19 ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE: ITS RELEVANCE IN ORGANIZATIONAL FUNCTIONING Francis Kehinde Emeni and Joseph Oseikhuemhen Ojeaga Abstract In the past few years, attempts to understand the work organization have been based upon images, metaphors, paradigms and theories of organizations developed over time. In this paper, we are invited to see the work organization from the perspective of culture, which is our action frame of reference towards understanding the hidden and complex aspects of organizational life. This paper reveals that, organizational culture offers a shared system of meanings, which is the basis for communications and mutual understanding towards attainment of organizational goals. It is therefore recommended that, managers of organizations should include the positive aspects of organizational culture to improve the performance of their organizations and this should be backed by policy. Introduction In the past few years, culture has been used by some organizational researchers and managers to indicate the climate and practices that organizations develop around their handling of people or to refer to the espoused values and doctrine of an organization. In this context, managers speak of developing the “right kind of culture” or a “culture of quality”, suggesting that culture is concerned with certain values that managers are trying to inculcate in their organization (Schein, 1988). However, organizational culture will be more useful a concept if it helps us better understand the hidden and complex aspects of organizational life. According to Iyayi (2003), for a very long time, attempts to understand the work organization have been based upon images, metaphors, paradigms and theories of organizations developed over time. Morgan (1986) has detailed at least eight of such images or paradigm statements on organizations. These are: (i) Machines (ii) Organisms, (iii) Brains (iv) Cultures, (v) Political systems, (vi) Psychic prisons, (vii) Flux and transformation, and (viii) Instruments of domination. Morgan (1997) posits that organizations are cultures. Iyayi (2003), shed light on Morgan’s (1997) submission that: if organizations are culture – bound, it follows that to be adequate, any explanation of organizational functioning within, as well as between, societies must be constructed out of an analysis of the differential impact of cultural variable. In this paper, we are invited to see organization from the perspective of culture, which is our action frame of reference towards understanding the hidden and complex aspects of organizational life. In achieving this, the paper is organized as follows. Section 2 spells out culture and organization. Section 3 outlines the meaning of organizational culture. Organizational subcultures are examined in Section 4. In addition, section 5 presents models of organizational culture. Cultures and Organization Culture is so pervasive, yet complex that it is difficult to define it in short simple terms. Although it may seem easy to define culture for the fact that everyone can probably identify it when seen, but understanding in the form of a definition is more complex. As a result, culture has been defined differently by different academics (Warner, 1981). It seems there are as many definitions of culture as there are anthropologists and social scientists, each defining it to suit his understanding and interpretation. To some, from a Nigerian perspective, the term culture refers to finesse in self- comportment. A cultured person is one who behaves in a becoming way according to his society’s standard of behaviour, a gentleman, a well brought up lady, one that is so holistically educated that he is at home with any given subject of discussion, is admirable and worthy of the human spirit (Umoren, 1996). Knowledge Review Volume 21 No. 1 December, 2010