Cultural network
The cultural network is a model developed by the British scientist Gerry Johnson ( 1988 ) and describes organizational culture as a network of internal structures and processes that continuously both generate and reinforce the self-perception of an organization . The origin of Edgar Schein's cultural level model must be noted in the model and knowledge of Schein's model is a prerequisite for understanding. Unlike Schein, Johnson arranges the elements next to one another instead of on top of one another and adds a kind of core idea - the paradigm - as a characteristic element .
He describes the corporate culture as a network of seven overlapping subject areas:
Stories and myths
Stories and myths are informal control and steering mechanisms. The stories and myths are often not aware of (or are kept secret) but, if you listen, they are presented by managers over a beer after a training session (Johnson, 1988). Here the entrepreneurial "heroes" and "villains" are identified and their behavior is exemplified, what is "good behavior" what is "bad", how should one behave ... Johnson cites an anecdote as an example in which Bill Hewlett (Co-founder of Hewlett-Packard) needed some parts from one of the warehouses one evening, but found the door locked. Hewlett broke open the door, removed the parts and stuck a note on the door: "Never, never, never lock this door again!" The story is part of Hewlett-Packard's corporate culture, as is Apple's "garage story" (Jobs and Wozniak supposedly built their first computer in a garage) and other similar stories.
Symbols
The more and less obvious symbols of a company, starting with the logo, through the marking and reservation of parking spaces, dress code (tie or not), who has a laptop, who has a cell phone and which cell phone, to the seating arrangements in the canteen (padded / unpadded Chairs).
Power structures
The open and hidden power structures within the company. Who can do what? Who can say it and who can't? Where is opinion made? Often a confused web of power relationships, friendship and hostility relationships, group formation (union members and non-members), ranking and pecking orders and much more can be found in investigations.
Organizational structures
Here, too, Johnson attaches importance to the fact that not only the obvious or possibly even written organizational structures have to be described. In addition, the "informal" structures (friendships, round tables, toilet conferences or drinking bouts) must also be described in order to create a complete picture.
Control system
Both the obvious (accounting etc.) and the hidden control mechanisms (gossip, fear etc.) that work in a company must be listed here.
Rituals and routines
What rituals are there? How is success rewarded? How is failure processed? How, when and in what style do works meetings take place? Do you shake hands in greeting (typical in eastern Germany) or avoid physical contact (typical in western Germany). Do you address each other by last name, first name, mixed? Are you laughing or joking? Irony? Cynicism? Is the employee of the month awarded ? and many, many more.
The entrepreneurial paradigm is formed from the six fields mentioned
The paradigm
An unspoken, unfounded or verified opinion, largely shared by everyone, of what defines the company and why it is successful.
Johnson's cultural network describes connections very deeply. It is often used by consultants in human resource and culture change to capture the invisible forces in a company. Many of these factors are completely invisible to a company's employees. Only when you switch to the company from outside (start a job there) do some peculiarities become recognizable (we only perceive what is unfamiliar). It is therefore almost impossible to create a realistic cultural network without outside help.
The term paradigm goes back to Thomas Samuel Kuhn and originally meant concrete problem solutions in the philosophy of science , which the professional world has accepted ". Johnson uses the term similarly, but replaces professional world with within the organization . Johnson thus also interprets the phases of" Kuhn described by " Normal Science "and" Scientific Revolution "to" Normal Business "and" Business in Transition ". He therefore represents changes in culture in revolutionary upheavals, which in parallel also lead to changed perception of the world (the shape or worldview described above ) However, it cannot be concluded that Johnson believes planned cultural change is impossible, but that changes must be very fundamental in order to lead to the result.It is also certain that, according to Johnson's ideas, the result is not completely predictable.