Answer to Question #227512 in Management for Shane

Question

1. Why is culture such an important to guest service organizations? How does culture influence the guest experience?

2. What is the difference between a strong and a weak culture? What can a manager do to create a strong culture?


3. Does a culture exist whether a manager does anything about it or not?
4. How are stories important to building and sustaining a strong culture?
a. Give examples of stories you have heard that helped teach cultural values.

Answer 1

1. The culture is influential at guest organizations simply because it sets expectations for how people behave and work together and how well they function as a team. In this manner, culture can break down the boundaries between soloed groups, guide decision-making, and improve workflow overall.

2. A strong culture is a set of behaviors, norms, expectations, traditions, symbols, values, and techniques that significantly influence its members' conduct. In contrast, weak culture is an individualistic culture, whereby norms, characters, and traditions have little impact on behavior.

For managers to establish a strong culture, they must value stakeholders' norms and expectations in an organization.

3. Yes, culture exists whether a manager has tampered with it because even if the culture has been tampered with, some practices must persist in the organization.

4. The stories are essential in building and sustaining strong culture simply because there must be some cultural norms and behaviors within a story.

a. "Things Fall Apart" by China Achebe, a Nigerian Novelist.