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A case study of organizational culture in a sawmill

The purpose of this study was to describe the level to which a target work culture
based on core organizational values was shared in one lumber manufacturing plant. The
organization under study perceived that their culture was a source of competitive
advantage and was key to their success in safety, product quality, and labor-relations.
The organization had actively managed their culture through operations management and
human resource policies. The study addressed three research questions (1) to what extent
were the core values of the organization shared, (2) were there any inconsistent values,
and (3) did organizational members perceive their culture as helping or hurting their
plant's performance outcomes. The study found eight of the nine values were shared
across the organization. The values of safety and customer satisfaction were strongly
shared. The value of environmental stewardship was not apparent in the organization.
The organization perceived that its culture helped the mill success in key performance
outcomes by promoting teamwork, participation, and communication. For the values of
communication, involvement, trust, and respect there were perceptions of inconsistency
between the target culture's definition of the value and its actual practice. The study
provides support that culture may have an influence on organizational effectiveness. / Graduation date: 2002

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:ORGSU/oai:ir.library.oregonstate.edu:1957/31133
Date06 August 2001
CreatorsChaney, Brian K.
ContributorsKeith, William M.
Source SetsOregon State University
Languageen_US
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeThesis/Dissertation

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