One of the major strengths of the culture metaphor rests in the fact Essay

One of the major strengths of the culture metaphor rests in the fact that it directs attention to the symbolicsignificance of even the most rational parts of organisational life [Gareth Morgan, 1986] - Essay Example It is in this uniqueness that the significance of organizational culture resides; in this formulation, â€Å"culture† contains the seeds of distinction that can differentiate a given organization from its competitors in the market, resulting in success or failure. Culture is not only the opposite of rationality; it transcends rationality and becomes the something extra that brings a necessary human element to organization, imbuing an abstract collective with identity, personality and â€Å"a face.† This opposition, and its transcendence, has been at the heart of all analyses of â€Å"culture† dating back to the early days of the discipline of Anthropology in which â€Å"other,† seemingly irrational foreign cultures were investigated by Western academics and researchers, whose goal was to discern the underlying and apparently unapparent rationality. In this original formulation, culture both obscures rationality and gives it its unique form; the same holds true for the analysis of business and organization. Organisational culture is both a product of formal organizational rules and structures, and also helps to produce the structures themselves, both formally and in their practical function. Like all cultures, organizational cultures have subcultures as well as practices and values that directly contradict the stated values and norms of a given organisaton. Both the relationships between organizational culture and the larger structure of an organization, as well as the relationship between formal â€Å"values† and the values as practiced by employees, managers or other organizational figures are best investigated through direct, analytical observation, an anthropological practices known as â€Å"ethnography.† An example of the relationship between organizational culture and formal structures as mutually reinforcing systems may