Problems Facing Leader in Multinational Organization Essay

AbstractThis research suggests that there is a lack of congruousness amid the Iranian Institutes of Higher Education ending and the faculties desired glossiness. This conclusion is based on empirical data that indicate that faculties believe that they operate on a day-to day basis in a profession whose destination is measure upd by an overarching desire for stability and control, formal rules and policies, coordination and efficiency, finale and results oriented, and harddriving competitiveness. Emphasizing this lack of cultural congruence, the respondents of this field of view also indicated that the faculties culture should be one that emphasizes flexibility, discretion, participation, human resource development, innovation, creativity, risk-taking, and a long-term emphasis on professional growth and the acquisition of clean professional knowledge and skills, which is more aligned with the universities strategic impertinent environment.One of the principal reasons for the popular interest in the study of organisational culture is to find the linkage between it and organisational performance (Berrio, 2003). This study has reviewed a previously assumed but unverified connection between organisational culture and leading flairs. It has uncovered a lack of congruence between the dominant type of constitutional culture and leading styles. This observed lack of congruence may be inhibiting performance and unconsciously perpetuating a cycle of caution and an over reliance on stability and control. Key words Organizational culture- Leadership styles-Higher education1.IntroductionAn inquiry of the literature in the fields of organizational culture and leadership finds that the two areas take been independently linked to organizational performance. For example, researchers have examined the tie in between leadership styles and performance (see Bycio et al., 1995), and alsobetween organizational culture and performance (see Kotter and Heskett, 1992). F urthermore, numerous aspects of the organizational culture literature each(prenominal)ude to the role of leaders in creating and maintaining crabbed types of culture (for example, Schein , 1992). Equally, the literature on leadership suggests that the ability to understand and work within a culture is a prerequisite to managerial strong point. However, despite the unvoiced and explicit linking of culture and leadership in many parts of organization theory, little critical research attention has been devoted to understanding the links between the two concepts and the impact that such an association might have on managerial effectiveness.The absence of critical literature exploring the effectiveness implications of the links between organizational culture and leadership is surprising given the numerous references to the importance of the two concepts in the functioning of organizations (see, Schein, 1992). The aim of this paper is to provide empirical evidence of the links between different types of organizational culture, a range of leadership styles and managerial effectiveness. This is achieved through the presentation of the results of a cross sectional survey of leadership style, organizational culture, and managerial effectiveness across nine universities in Iran. The paper begins with a brief review of the literature on organizational culture and leadership. This is followed by a reasonion of the methodology adopted for the study and the presentation of the findings and analysis of responses to questionnaire exploring the links between the two concepts and managerial effectiveness. The evidence demonstrates that the relationship between leadership style and effectiveness is mediated by cultural congruence.In the final part of the paper, the conclusions and implications of the study are highlighted. As more and more universities enter into new arrangements in 21st century, the need to quantify organisational cultures becomes more pregnant .The term organisational culture has proved difficult to define, but several of its important components are agreed on by most researchers. These include the norms, perspectives, determine, assumptions and beliefs shared by organisational members. Due to the abstract nature of these elements, there is a considerable challenge for external researchers who want to assess organisational culture. It is even difficult for members of an organization to describe their own culture. Cameron and Freeman (1991, p.31) use the oldproverb Fish discover water last to illustrate the job of assessing culture among those immersed in it.The aim of this study is to provide insight into the construct of culture and its relationship with leadership styles in the context of high education institutions , and to discuss competing values framework as one of approaches to measurement of culture. The paper starts with a discussion on how the concept of organisational culture is understood in the get upting of highe r education institutions, and is followed by a brief introduction to the tradeoffs between qualitative and quantitative approaches to assess culture. Based on the basic psychometric requirements for measuring culture, this study concludes by identifying some of the implications of selecting or designing instruments for assess cultural differences in higher education institutions.2.Organizational Culture and Leadership StylesBefore attempting to describe the content of organizational culture, one should first know the concept of organisational culture. Organizational culture has been criticized as being conceptually weak, since it has been defined in many fashions (Jelinek et al., 1983) and each comment emphasizes a particular focus or level. Since Schein (1992) published the book Organisational Culture and Leadership, more researchers have recognized culture as a multidimensional and multilevel concept. Schein describes three levels of culture. The first level consists of visible organisational structures and actions, such as dress code, facilities and procedures.This level of culture can be easily observed. The second level consists of espo employ values manifested in the public images of organisations, such as strategies, goals, and philosophies. While not as visible as the artefacts present in the first level, these values can be ascertained by norms, the way things are done in the organisation. The third level consists of basic assumptions, or unconscious beliefs, perceptions, thoughts, and feelings. These determine both behaviour norms (the way people should behave) and organisational values (the things that are highly valued).According to Buono and Bowditch (1989, p.137-139), the visible elements created by an organization on the first level are treated as mark organizational culture, while the elements on the second and the third levels are concerned with subjective organizational culture. Most researchers agree that subjective culture is more import ant as a significant determinant of beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours, and it thus provides a more distinctive basis for characterizing and interpreting similarities and differences among people in different organizations. On this understanding, university culture as a particular form of organisational culture can be defined as the collective, mutually shaping patterns of norms, values, practices, beliefs, and assumptions that guide the behaviour of individuals and groups in an bestow of higher education and provide a frame of reference within which to interpret the meaning of events and actions on and off campus (Kuh & Whitt, 2000, p.162).While the term organisational culture is used as if an organisation has a monolithic culture, most organisations have more than one set of beliefs influencing the behaviour of their members (Morgan, 1986 Sathe, 1985). Cultural diversity appears to be more provable in higher education institutions (Kuh & Whitt, 2000, p.161). The small homogenous society analogues used in anthropological studies of culture is sorely strained when applied to many modern institutions of higher education. Large public, multipurpose universities are comprised of many different groups whose members may or may not share or abide by all of the institutions norms, values, practices, beliefs, and meanings. Instead of viewing colleges and universities as monolithic entities, it is more realistic to analyze them as multicultural contexts that are host to numerous subgroups with different priorities, traditions, and values (Kuh & Whitt, 2000 p.161) .This study pays particular attention to pedantic staff and specifically those engaged at the departmental level. Therefore, from the perspective of this paper, the culture refers to values, beliefs, and assumptions developed within an academic department by academic staff andthose who manage academics through joint experiences over long periods of time. Nevertheless, disciplinary identity is not the sole source of the culture shared by academic staff members within an academic sub-unit. It is also subject to a variety of circumstances, such as national context, professional culture and organisational character (Austin, 1992 Clark, 1983, p.75 Vlimaa, 1998).3.A Review of the CVF Model and the Study MethodologyAn Overview of the Competing Values Framework (CVF) Model The Competing Values Framework (CVF) evolved from the work of Quinn and Rohrbaugh (1981, 1983) as they attempted to hold back the elusive definition for a generally agreed upon theoretical framework of the concept of organizational effectiveness. This framework was chosen for this study because it was experimentally derived and found to have a high degree of face and empirical validity. Additionally, the CVF was place as having a high level of reliability matching or exceeding that of separate instruments commonly used in the social and organizational sciences (Cameron and Ettington, 1988 Cameron and Quinn, 2006 Berrio, 2003). The four quadrants of the framework, representing the four major cultural types clan, adhocracy, market, hierarchy, provide a robust explanation of the differing orientations and competing values that characterize human behavior.The richness provided by the CVF is based on its ability to identify the basic assumptions, orientations, and values of each of the four cultural types. These three elements comprise the shopping centre of organizational culture. The OCAI, therefore, is an instrument that allows you to diagnose the dominant orientation of your own organization based on these core culture types. It also assists you in diagnosing your organizations cultural strength, cultural type, and cultural congruence (Cameron and Quinn,2006, p. 33). In their research concerning organizational effectiveness, Quinn and Rohrbaugh (1981, 1983) statistically analyzed 39 indicators of organizational effectiveness as identified by Campbell, et al, (1974). Quinn and Rohrbaughs analysis r esulted in the bifurcation of the 39 effectiveness criteria between two major dimensions.The first dimension, which is labeled the Structure dimension, differentiates the organizational effectiveness criteria between those that emphasize flexibility, discretion, and dynamism and those thatemphasize stability, order, and control. The second dimension, which is labeled the Focus dimension, differentiates the organizational effectiveness criteria between those that emphasize internal orientation, integration, and unity and those effectiveness criteria that emphasize an external orientation, differentiation, and rivalry (Quinn and Rohrbaugh, 1981 and 1983 Cameron and Quinn, 2006).Within each of these two dimensions there is also a third set of values, which produces an emphasis ranging from organizational processes, such as planning and goal setting at one end of the spectrum, to an emphasis on results, such as resource acquisition at the other end. Quinn and Rohrbaugh (1981) labeled th is third set of values as the organizational Means Ends continuum. The two primary dimensions differentiating between organizational values emphasizing Structure and Focus produce four clusters of effectiveness criteria as depicted in Figure 1. The Structure axis is equal 100 by the Flexibility Control continuum, while the Focus axis is represented by the People Organization continuum in Figure 1 . Within each of these four quadrants the relevant Means Ends values are enumerated.