bVaY2bXE
The cultural web is focused on the reality of a company. Surrounding the center are six cultural elements that help to portray this reality. These six elements include:
Stories
In this key element, it is useful to think about the story that an organization tells to demonstrate its core beliefs.
This could be how the company started, how far it has come, any challenges it has faced, the crucial players and their actions, and how the employees would describe working for the organization.
The thought process here is that these stories can highlight what a company values and what behaviors they deem appropriate for exemplifying.
The story of a company is a great encouragement for employees to go down certain paths and be part of the company's history.
Rituals And Routines
These include the different actions and behaviors that are acceptable within a company.
Routines can also be seen as an expectation, which may involve what an employee can expect each day at work, tasks they may complete, or leaving work.
In many recurring scenarios, employees learn which way they are supposed to behave and what would be considered normal behavior.
Whether that behavior is productive or not is debatable, however, it has still become a normal part of the company's culture.
Symbols
Symbols have a role in the cultural web model as they form part of employer and organizational branding.
It is anything visual, such as logos, the way the office looks, advertisements, the dress code, and more.
When it comes to both the external environment and internal environment, it is the visual communication that a company uses to influence this area.
In this instance, you need to think about:
- What images come to mind when you think about your organization
- How does your company appear? Is it bad? Good?
- How is your brand perceived as an employer?
- How is it viewed by employees?
- How is it viewed by customers and clients?
Organization Structures
There are two main cultural elements used in this element of the cultural web. They are:
- Written influence
- Unwritten influence
The first is as straightforward as an organizational chart. Whether hierarchical or flat, this is a clear and precise view of organizational structure.
Scholes and Johnson were careful to define the idea of ‘unwritten influence’ within an organization. This can involve the people who have a massive amount of influence who aren’t reflected on any organizational chart.
Ultimately, this determines which contributions carry the most value, who a company can turn to for decision-making, and acknowledges some of the potential political elements that could be in play too.
This is why this element is often the most revealing for a company.
Control Systems
The next element is based on how absolute control is established and used in an organization.
This can also be looked at in terms of performance management and how employees are marked on how well they work and excel in their various roles.
You need to think about things such as quality control, financial systems, and rewards.
These include the methods of rewarding good performance and how poor performance is managed, corrected, and handled (whether it is ineffectively or effectively handled). This helps give managers absolute control.
Power Structures
Some refer to this as the real power within a company. It is essentially the power or the center. It can take several different forms.
It could be from one person, an entire group, a handful of executives, or a certain department that influences the complete company.
When thinking about it, the key here is knowing which people have the greatest say, how an organization runs, and how their opinions dictate strategic direction.