Adaptive Organisational Culture as a Source of
| dc.contributor.author | Maharaj, Devina | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2011-05-13T10:48:54Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2011-05-13T10:48:54Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2011-05-13 | |
| dc.description | MBA - WBS | en_US |
| dc.description.abstract | Understanding organisational culture and its role in creating long term economic performance has become a major area of research in recent times. Leading researchers in the field have found that organisational culture characteristics that facilitate learning and adaptability can significantly enhance economic performance (Schein 1990; Peter and Waterman 1982; Dension 1990; Kotter and Heskett 1992). Identifying distinctive characteristics and core culture traits can therefore assist managers in assessing the role that organisational culture plays in either facilitating or inhibiting the implementation of strategies and goals. The study aims to explore the role of adaptive organisational culture in creating a sustainable competitive advantage within a single South African organisation. The study was guided by three research questions which included 1) describing the culture characteristics of the organisation; 2) assessing if the culture characteristics of organisation were representative of an adaptive culture; 3) examining if the organisational culture served as a source of sustainable competitive advantage. Due to the nuanced nature of organisational culture the case study design was deemed appropriate as it provided valuable in-depth understanding of context and processes within a single organisation. The investigation employed the method of multiple data collection and included collection of data from documentary sources, direct observation, physical artifacts and semi-structured interviews (Yin 1984; Eisenhardt 1989). Based on historical data, the culture was assessed and found to be representative of an adaptive culture. It was also concluded that the adaptive culture of the organisation had served as a source of sustainable competitive advantage. The findings revealed that the ability of the organisation’s culture to remain adaptive and serve as a source of sustained competitive advantage depended on the active management of that culture during periods of intense growth and/or in times of immense change. Key recommendations for continued culture strength included proper integration of newcomers into the organisation, continued active management of the culture and establishing role models and heroes in addition to the founding members of the organisation. | en_US |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10539/9763 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | en_US |
| dc.subject | Organisational culture | en_US |
| dc.subject | Competitive advantage | en_US |
| dc.subject | Sustainable competitive advantage | en_US |
| dc.title | Adaptive Organisational Culture as a Source of | en_US |
| dc.type | Thesis | en_US |