In the bog last week, we evaluated the performance of a now popular organisational style called the Task-Team culture. This week, we will examine the most unusual style of the Person culture.
Introduction to the Person culture
A Person culture, sometimes known as a People culture or Star cluster, is the most unusual organisational style that many people never experience during their working life. Put simply, it is a group of highly educated and skilled employees that typically work on their own with only very loose supervision from a more senior colleague in the collective.
This person typically focuses primarily on resources and budget control, but is available for consultation if a member requests advice or support. However, this person has very little day to day control over the individual members while the standard organisational management hierarchy has even less influence over expert employees. Examples of a Person culture can be found in the research and development departments of organisations, in the form of senior consultants in a hospital, or in a group of largely independent barristers in what are called Inns of Court.
Moreover, what we might call normal management control systems are not viable in these cultures except occasionally by mutual approval. The power base is called expert meaning that individuals do what they are good at and are valued for their specialist contribution.
Another reason why control systems do not work in this kind of culture is that due to their high level of specialisation, it is very easy for these individuals to change jobs if they feel dissatisfied with the current conditions.
Question 1
Why might junior members of these organisations experience high stress levels?
Question 2
How might conflict arise in such cultures?
Question 3
What cross-cultural issues might influence a preference for the choice of organisational style?
We shall explore Question 3 in the next blog.
Reference
Handy, C. (1993). Understanding organisations. Penguin.
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