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Formal Cultural System: Most Important Factor in Creating an Ethical Workplace

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Formal Cultural System: Most Important Factor in Creating an Ethical Workplace
Is the formal cultural system within a firm the most important factor in creating an ethical workplace? How do formal cultural systems attempt to promote ethics?

There are four characteristics that can create cultures with in an organization; they are power, bureaucracy, achievement and innovation and support.

Power: This culture’s descriptions include centralization. Individual power and decision making is autocratic and patriarchal. There is a fear of punishment and implicit rules are laid out. The values are control, stability and loyalty

Bureaucracy: This culture’s descriptions include a hierarchical structure. There is a formal standardization and clearly defined roles and authority. Work is impersonal and predictable and positions are more important then people. The values are efficiency, predictability, production and control.

Achievement and support: This culture’s descriptors include and emphasis on teamwork. Workers believe in the mission of their organization and there is employee empowerment, which gives greater decision-making power to lower ranks. There is a promotion of cross-functional knowledge and skills. The values include creativity, adaptability, risk tasking and teamwork.

Support: This culture’s descriptors include egalitarianism. Workers are nurtured to achieve high levels of personal growth and personal development. Workers strive towards a safe work environment and nonpolitical workplace. The values include commitment, consensus and growth.

Is the formal cultural system within a firm the most important factor in creating an ethical workplace? How do formal cultural systems attempt to promote ethics?

There are four characteristics that can create cultures with in an organization; they are power, bureaucracy, achievement and innovation and support.

Power: This culture’s descriptions include centralization. Individual power and decision making is autocratic and patriarchal. There is a fear of punishment and implicit

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