How Do Leaders Influence Virtuous Organizational Cultures?
详细信息
文摘
In this dissertation,I explore the research question,"How do leaders influence organizational culture,especially as it relates to virtuous aspects of those cultures?" I conduct a comparative case study of five companies from the Small Giants Community,a group of firms committed to driving profitable growth by providing unusually high levels of care for employees,customers,and their communities. The companies are: Beryl Health； Blue Plate Catering； Integrated Project Management Company,Inc. (IPM)； Service Express,Inc. (SEI)； and Tasty Catering. Using appreciative interviews,site visits,archival documents,and the coding procedures of grounded theory,I identify six ways in which the leaders of these companies influence organizational culture. First,the values of the firm begin with the values of the leaders. Second,the CEOs serve as de facto Chief Culture Officers. Third,they elevate the focus from values to virtues (goods of first intent) such as compassion,honesty,integrity,service,respect,and excellence. Fourth,they engage employees and customers in defining the values and creating the culture. Fifth,they integrate the values into every aspect of the organization. Sixth,they tenaciously keep the focus on values. Drawing from the literature on organizational virtuousness,the social construction of organizational cultures,and self-determination theory,I theorize that these six forms of influence create high-performing organizational cultures by supporting virtuous internal integration and virtuous external adaptation that meet the fundamental human needs of autonomy,competence,and relatedness among employees,customers,and other stakeholders. I suggest that,if applied consistently over time,the six forms of influence create a virtuous resonance of positive relationships and positive energy among leaders,employees,customers,and other stakeholders---a resonance that supports long-term health,vitality,and performance. I conclude by offering implications for future research and practice.