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A Study on Organizational Performance Based on Organizational Culture Characteristics

Kang, Jeongae

Published: January 1997 · Vol. 26, No. 3 · pp. 513-530
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Abstract

This paper investigates whether differences in organizational performance exist depending on organizational culture characteristics. Although many prior studies have examined the relationship between organizational culture types and organizational performance, this paper attempted an exploratory study applying Rousseau's organizational culture model to Korean firms to examine whether differences in employee attitudes exist depending on each organization's cultural characteristics. Rousseau's culture model consists of three types: constructive culture, passive-defensive culture, and aggressive-defensive culture. The relationships between each cultural characteristic and employee attitudes were empirically tested. As a result, the sample firms showed differences across all three cultural characteristics that distinguish organizational culture types. Members of groups with high constructive cultural characteristics exhibited relatively higher values on the attitude variables selected as outcome variables compared to members with low constructive characteristics, indicating that an association exists between constructive culture and organizational performance. Therefore, it was confirmed that for the improvement of organizational performance, it is desirable to develop organizational culture to possess constructive cultural characteristics that positively influence organizational culture.