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Organizational Culture and Career

Course developer

Course abstract

The course develops the knowledge, skills and competences on the specificity of organization culture, its activities, and the factors influencing an individual's career development. The study course develops skills to identify and analyze models of organizational culture. The students acquire an understanding of contemporary theoretical approaches of organizational culture and its relation to the career development of employees. The course promotes skills of critical and creative thinking by analyzing components and levels of organizational culture from the perspective of career development.

Learning outcomes and their assessment

• Knowledge - is able to understand the theoretical basic issues of organizational culture, impact of internal and external factors on the culture of organization in connection with the organization’s strategy and its employees' career development. Comprehension of the necessary knowledge level how to identify and assess an individual's needs and career development prospects in the organization – practical works.
• Skills – is able to identify and evaluate the influencing factors of organizational culture and cultural processes related to the organization; is able to apply conditions for a favourable psychological environment for the development of the organizations and employees' career – practical works.
• Competence - is able to independently use the results in analysing of theoretical studies of organization culture in connection with the career development of employees and the organization itself forecasting as well as forming a favourable psychological environment - an independent work (presentation).

Course Content(Calendar)

1. Organizational culture and its management. E. Schein organizational culture model. The value of organizational culture - 2h.
2. Schools of the organization culture theory. Organization artifacts, environment, reputation, brand - 2h.
3. Life Cycles of Organizations (Isaac Adey). Types of organizational change; resistance to change, its causes and overcoming - 2h.
4. 4. Communication and control of organization. Types of controls. - 2h.
5. 5. Effectiveness of the organization in accordance with the principles of the Istanbul Convention. Mobbing and bossing in organization - 2h.
6. Team building (M. Belbin) and decision making in organization. Group dynamics and profile. Characteristics of a cooperative group. Impact of culture on communication in the group - 2h.
The first independent work "Evaluation of the organization's image".
7. The Organization Man: conceptual explanation (by W.H. Whyte) - 1h.
8. Individual and organizational perspectives of contemporary career development. Principles of interaction between the individual and the environment - 2h.
9. Career and its transformation in organization. Traditional career. Linear career. Multidirectional and variable career - 3h.
10. Career Adaptation (M. Savickas). Career Resource Model (A. Hirschi)- 2h.
11. The global career management in organization. Expatriation and repatriation (R. A. Guzzo and M.Harvey). Assessment of career success - 2h.
12. 12. Cultural perspectives of individual career development. Constructive and narrative intervention. Context meaning - 2h.
13. Employee's competence of career construction and life design : social cooperation, networking, transition skills, confidence, readiness for life. Employee career development support in organization. Individual Development Plan (portfolio) and Organization Strategy - 4h
Second independent work “Career Development and Organization Support”
14. 14. Activities of career specialists in an organization. Functions of accountability. Key skills and competences. Job loss models - 2h.
15. Seminar “Individual Career Development and Support in Organization” - 2h

Requirements for awarding credit points

Test with a 10-point mark.
Cumulative assessment of two independent works and participation in seminar, as well as practical works during the classes.
80% attendance of classes.

Description of the organization and tasks of students’ independent work

In the first independent work “Evaluation of the image of the organization”, students evaluate the image of their workplace /company /organization or master's research subject according to the following criteria: company philosophy; target audience and collaboration partners; company recognition in the labour market and society; the goals of employees and organization; interpersonal relationships; Factors that influence the organization's performance in achieving goals.
In the second independent work “Career Development and Support in Organization” students evaluate their career development and support in their organization, based on the following criteria: employees’ motivation; career aspirations, career expectations and investments; influencing factors of the career development of an employees; career growth opportunities and pace within the organization; career guidance mechanism of organization. The thesis is prepared in the form of a presentation and presented in the seminar “Individual career development and support in the organization”.

Criteria for Evaluating Learning Outcomes

The assessment of a study course test with a grade depends from the cumulative assessment of the practical works and independent work.
Independent and practical works are evaluated according to the criteria set out therein.
The mark of the test is the arithmetic mean between the assessments of the two independent works and practical works.
Practical works:
1. Organizational Culture Types (Handy Test)
2. The value of the impact on an individual's lifestyle, career plans and career choices (the game "market value")
3. Analysis of areas of human life in modern career development.
4. Employee Social Status and Role in Organization (Test)
5. Employee (individual) career plan, their types in the organization.
6. Discussion about progressing and hindering norms / values in the organization
7. “Be cause” 7-step career model in the organization.
8. Discussion about the types of control in the organization.
9. Presentation of an information management (IM) cycle model in an organization using IM principles and elements of communication models.
10. Indicators of the team work. The role of evaluation of the team (M.Belbin): Execution of Questionnaires and discussion.
Practical works are organized in connection with the topics of the acquired study course.

Compulsory reading

1. Cameron K.S. Diagnosing and changing organizational culture. Jossey-Bass, 2011. 288 p. 2. Daugenti G., Wilen-Daugenti T., Vien C. L. Employed for Life: 21st-Century Career Trends. Publisher: Peter Lang Publishing Inc., 2013. 167 p. 3. Hirschi A., Dauwalder J.-P. Dynamics in Career Development – Personal and Organizational Perspectives. Handbook of Life Design: From Practice to Theory and from Theory to Practice. Edited by Nota L., Rossier J. Hogrefe. Publishing, 2015, p. 27-40. Pieejams: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/279850299_Dynamics_in_Career_Development_Personal_and_Organizational_Perspectives/download 4. Miller K., Barbour J. Organizational communication: approaches and processes. Belmont, CA : Thomson/Wadsworth, 2006. 364 p. 5. Reņģe V. Mūsdienu organizāciju psiholoģija. Rīga: Zvaigzne ABC, 2007. 134 lpp. 6. Rennstam J. Control. The International Encyclopedia of Organizational Communication. 2017, p. 1–22. [tiešsaiste] [skatīts 19.12.2018.], Pieejams: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/314395138_Control 7. Schein E. H. Organizational culture and leadership. 4th edition. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2010. 464 p. 8. Shockley-Zalaback P. Fundamentals of organizational communication. Boston ... [etc.]: Pearson; 9th edition, 2014. 504 p. 9. Tien H.-L. Cultural Perspectives on Life Design. Handbook of Life Design: From Practice to Theory and from Theory to Practice. Edited by Nota L., Rossier J. Hogrefe Publishing, 2015, p. 249-268.

Further reading

1. Barrett R. The Values-Driven Organization: Unleashing Human Potential for Performance and Profit. Publisher: Routledge, 2013. 280 p.
2. Encyclopedia of Career Development. Greenhaus Jeffrey H., Callanan Gerard A. SAGE Publications, 2006. 1096 p.
3. Olinss V. Par zīmolu. Izdevējs: Neptūns, 2005. 279 lpp.
4. Robbins P.S., Judge T. A. Organizational behavior. Pearson Education, 2018. 768. p.

Periodicals and other sources

1. Baruch Y. Career development in organizations and beyond: Balancing traditional and contemporary viewpoints. Human Resource Management Review. Volume 16, Issue 2, 2006, p.125-138. [Skatīts 17.12.2018.]. Pieejams: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S105348220600026X . 2. Barych Y. Transforming Careers: From Linear to Multidirectional Career Paths. Organizational and Individual Perspectives . Career Development International, Vol. 1, 2004, p. 58-73. [Skatīts 10.12.2018.]. Pieejams: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/235287145_Transforming_careersfrom_linear_to_multidirectional_career_paths_Organizational_and_individual_perspectives 3. Hansen E. Career Guidance. A resource handbook for low- and middle-income countries. International Labour Organization, 2006. [Skatīts 17.12.2018.] Pieejams: http://www.ilo.org/youthmakingithappen/PDF/career_guidance . 4. Hirschi A. . The career resources model: an integrative framework for career counsellors. British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, No.40(4), 2012, p. 369-383. [Skatīts 17.12.2018.] Pieejams: https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/57d3/a40e45ac44e191ddede68faf29150cde60d1.pdf 5. Williams G. Creating a career portfolio. Journal of Career Developmen, Vol. 33, issue 1604, April 2016, 24 p. [Skatīts 17.12.2018.] Pieejams: http://isd.umbc.edu/documents/Creating_a_Career_Portfolio_TD.pdf

Notes

Organizational Culture and Career