AROW is no longer maintained. Content is not updated and technical problems may not be fixed.
Click here for current publications by Ian Hughes

Heroes
Rites and Rituals
Cultural Network
Stakeholder Analysis
Further Reading

An organisation's assumptions about the way the world works, it's members individual values, the declared and operational values of the organisation as a whole and its philosophy of operations all come together to produce the organisation's culture. The organisation's culture is what gives meaning and purpose to the work lives of its members.

There are many approaches to describing the culture of an organisation. Goodstein, Nolan and Pfeiffer suggest a using framework of four elements for rapid understanding and description of an organisation's culture.

1. Organisational values
2. Heroes
3. Rites and rituals
4. Cultural network

Heroes are the people who personify the organisation's values and about whom stories are told. They are often the founders of the organisation and others who have had a big impact on the running of the organisation. Look for portraits on the walls, and stories in the organisation's newsletter, publicity material and training manuals. Stories of villains complement the stories of heroes, by identifying actions that are contrary to organisational values.

Ceremonies and programmed routines help define the organisation's expectations and underlying values. Recognition dinners; certificates for length of service, or achievement; training graduation ceremonies; formal introductions of new or promoted staff; uniforms, special clothing and identification badges; are all elements of ritual. Data about rituals can be collected using participant observation methods.

A strong culture requires a network of informal communication to maintain and spread the culture. The people and the ways they interact are the carriers and embodiment of the organisational culture. Participant observation and interviewing can reveal how members of an organisation meet, greet, interact and leave each other; how they show agreement and disagreement; what it is they agree and disagree over; what s talked about and what is not talked about.

A description of organisational culture can be a valuable piece of information during the planning process, and may be part of the evaluation of an organisation or program.

Stakeholder Analysis

Stakeholders are all the people, groups and organisations who the plan may have an impact on, or who may have an interest in the plan, the project or the program. Stakeholders include all those who believe that they have a stake in the project or program. This is not limited to those who have an objectively verifiable interest, those who the organisation thinks have a stake, or those who the planning team think have a reasonable or legitimate right to a stake.

Each of these stakeholders needs to be identified. A determination should be made of how they can be offered opportunities to respond to the plan, the planning process and the implementation of the plan. The stakeholder analysis is a basis for planning stakeholder involvement in planning and participation in decision making.

Goodstein, L. D., Nolan, T. M., & Pfeiffer, J. W. (1993). Applied Strategic Planning: A Comprehensive Guide. Amsterdam: Pfeiffer. Chapter 7.