Organizational Culture of HEIs: What matters the most?

Culture and climate of an organization is valued to gain competitive advantage in today’s modern organizations. This study aimed to analyze the relative importance of Artifacts, Espoused Beliefs & Values and Basic Underlying Assumptions—the constituents of organization culture in relation to organization performance in Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) of district Peshawar. Cross-sectional data was collected from 250 employees of public and private sector universities working in drade-17 or above as teaching faculty or administrative staff using multi-stage cluster sampling technique. Findings indicated strong impact of constituents of organization cultural on organization performance and that the artifacts component has greater impact on organization performance than the other two components. Espoused beliefs and values have smaller impact than artifacts but greater impact than basic underlying assumptions and basic underlying assumptions have smallest impact. Thus leadership and management of HEIs should pay more and more attention to their tangible artifacts and making then more and more visible and ensuring their proper usage as this will lead to improvement in organization performance.

English for specific purposes teachers’ beliefs about their motivational practices and student motivation at a Chinese university

While it is increasingly recognized that teachers have a crucial role to play in motivating learners, language teacher cognition research that focuses on beliefs about second language (L2) learner motivation and motivational practices is still rare, particularly in English for specific purposes (ESP) settings in Asia. Furthermore, much of what is available does not employ stimulated recall interviews to facilitate a comparison of espoused beliefs elicited beforehand, observed classroom practices and situated cognitions. We have employed such methodology in an under-researched ESP setting in China, to gain insights into the influence of culture and context on teacher beliefs and behavior. Our qualitative case study of three Chinese ESP teachers highlights harmony and tensions between espoused beliefs regarding student motivation and the teacher’s motivational role, and motivational practices, this harmony/disharmony being likely to impact these teachers’ self-determination. It considers possible reasons for identified tensions, including limited professional development opportunities in ESP, apparently dated knowledge of L2 motivation theory, deeply embedded Confucian values and an entrenched assessment culture. Findings suggest the need for awareness-raising and mentoring activities designed to support cognitive harmony regarding motivation and motivational practices amongst ESP teachers.

IN-SERVICE TEACHERS’ THEORETICAL ORIENTATIONS AND CLASSROOM PRACTICES: ANALYSIS OF ESPOUSED BELIEFS AND PERCEIVED PRACTICES

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the theoretical orientations that influence teaching practices, and the relationships between beliefs and practices of in-service teacher trainees drawn from different parts of Ethiopia who were attending summer training program in different academic departments of the Addis Ababa University. Methodology: Participants of summer in-service program (N=276) were randomly selected from four subject areas and made to complete a self-report questionnaire designed for this purpose. The questionnaire had 40 Likert Scale type items rated over 5 points so as to collect data on beliefs and practices relating to planning, teaching and assessment behaviors of the surveyed teachers. Findings: The Findings indicated that in most of the cases the beliefs and practices of the surveyed teachers aligned with constructivist reform which the Ethiopian Ministry of Education expects all teachers to implement. Congruence between espoused beliefs and perceived practices were noted with evidence of low relationship between the two. The findings have contributions to raising teachers’ tacit knowledge of teaching craft. Insights for educational administrators and areas of focus for future research were also identified.

The Sticky Side of Hypocrisy: Environmental Activism in an Oil-Drenched World

Environmental activists and critics are often accused of being hypocrites by the oil industry. The accusation unfurls from the view that the activists’ protests and actions contradict their espoused beliefs. By presenting a simple thought experiment involving two alleged hypocrites, I discuss ways in which critics of environmental activists misapply the charge of hypocrisy, having neglected the contexts that determine the degree to which one is able to align one’s lived actions with one’s professed values.

Positioning organisational culture in knowledge management research

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose a conceptual model for understanding the impact of organisational culture on knowledge management processes and their link with organisational performance. It is suggested that organisational culture should be assessed as a multi-level construct comprising artefacts, espoused beliefs and values and underlying assumptions. A holistic view of organisational culture and knowledge management processes, and their link with organisational performance, is presented. Design/methodology/approach – A comprehensive review of previous literature was undertaken in the development of the conceptual model. Taken together, the literature and the proposed model reveal possible relationships between organisational culture, knowledge management processes and organisational performance. Findings – Potential implications of organisational culture levels for the creation, sharing and application of knowledge are elaborated. In addition, the paper offers possible new insight into the impact of organisational culture on various knowledge management processes and their link with organisational performance. Research limitations/implications – A number of possible relationships between organisational culture factors, knowledge management processes and their link with organisational performance were used to examine such relationships. Practical implications – The research model highlights the multi-level components of organisational culture. These are: the artefacts, the espoused beliefs and values and the underlying assumptions. Through a conceptualisation of the relationships between organisational culture, knowledge management processes and organisational performance, the study provides practical guidance for practitioners during the implementation of knowledge management processes. Originality/value – The focus of previous research on knowledge management has been on understanding organisational culture from the limited perspective of promoting knowledge creation and sharing. This paper proposes a more comprehensive approach to understanding organisational culture in that it draws on artefacts, espoused beliefs and values and underlying assumptions, and reveals their impact on the creation, sharing and application of knowledge which can affect the overall organisational performance.