It is common knowledge, in the business environment, that organizations currently have to permanently maintain an innovative attitude, introducing fundamental changes in the way businesses are managed, in order to face an increasingly challenging commercial environment, counting for it with managements willing to develop strategies that guide the organization to change.
A key factor in the success of a strategy oriented to change in organizations is their culture, since this can prevent or facilitate the implementation of management strategies. Each organization is a complex system in which people live and work in previously constructed social systems, with their own characteristics. Thus, each organization has its own culture, different from the others, which gives it its own identity. According to James Stoner and Edward Freeman, organizational culture, "is the set of shared values, beliefs, attitudes and norms that shape the behavior and expectations of each of the members of an organization."
The formation of the culture of an organization is the result of a process in which the members of the organization interact in making decisions for solving problems, inspired by the principles, values, beliefs, rules and procedures that they share and that little by little have been incorporated into the organization. This process of creating and consolidating culture in an organization is influenced by several factors, among which are:
- The founders, when incorporating the company in its initial stage, its initiatives, principles, priorities and in general the understanding that they have of the organization The style of direction, especially at high levels, when setting the tone of the interactions between the members of the organization, influences the communication system, decision-making and in general the way the organization is run. Human resources, by contributing their educational level, experience, commitment and belonging to the organization, represent an element fundamental of the organizational culture The organizational structure, as an element that can facilitate or limit the interaction between the members of an organization by requiring a greater or lesser bureaucratic control The organizational principles,By being clearly stated and adequately disclosed, they allow each member of the organization to assimilate these values and integrate them into their lives within the company.
The culture of an organization, therefore by influencing the way in which the members of the organization do things, establish priorities and give importance to the different business tasks, can become one of the greatest strengths of the organization if it coincides with their strategies, or failing that, be one of their main weaknesses. Hence the importance of taking into account the culture of the organization in the establishment of management strategies.
