David Dunnigan Organizational Culture Case Study

1. Identify and compare both the intended structure and the intended culture of PICC with the actual structure and culture at the end of the case. The intended structure at PICC as imposed by CEO David Dunnigan, was to be an open, honest, non-bureaucratic, and non-hierarchical organization. His intentions for such a structure represent that of an organic organization. An organic organization is one in which jobs and responsibilities are broadly defined, there are frequently changing roles, and there is a decentralized authority and horizontal communication. (Williams, Kondra, Vibert, 2008, p. 317) He also envisioned an inverted pyramid structure, where lower-level employees would be placed at the top, and top-level management would be at …show more content…
Dunnigan’s visions for an open office environment consisted of having certain visible artifacts, such as having the office design to be an open office system where physical barriers are removed in order to increase communication and interaction amongst co-workers (Williams et al., 2008, p. 322). However, it also consisted of them not having visible artifacts, like company perks of having reserved parking spots. This culture was carried out while they were operating out of the bank’s head office, however once they outgrew this space and moved, the culture took a turn away from what was intended. Parking spots were assigned to the senior team, and Dunnigan and Thorne were both given private offices. However this change away from an open office environment is understandable as Dunnigan is CEO, and Thorne is VP, Human resources. One way in which organizational culture is maintained is through organizational rituals. Organizational rituals are routine activities that emphasize an organizations culture. (Williams et al., 2008, p. 48) One of the organizational rituals that used to be carried out at PICC is when Dunnigan would meet with new employees at orientation and sell his visions about the companies culture. However, this ritual gradually faded out, as Dunnigan become more involved with working externally and he was constantly absent from the office, thereby no longer meeting with new …show more content…
Job performance is how well an individual performs the requirements of their job, and it is based on motivation, ability, and situational constraints. (Williams et al., 2008, p. 442) Motivation is the number one factor in determining job performance, as there are many aspects that can affect an individual’s motivation. One such aspect is known as the equity theory, and this is the theory that people are motivated when they perceive that they are being treated fairly (Williams et al., 2008, 447). Equity theory consists of the inputs- contributions made by employees to the organization, outputs- rewards received for their contributions, and referents-individuals they compare themselves to in order to determine if they are being treated fairly. If an employee believes they are not being treated fairly in relation to their referent, there are several ways in which they may try to restore this equity and in some ways it may not be the most beneficial to the company. One issue that was raised was in regards to the work benefits. The senior level employees at the bank were not receiving similar benefits as that of their comparable executives in the insurance company. The bank accepted these differences; however, had they not accepted it, individuals at either the bank or the insurance company could have reduced their inputs, increased their outcomes or simply