Organizational culture refers to a system of shared assumptions, values, and beliefs that show people what is appropriate and inappropriate behavior in a particular agency or workplace (Chatman & Eunyoung, 2003; Slocum, 2005). These values have a strong influence on employee behavior as well as on organizational performance. Organizational culture is expressed implicitly, explicitly or a combination of both.

It is an advantage to experience multiple field sites before obtaining a paid or full-time job. While organizational culture may not spring to mind as the very first criteria to consider, it can make a big difference to your overall satisfaction with the workplace, and to your stress level in particular.Observe and assess varied organizational cultures in a variety of settings before choosing a job or career. Organizational culture can be expressed subtly and knowing what it is and how to look for it takes practice.

Culture, most often associated with family and social groups, describes the arts, traditions, social institutions, values and beliefs that are shared and passed down through generations over time. While many traditions remain the same, others are adapted and adjusted by subsequent generations. So how does this mesh with a human services organization and workplace?

12.5.1 Formal Organizational Culture

Most workplaces express their organizational culture in the form of a mission statement, a vision statement, or core values. Organizational culture can be explicitly stated (e.g., in written policies, employee manuals and training, code of ethical conduct, on the website forms and instructions for clients), or it may be obvious only through experience and observation. For example, Brown Hope (2022), a service and advocacy organization in Portland, Oregon, states its mission on the home page of their website:

Brown Hope is planting and nurturing seeds for racial justice and healing. We serve and mobilize communities in order to heal our collective soil from the poisons of our past and present, so our future roots can thrive.

Some organizations share other parts of their organizational culture publicly. For example, the All Because of Children (ABC) House in Albany, Oregon, states some of its values as well as its expectations of employees on its general recruitment page, as shown in figure 12.2.

Figure 12.2. The All Because of Children House, which serves children and families affected by child abuse and neglect, uses its recruitment page to tell us more about what the organization does, as well as what they expect from their employees (Click on the image or here to access the website.)

12.5.3 Informal Organizational Culture

In contrast to the formal structures that are conveyed via written and electronic materials, there are less formal aspects of organization structure, such as the ways that employees relate with one another internally and outside of work, that may not be as explicitly communicated. Here are some examples of informal practices:

• How employees greet each other when they arrive or see each other for the first time each day
• How workers address one another (first name, last name, or with a title)

• Is the convention applied equitably across job and education levels, or are some people addressed by title and others by name?

• What are the typical ways that employees dress (even if there is not a formal dress code) and does it vary by day of the week, job, title, or gender?
• How personal life overlaps with professional life

• What personal information is typically shared?
• What is kept private? Do expectations vary by job, title, ethnicity, gender, or sexuality?
• Are there workplace-based celebrations of milestone events such as birthdays, weddings, births, or deaths?
• Are there expectations or practices related to who is invited to celebrations outside of the workplace?

Shared values and social norms that are only known implicitly or are underlying assumptions, will be more difficult to discern by any newcomer to the organization, contributing to a feeling of being out of place. An organization with a culture of practicing the explicit sharing of values, beliefs, and behaviors will be a more equitable organization, one into which newcomers are more likely to feel that they belong.

Some of these practices may be evident to you when you interview at a location, but it is more likely that they will become apparent to you over time. Keeping organizational culture in mind will help you to evaluate whether or not this is a place that you would like to work over the long-term, and what you want to look for in future internship and work settings.

12.5.4 Organizational Culture Framework

This framework including three elements is another way of looking at organizational culture:

• Artifacts: mission, goals, plans and communications
• Values: norms and behaviors
• Underlying assumptions: unconscious, taken for granted beliefs, habits of perception, thoughts and feelings

In figure 12.3, you can see that the underlying assumptions are the foundation and source for the values, actions, and artifacts (Schein, 1985).

Figure 12.3. This organizational culture framework shows how parts of the culture are visible and other parts are invisible. The parts that are invisible are the foundation for what is visible. Figure 12.3 Image Description

One of the challenges that an organization can face is if the fundamental assumptions are not congruent with the more visible aspects, especially if the organization is trying to change. The underlying assumptions need to be uncovered and exposed in order to develop, grow and have true congruence with the values and artifacts.

12.5.5 Organizational Culture and Inclusion

How does organizational culture relate to equity and inclusion? If we define equity as being sure that everyone has what they need in order to have similar opportunities to each other, we must pay attention to the ways that any organization welcomes new people into the space and the structure. In addition, how people are oriented and included in the organization will affect their ability to adapt and willingness to stay.

How does organizational culture relate to diversity and inclusion? If people new to the organization represent diverse groups from those who have typically held power, the organizational structure needs to be set up not to just include, but to value diverse thinking and perspectives. The only way that diversity, equity, and inclusion can be institutionalized is if the organizational structure and culture is dedicated to these principles as underlying assumptions, stated values and artifacts. If it is, this will both retain staff who are diverse, and eventually facilitate the decolonization and diversification of the leadership.

Let’s take the example that many of you may be familiar with: the first-generation college student. Over the past few decades, increasing attention has been paid to acknowledging that a first-generation college student, the first person in their immediate family to go to college, will have different needs and strengths compared to a student whose parents, grandparents, or perhaps even siblings went to college.

These students often face different challenges than those faced by students who have family experience with college, and whose families typically support, encourage, or even require them to attend college. First-generation college students face the challenge of negotiating an environment that their parents may not be able to help them figure out, as well as the possibility that their families do not value the institution of college education. They face challenges in learning the process and rules of college life as well as the difficulties of fitting in and developing a new social identity as a college student. If their family relationships are harmed by going to college, they need even more social support and relationship formation at the college itself (London, 1992).

The organizational culture at the college will be key to the first-generation college student’s likelihood of staying college and completing a degree. First-generation college students benefit from engagement in extracurricular activities and connections with peers (Demetrio et al., 2017). For example, if the college staff and faculty have underlying assumptions and understand the typical challenges faced by first-generation students, they may perform a number of activities (artifacts) such as:

• foster the transition from high school to college with 1:1 relationships
• create community among students in classes
• provide extracurricular activities where students can build relationships with other first-generation students
• create time and space to listen to students who are struggling with their family relationships or social identity (Ricks & Warren, 2021)

If their underlying assumptions do not align with values and artifacts that support the integration of first-generation students into campus life, then it is less likely that students will persist and graduate. For example, if staff and faculty have underlying assumptions such as, “it’s tough for everyone; you can’t provide special services to some students; it’s not fair,” this belief will affect the organization’s success with implementing strategies to diversify and decolonize education. As discussed in Chapter 2, education needs to intentionally address inequities in order to actively include typically marginalized communities in leadership positions.

Another way to foster inclusion is to support the ability of each person to express themselves authentically; the next section discusses an emerging practice that some organizations are formally adopting to support diversifying and decolonizing social services.

12.5.6 Restorative Practices Within the Workplace

Restorative practices is an emerging social science, evolved from ancient practices, that studies how to build, strengthen, and repair relationships among individuals, as well as connections within communities. The practices focus on building connections, accountability, and commitments through participatory learning and decision-making. Specifically, restorative practices can provide some justice to people that have been harmed via systemic oppression.

While more preventative in nature, restorative practices has emerged from restorative justice, which is an intentional way handling an offense and involves three stakeholders within an organization or community: the person(s) who has offended, the person(s) who were harmed, and communities of care and reconciliation (Wachtel, 2016).

Restorative justice has roots in ancient and Indigenous practices employed in a wide variety of cultures, from Native American and First Nation Canadian to African, Asian, Celtic, Hebrew, Arab and many others (Eagle, 2001; Goldstein, 2006; Haarala, 2004; Mbambo & Skelton, 2003; Mirsky, 2004; Roujanavong, 2005; Wong, 2005).

Restorative practices are becoming increasingly common within many professions and workplaces related to human services including criminal justice, education, mental health, social work, and public health.

Two restorative practices used in human services-related fields include family group decision-making (FGDM) and family group conferencing (FCG). These were originally envisioned as family empowerment activities, such as when the native Maori people in New Zealand started using FCGs to address their concerns about the number of children being removed from their homes by the government and court structures (Doolan, 2003). Those practices have evolved to include communities of care that foster increased social capital and connections with families.

Restorative practices are most effective when they are used holistically to build relationships within organizations or within communities. This means using them in a proactive way and not just when harm has occurred. Structures that support the building of connection through authentic communication and social capital that is shared by all members of the community can decrease the amount of harm that occurs (Davey, 2007).

12.5.7 References

Brown Hope (n.d.) Our mission and vision. Retrieved June 8, 2022, from https://www.brownhope.org/mission-and-vision

Chatman, J. A., & Eunyoung Cha, S. (2003). Leading by leveraging culture. California Management Review, 45.

Davey, L. (2007, November). Restorative practices: A vision of hope. Paper presented at the 10th International Institute for Restorative Practices World Conference, Budapest, Hungary.

Demetriou, C., Meece, J., Eaker-Rich, D., & Powell, C. (2017). The activities, roles, and relationships of successful first-generation college students. Journal of College Student Development, 58(1), 19–36. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2017.0001

Doolan, M. (2003). Restorative practices and family empowerment: Both/and or either/or? Family Rights Newsletter. Family Rights Group.

Goldstein, A. (2006, October). Restorative practices in Israel: The state of the field. Paper presented at the Eighth International Conference on Conferencing, Circles and other Restorative Practices, Bethlehem, PA, USA.

Haarala, L. (2004). A community within. In Restorative Justice Week: Engaging us all in the dialogue. Correctional Service of Canada.

London, H.B. (1992), Transformations: Cultural challenges faced by first-generation students. New Directions for Community Colleges, 1992: 5–11. https://doi.org/10.1002/cc.36819928003

Mbambo, B., & Skelton, A. (2003). Preparing the South African community for implementing a new restorative child justice system. In L. Walgrave (Ed.), Repositioning restorative justice (pp. 271-283). Devon, UK: Willan

Mirsky, L. (2004a). Restorative justice practices of Native American, First Nation and other indigenous people of North America: Part one. http://www.iirp.edu/pdf/natjust1.pdf

Ricks, J. R., & Warren, J. M. (2021). Transitioning to college: Experiences of successful first-generation college students. Journal of Educational Research and Practice, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.5590/JERAP.2021.11.1.01

Roujanavong, W. (2005, November). Restorative justice: Family and community group conferencing (FCGC) in Thailand. Paper presented at the Seventh International Conference on Conferencing, Circles and other Restorative Practices, Manchester, UK.

Schein, Edgar (1985). Organizational Culture and Leadership. Jossey Bass.

Slocum, J. W. (2005). Managing corporate culture through reward systems. Academy of Management Executive, 19.

Wachtel, T. (2016). Defining Restorative. International Institute for Restorative Practices. https://www.nassauboces.org/cms/lib/NY01928409/Centricity/Domain/1699/Defining%20Restorative.pdf

Wong, D. (2005) Restorative justice for juveniles in Hong Kong: Reflections of a practitioner. Paper presented at the Sixth International Conference on Conferencing, Circles and other Restorative Practices, Penrith, NSW, Australia

Image Description for Figure 12.3:
An iceberg is represented half above water and half below water. An arrow through the iceberg pointing both up and down is labeled visible (upwards) and invisible (Downwards). Above water are Artifacts (Goals, Plans, and Communications). Stated values are half above water and half below water. These include social norms (visualized above water) and Patterns of Behavior (visualized below water). Assumptions are underwater and include Underlying Assumptions and Values.
[Return to Figure 12.3]