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Schein does have strong opinions on how to influence culture and understand it. Starting out Schein states in the book
that every culture is nested in some larger culture and can do only what the larger culture affords, tolerates, or supports (Schein, 2017, pg. 181). This means as a leader whatever culture one is in is heavily influenced by the cultures above them. A great example of this would be organizations be controlled by the national culture they are in. Schein referenced that commune organizations in the 1960s and 70s eventually were disbanded after not being able to sustain in a primarily non-commune area.
Another opinion Schein has is that leaders can influence culture by what they pay attention to. This can be seen in almost any organization by talking to what is important to the boss can be seen to what the organization values as a whole. As company values reflect what you and your employees stand for (Heinila, 2020, para. 12). When a leader talks people listen so it is important as a leader to understand what one says to the group.
Lastly, Schein talks about how the manner in which leaders and others deal with crisis reveals important underlying assumptions and often creates new norms, values, and working procedures (Schein, 2017, pg. 189). This means that leadership does not show their true colors until their back is against the wall. This makes sense because in times of pressure people go to their habits. These habits shown are the habits the organization has been created by day-to-day work.
Schein has a lot of strong opinions about the culture that makes sense. To influence culture one first has to understand the culture and what they can influence. Then to influence this culture it takes time and as a leader one has to understand that it cannot be done in one day.
Reference:
Heinila, R. (2020, July 30). Company values: Definition, importance and examples. Retrieved April 12, 2021, from https://blog.smarp.com/the-importance-of-company-values.
Schein, E. H. (2017). Organizational culture and leadership (5th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
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