ACCA Applied Knowledge · Business and Technology · Organisational culture
Why is changing an organisation's culture at the level of basic underlying assumptions generally the most difficult?
Changing basic underlying assumptions is hardest because they are held unconsciously and taken for granted, so people neither discuss nor question them. Artefacts and even stated values can be altered quickly, but deep assumptions persist and continue to drive behaviour unless they are first brought into awareness.
- ABecause they are held unconsciously and are not openly discussed, so people do not realise they need to changeCorrect
- BBecause they are written into legally binding contracts of employment
- CBecause they are only found in the organisation's physical premises
Explanation
Assumptions are taken for granted and operate below conscious awareness, so people rarely question or even recognise them. Changing artefacts, such as logos or layout, is much easier. Assumptions are not contractual terms or physical features.
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