Organizational Culture & Climate
This term refers to the shared norms, values, beliefs, symbols, and rituals within an organization.
What is organizational culture?
This leadership theory assumes leaders are born with certain traits like emotional stability and decisiveness.
What is trait theory?
Trait theory incorporates the “great man/person” view of leadership.
This classic model is hierarchical like a pyramid and emphasizes formal rules and efficiency.
What is the bureaucratic model?
Weber’s bureaucracy and scientific management.
Alienation can include feelings of powerlessness, meaninglessness, and this type of social separation from others.
What is isolation?
Alienation includes isolation and self-estrangement.
This economic trend involves subcontracting services to reduce costs.
What is privatization?
Privatization = services subcontracted externally as cost-cutting.
A workplace with openness, camaraderie, shared mission, and democratic decision-making is described as having this.
What is a positive organizational climate?
This theory suggests leaders gain authority because of the titles or roles they occupy.
What is positional theory?
Authority flows from the position itself.
This model emerged during the Great Depression and emphasized relationships, morale, and informal networks.
What is the human relations model?
Hawthorne Effect → paying attention improves worker outcomes.
According to Marx, alienation increases as society becomes more of this type of economy.
What is industrialized?
Marx asserted alienation rises with industrialization.
This documentary critiques Wal-Mart’s labor practices and corporate influence.
What is “Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price”?
This type of climate includes jealousy, favoritism, and a rigid loyalty to organizational principles.
What is a negative organizational climate?
This theory proposes leadership should change depending on the readiness and behaviors of followers.
What is situational leadership theory?
Situational leadership theory describes leadership as adaptable based on circumstances and follower capacity.
This set of theories views organizations as open systems interacting with their environment, involving input, throughput, and output.
What is general systems theory?
Social workers often feel alienated when agency goals conflict with this essential social work value.
What is prioritizing the client?
Alienation arises when clients do not come first.
This concept describes how fast food principles—standardization, efficiency, predictability—shape modern organizations.
What is McDonaldization?
References Ritzer’s McDonaldization of Society.
Using a critical perspective in organizations involves questioning all forms of this — including practices that disadvantage workers.
What is oppression?
This leadership style involves shared decision-making and centers on mutuality and empowerment.
What is democratic leadership?
Democratic leadership is described as empowering and process‑oriented.
This school of thought states that there is no single correct way to run an organization; everything depends on context.
What is the contingency school?
“No best way to run an organization.”
Durkheim believed alienation stems from this condition within a disintegrating society.
What is isolation?
(or What is social disintegration?)
Durkheim linked alienation to isolation.
Modern market pressures mean social workers spend more time documenting this than providing client services.
What is accountability documentation (paperwork)?
Intensified productivity → less time with clients, more on paperwork.
This factor must be considered to determine organizational sustainability and includes treatment of workers and reliance on external resources.
What is evaluating the organization’s sustainability?
This theory (popularized in Japan) emphasizes collectivism, holistic involvement, and long-term job security.
What is Theory Z?
Theory Z integrates humanistic and collectivist management models.
In this model, decisions are made collectively with minimal rules, and leadership rotates.
What is the non-hierarchical or consensual model?
The non-hierarchical model is employee-owned, with elected rotating leadership.
One strategy for organizational change begins with gathering this type of evidence to support staff proposals.
What is data?
Change efforts start with data gathering, building supporters, and proposing change.
This Canadian documentary explores the corporation as a legal entity and its far-reaching influence.
What is “The Corporation”?
The Corporation (2003) examines corporate evolution and power.