ABS International Journal of Management EMBED THE CULTURE OF EMBRACING Ankita Shukla Teaching Assistant, Mangalayatan CHANGE University Abstract: Change generates emotions as employee’s experience the processes and outcome of amend, including cultural change. An organization’s affective culture, which shape the way emotions are experienced and expressed, plays a particularly important part during changes to the culture or to any other significant aspect of managerial life. This article contributes to the literature by illustrating the associations between culture, change and emotions and presents the results of a qualitative study. We found that when participants’ values were harmonizing with those of the organization they tended to react to change more optimistically. Cultural change provoked emotional reactions, often of an intense nature. When emotions were acknowledged and treated with respect, people became more engaged with the change. Keywords: Organizational Culture, Organizational Change, etc. Introduction Literature Review used instead of culture, or in addition Change is fundamentally about feelings; Emotions are direct responses to to it, and is the employee perception companies those want their workers to events, issues, relationships and objects of the culture and a manifestation of contribute with their heads and their that are important to people (Lazarus, it (Allen, 2003). The debate as to the hearts have to accept that emotions are 1991; Frijda, 1988), whereas mood is similarities and differences between central to the new management style. longer lasting, more diffuse and not them, and the multiple theoretical The most successful change programs always linked to something specific perspectives on each (Payne 2002; reveal that large organizations connect (Isen, 2000; Weiss, 2002). Affect is a Denison, 1996), lie outside the scope with their people most directly through broad term including emotion, mood of this article, and to simplify matters values and those values, ultimately and disposition (Barsade and Gibson, the term organizational culture will be are about beliefs and feelings (Duck, 2007). Organizational change has used throughout. More colloquially, 1993, p. 113). There are number of the potential to trigger positive and culture is “how things are done around ways in which organizational culture, negative emotions and moods in the here” (Martin, 2002, and it shapes the organizational change and emotions employee that depend on a range of behaviour of its members in overt and are related. Firstly, organizational factors. These include the perceived covert ways. It has also been called a culture is imbued with emotion and valence of the outcomes, the change system of shared meanings (Pizer and therefore cultural change is especially processes that are used, the speed, Härtel, 2005) but how widely it is really emotional. A change in culture can timing and frequency of change, shared is debatable (Martin, 2002). be the goal of management and but the nature of leadership and the For example, sub-cultures exist in could occur indirectly as a result employee’s personality and emotional organizations (Allen, 2003; Ryan, 2005) of strategic, tactical or operational intelligence (Kiefer, 2005; Jordan, 2005, which are often based on categories such changes. Secondly, an organization’s Wanberg and Banas, 2000; Smollan, as hierarchy, department, professional affective culture influences how 2006). The culture of the organization identity, ethnicity and gender, but may these emotions are experienced and can also play an important role in both also be conceptualised as differing expressed. Thirdly, there might be generating emotions during change value systems. For example, Palthe and specific elements of a culture that an and influencing their expression or Kossek (2003) developed a typology employee likes or dislikes and these suppression. The affective culture, of sub-cultures that are employee- influence emotional responses to any in particular, will help or hinder centred, professional-centred, task- type of change. There is little literature employees’ adjustment on an individual centred and innovation-centred. that integrates employees’ emotional level. Organizational culture is regarded Employees’ responses to change are responses to change with an analysis of as a set of assumptions, beliefs, values, often coloured by their perceptions of, their organizations’ affective cultures. customs, structures, norms, rules, and engagement in, the sub-culture as traditions and artefacts (Schein, 2004). well as in the broader organizational The term organizational climate is often culture (Harris and Ogbonna, 1998; 13 ABS International Journal of Management Morgan and Ogbonna, 2008). Sub- energy and passion” to be competitive may not be socially acceptable to cultures may become counter-cultures (Keown, 2006, p. C4). express more directly” (p. 80). If, as or anti-cultures (Elsmore, 2001) and Branson (2007, p. 377) claims, “Values according to Armenakis, Harris and Researchers have explored the alignment is the bedrock of successful Moss holder (1993, p. 687), “these emotions-culture nexus. Schein (1990, organizational change”, this process cultural memberships may polarize p. 111) indicates that “Culture is what needs to be carefully managed but the beliefs, attitudes and intentions of a group learns over a period of time nevertheless cannot always work. A members” through group discourses as that group solves its problems of person’s sense of identity is partly and undermine readiness for change. survival in an external environment and determined by his or her values, which its problems of internal integration”, can mesh or clash with organizational Organizational culture is substantially and he emphasizes that “such learning values (Ashforth and Mael, 1989; about values (Kabanoff, Waldersee and is simultaneously a behavioural, Pepper and Larson, 2006). As Ryan Cohen, 1995; Ryan, 2005; Duck, 1993), cognitive, and an emotional process.” (2005, p. 432) puts it, culture “represents which have been termed “embedded Focusing on the affective process the often unwritten sense of identity, codes” (Branson, 2007, p. 382) – even he contends that one of the factors feeling part of the organization. It if these might be contested. Values may that contribute to the development provides a ‘glue’ and understanding evolve or be deliberately determined of culture is the “emotional intensity in that it can help individual members and articulated in mission statements of the actual historical experiences” make sense of events and change and websites and included in induction organizational or group members have activities.” According to Carr (2001, and training sessions. In this way, they shared (Schein, 2004, p. 11). Beyer and p. 429), “the processes involved in the are overt guides to behaviour but the Nino (2001) assert that culture both relationship between employee and messages and the mechanisms may engenders emotions and provides for organization are deep-seated, largely be more subtle. They often contain their expression in socially accepted unconscious, intimately connected to emotional language, as the following ways and that culture acts as a ‘glue’ the development of identity and have corporate websites indicate: The Virgin that binds people. According to van emotional content.” He suggests that brand is built upon Richard Branson’s Maanen and Kunda (1989, p. 46), “Any change ‘dislodges’ identity and leads to core philosophy - if you keep your staff attempt to manage culture is therefore anxiety and grieving. happy then your customers will be also an attempt to manage emotions.” happy, and if you keep your customers The role of emotion is emphasized Van Knippenberg, van Knippenberg, happy then your shareholders will be somewhat idealistically by Bratton, Monden and de Lima (2009) reported happy (Virgin, 2008). At The Walt Grint and Nelson (2005, p. 51), who from a study of a merger that members Disney Company, entertainment is claim that “The most critical function of the dominant company felt a much about hope, aspiration and positive of corporate culture is to generate stronger form of organizational resolutions (Disney Corporation, commitment and enthusiasm among identification than the members of the 2008). At The Walt Disney Company, followers by making them feel they are other company. Similarly, Larson and entertainment is about hope, aspiration part of a ‘family’ and participants in a Pepper (2006) found in a takeover that and positive resolutions (Disney worthwhile venture.” members of the acquired company Corporation, 2008). We have four core resisted the values of the acquiring values (or passions) that are the ‘glue’ Organizational values are often company, as a result of what they connecting Vodafone in every country reflected in the language that is used, termed ‘identity tensions’. Van Dijk around the globe. These are Passion and the language of culture in the and van Dick (2009) found that change for Customers, Passion for Our People, context of change can be suffused can undermine an employee’s identity, Passion for Results, and Passion for the with emotion. Martin (2002) explains particularly in terms of social status, World Around Us” (Vodafone New how jargon both defines a culture and while resistance to change undermines a Zealand, 2008). When Vodafone New shapes it. For example, in researching change leader’s identity as a person with Zealand acquired an internet service mergers and acquisitions