Organisation is seen as a system of norms and values, with shared symbols and shared beliefs
that tie members together and form a common
organisational culture (Katz et al., 1978; Argyris 1964; Likert 1961). Norms create regularities in
behaviour as they are Internalised standards of conduct and, values channel perceptions. Values (Ouchi 1980) are beliefs and ideas about the kinds of goals members of a society should pursue and the kinds or modes of behaviour people should use to achieve these goals. Norms are unwritten rules or guidelines that prescribe appropriate behaviour in particular situations. According to Rokeach (1973), norms emerge from values. Katz et al., (1978) argue that group norms and ideology are influential in affecting the behaviour of members not only because of conformity and affiliation needs, but also because the ideology of the system gears into the very functions in which individuals are engaged and invests them with a significance and meaning they would not otherwise possess.
Cultural evaluations treat organisations as systems for perpetuating and reinforcing values, beliefs and norms (Nystrom et al., 1981). Two conditions for cultural congruence are proposed by Katz et al., (1978). (a) A majority of the active organisational members should accept the beliefs, endorse the values and abide by the norms; and (b) individual members should be aware that the beliefs, values, and norms have collective support. Cultural congruence may vary over time because of shift in environmental values or diversity which new members bring in. An organisation should alter the sources of cultural congruence or change its capacities for adjusting to cultural incongruence.
The management of work activities in an enterprise depends critically on the social values of its members which are culture-bound (Kao et al., 1994). Though culture should not be considered as a set of values and beliefs linked to a particular society, cultures manifest themselves fundamentally through their embeddedness in institutions and organisations (Evans 1995; Clegg 1992; Granovetter 1985). The culture that matters for the constitution and development of a given economic system is the one that materialises in ‘organisational logics’. By ‘organisational logics’, Biggart (1992) means a legitimating principle that is elaborated in an array of derivative social practices. In other words, ‘organisational logics’ are the ideational bases for institutional ‘authority relations’. The organisation implies control, and control is intended to bring about conformance to organisational requirements and achievement of the ultimate purposes of organisation (Tannenbaum 1968; Etzioni 1961 ).