Abstract
The complex nature of organizational culture challenges our ability to infer its underlying dynamics from observational studies. Recent computational studies have adopted a distinctly different view, where plausible mechanisms are proposed to describe a wide range of social phenomena, including the onset and evolution of organizational culture. In this spirit, this work introduces an empirically-grounded, agent-based model which relaxes a set of assumptions that describes past work–(a) omittance of an individual’s strive for achieving cognitive coherence; (b) limited integration of important contextual factors—by utilizing networks of beliefs and incorporating social rank into the dynamics. As a result, we illustrate that: (i) an organization may appear to be increasingly coherent in terms of its organizational culture, yet be composed of individuals with reduced levels of coherence; (ii) the components of social conformity—peer-pressure and social rank—are influential at different aggregation levels.
Highlights
MethodsAn empirical dataset is used as the basis to construct the belief network of each agent
The model proposed is characterized by conflicting dynamics, where agents strive for cognitive consistency yet may forego it for the sake of social conformity—the latter being a twofold aspect combining elements of peer-pressure and social rank
We have proposed an empirically-grounded, integrative model that was used to tackle the following previous assumptions; (a) belief independence; (b) increasingly context agnostic; by utilizing networks of beliefs and incorporating social rank
Summary
An empirical dataset is used as the basis to construct the belief network of each agent. The dataset is composed of survey results captured during a risk-culture mapping project commissioned by a UK-based insurance organization. Each of the 49 participants was given a total of thirty questions revolving around six central themes (five questions per theme), with each question drawing on a specific belief related to the application of risk management processes within their organization. With beliefs beings widely-considered to be a core component of culture [12,47], this dataset can be viewed as a suitable proxy for the risk culture of this organization. Each question has two components, where each participant is asked to reflect on both current and desirable state of that given belief—see Fig 2a and 2b respectively. The study captures whether a given individual prescribes “more of the same” behavior—i.e. future state for a belief scores or higher, that its current counterpart—or a shift in the current behavior, referred to as “less of the same” i.e. future state for a given belief scores lower than the current state
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
