A company prominently displays innovation as a core value on its website (espoused value), but in practice, employees who propose unconventional ideas are criticized and marginalized. According to Schein's model, this disconnect occurs at which level?
AArtifacts — the visible symbols are inconsistent
BThe gap between espoused values and basic underlying assumptions — the actual assumptions governing behavior differ from the stated values
CClimate — employees perceive the environment inaccurately
DStrategy — the innovation value is aspirational, not cultural
Schein's model predicts that espoused values and basic underlying assumptions can diverge. The company espouses innovation but its underlying assumptions (perhaps 'don't rock the boat' or 'mistakes are career-ending') drive actual behavior. This gap is common and diagnostic: when espoused values and observed behavior conflict, the underlying assumptions always win. Understanding the true culture requires looking at what people actually do, not what the organization says it values.
Question 2 True / False
Organizational culture and organizational climate are the same construct measured at different levels of analysis.
TTrue
FFalse
Answer: False
Culture and climate are related but distinct constructs with different intellectual traditions. Climate (rooted in Lewinian psychology) refers to shared perceptions of organizational practices, policies, and procedures — it describes the work environment as experienced. Culture (rooted in anthropology and sociology) refers to the deeper pattern of shared assumptions and values that explains why those practices exist. Climate can be measured through surveys relatively easily; culture requires deeper qualitative methods (ethnography, interviews) to uncover underlying assumptions. Climate is often considered a surface manifestation of deeper cultural patterns.
Question 3 Short Answer
Why is organizational culture so resistant to deliberate change efforts?
Think about your answer, then reveal below.
Model answer: Culture resists change because its most powerful elements — basic underlying assumptions — operate below conscious awareness. People enact cultural assumptions automatically without recognizing them as assumptions. Additionally, culture is self-reinforcing: it shapes hiring (selecting people who fit), socialization (teaching newcomers 'how things work here'), and reward systems (reinforcing culturally consistent behavior). Changing culture requires simultaneously altering multiple reinforcing mechanisms, which is why culture change initiatives frequently fail.
The difficulty of culture change explains why mergers and acquisitions often fail to realize projected synergies — combining organizations with incompatible cultures produces friction that erodes value even when the financial logic is sound. Schein argued that culture change is most feasible during organizational crises or leadership transitions, when existing assumptions are discredited by events. Outside of such disruptions, culture change requires persistent, multi-year effort by leaders who model the new assumptions in their own behavior.