Title: Values, culture and organisation: the relevance

Authors: Sumita Rai

Addresses: Human Resource Management Group, Indian Institute of Management Lucknow, Lucknow, India

Abstract: It is argued, in spite of popular belief that the notions of values and culture are of a rather fossilised nature and things are better left to the past or at best be used for historical enunciation, that the concepts are very much relevant to the present day and modern organisations. The author argues that values are important building blocks of culture. The values that contribute to synergetic (as against ||soft||) work culture may be manifested both at the abstract level (myth, symbol, codes of relationship, and modes of expression, etc.) and at the concrete level (dress, food, language, and art forms, etc.). The author emphasises upon the need for creating the value-based organisations in modern times as opposed to the traditional organisations that should be treated as things of past. Some Indian thoughts and experiences from the corporate houses are used to furnish a platform for creating effective and enduring culture-based organisations relevant for today.

Keywords: values; culture; culturally rooted; organisation; India.

DOI: 10.1504/IJHRDM.2004.004772

International Journal of Human Resources Development and Management, 2004 Vol.4 No.3, pp.297 - 311

Published online: 07 Jul 2004 *

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