ACCA Applied Knowledge · Business and Technology · Organisational culture
Which of the following best describes Schein's 'basic underlying assumptions'?
Basic underlying assumptions are unconscious, taken-for-granted beliefs that shape how members perceive, think and feel. They are the deepest level of Schein's model and are hard to see or change, unlike mission statements, rituals or handbook rules, which are more visible.
- AUnconscious, taken-for-granted beliefs that shape how members perceive and reactCorrect
- BWritten mission and strategy statements published by the board
- CObservable rituals and symbols used in the workplace
- DFormal rules set out in the employee handbook
Explanation
Basic underlying assumptions are the deepest level: beliefs so embedded that members rarely question or even notice them. Published mission statements are espoused values, rituals and symbols are artefacts, and handbook rules are formal documentation, which are more visible.
Did you get it right without looking?
One question tells you little. A timed set on Organisational culture shows your real accuracy, how long you take and where you lose marks.
More Organisational culture questions
- Which of the following is generally regarded as the MOST powerful influence on the culture of a newly established organisation?
- A new finance director joins a firm and observes open-plan offices, a relaxed dress code and a stated value of 'trust our people'. She later…
- Which of the following is an example of an EXTERNAL influence on an organisation's culture?
- According to Schein's model of organisational culture, which of the following is the level that is most visible to an outsider?
- A consultancy forms small project teams made up of specialists from different departments. Teams are given a client problem, work flexibly, …
- Managers at a long-established bank claim that the paradigm at the centre of its cultural web is 'We are cautious, trusted guardians of cust…