FUNCTIONS OF CULTURE

(a) It gives members an organizational identity: 

Sharing norms, values and perceptions gives people a sense of togetherness that helps promote a feeling of common purpose. Culture provides shared pattern of cognitive perceptions or understanding about the values or beliefs held by the organization. This enables the organizational members how to think and behave as expected of them.

(b) It facilitates collective commitment.

The common purpose that grows out of shared culture tends to elicit strong commitment from all those who accept the culture as their own. It provides shared pattern of feelings to the organizational members to make them know what they are expected to value and feel.

(c) It promotes systems stability. 

By encouraging a shared sense of identity and commitment, culture encourages lasting integration and cooperation among the members of an organization. It enhances social stability by holding the organizational members together by providing them appropriate standards for which the members should stand for.

(d) It shapes behaviour by helping members make sense of their surroundings.

An organization culture serves as a source of shared meaning that explains why things occur the way they do. Organizational culture is not fully visible but felt. At less visible level culture reflects the value shared by organizational members.

(e) It provides a boundary: 

Culture creates distinction between one organization and the other. Such boundary – defining helps identify members and non-members of the organization. Culture facilitates the generation of commitment to something larger them one’s individual self-interest. It serves as a control mechanism that guides and shapes the attitude and behaviour of organizational members.

(f)Conformity:

It helps organizational members stick to conformity and expected mode of behaviour. Culture ensures that everyone thinks and behaves in a prescribed manner.