Briefly describe each of the mechanisms or levers that strategic leaders can use to shape and change organizational culture.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

These mechanisms are based on the underlying psychology that when people are in settings where there are very clear expectations for the “right” way to behave, it is very difficult not to comply. There are five mechanisms for leaders to use to clearly convey the “right” way to behave to their employees. 1. Day-to-day leader actions— leaders serve as examples for their employees. Employees watch the actions of leaders and use them as role models for their behavior. 2. Social activities and ceremonies—these build ties among organizational members and should be intrinsic and extrinsic. 3. Clear signals through stories, specialized language, and symbols—all these can provide clear signals about how employees are expected to behave. 4. Selection and socialization—it is important to select or recruit people who are the right fit for the organization, from the beginning, and then put mechanisms in place for these new employees to learn or get socialized to the firm’s specific norms and values. 5. A carefully aligned reward system—it is important the reward system is precisely aligned with the expected behavior. It is a key aspect that the reward system that is put in place is reinforcing those norms and values that leadership has emphasized and put in place.