Barrier:
Wrong Perception Of Technology - Culture Relationship, And Management As A Technology

By Jamal Ghamari

September 5, 2010 at 11:30am

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Focus the work of management on a higher purpose

Retool management for an open and borderless world

Summary

One thing I hear all the time is statements that take culture as something immutable, absolute, and unchallengeable. Whenever I recommend something new, like a new management system or a different setting for management processes to a firm, I am likely to be told that "our culture does not allow us to establish this system" or "This is our culture, we can nothing to do about it"or "the new system does not fit with our culture", I hear this kind of thing all the time.

Description

Looking at the history of human life shows us how technology changes culture. I have not seen many managers who believe that the technology of management can do the same thing. This is in my point of view and in my experience a top level priority in terms of improving management practices. People always try to create a fit between whatever they do and their culture.

Root Causes

There are many different aspects to this barrier. First of all, managers do not wee management as a technology which consists of different methods and tools to do the job of management. Second, they don't think that technology can change culture and they perceived culture as something constant. I have seen many people who always say nothing can change culture and culture when shaped and when crystallized will be always as it is. They assume that the culture of an organization will remain unchanged unless we change the people in the organization. one reason I presume as a factor that shapes this perception is lack of experiences in which culture of an individual or a group of people is influenced by a technology or by a consistent behavior.

Solution

One of the main causes that every consultant, thinker, author, or trainer may serve with respect to the culture-related perceptions is providing examples on how management processes and systems influence an organization's culture. This has I believe to be done consciously and consistently.

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