Kulturændring kræver kulturforståelse

Abstract

Abstrakt Jeg arbejder i en mellemstor organisation, som designer, et arbejdsområde der funktionsmæssigt og kommunikativt, placerer sig imellem organisationens forskellige hovedafdelinger. (HR/ledelsesfunktioner, IT, forretning). Her er min hovedinteresse det område, der ligger imellem den teknologiske funktion og den rent designmæssige. Det er måske især grundet denne lidt specielle arbejdes– og interessemæssige placering, at jeg igennem et stykke tid er blevet opmærksom på fragmenter af organisationens kommunikation og samarbejde, der ikke altid virker så optimalt. Jeg ønsker igennem kvalitative interviews dels at få en overordnet forståelse for organisationens informations- og kommunikationskultur, dels organisationens syn på IKT. Jeg bruger fortolkningsmodeller (Edgar Schein og Majken Schultz) til at ”åbne” mit datamateriale, til det foreløbige resultat jeg kalder ”kulturbilleder”. Disse ønsker jeg så at bruge i interventionsøjemed i organisationssammenhæng.

“To change the culture, you need to get a cultural understanding”, is not only the title of this rapport, but also a description on the construction. I am working, in a reasonably large organisation, where my job as a designer, is situated between the IT department and the HR. My interest is CSCL, because of its structure. I find it situated in the midst of the, for me, most interesting 3 areas: design, knowledge of technology and learning. To understand if the organisation I work in, could benefit from the result of the intervention of work with these 3 areas, I went in search for a broader/wider understanding of the culture I wanted the CSCL embedded in. This I tried to find through 12 qualitative interviews, quotes from internet and intranet, plus description of the organisation as such. I wanted to develop an understanding of my chosen 4 themes. The information and communication structure in the organisation. How it is used, by whom and why. Meetings, as a way of seeing how the information/communication, finds its way through the organisation and last but not least Information and communication technology, and the informant’s attitude and sense towards it. I worked in search for meaning and for connections known and unknown to me, to see if the collected material gave me a clue, partly onto the general comprehension of the organisation, and partly looking for the “if only”, the need for change or the need for communication tools. From the data I tried to build some cultural images, cultural images being the essence or condense of meaning. I used 2 different interpretation models, as another level of understanding the cultural surrounding I work in. (Edgar Scheins functionalistic interpretation model) Doing some connotation on textual images, to get an even wider understanding (Majken Schultz symbolist interpretation model). The chapter on cultural development ended up as ideas on how, I believe, the organisation could benefit from implementation of a new 3 Th generation intranet. An intranet used as a strategy platform for the management, a virtual room for C.o.P , believing that these groups can, by their way of working and functioning, become a part of the change in the big amount of informal information and make it formal. Thirdly I want to use the intranet as a platform for working over the boundaries of the different professional barriers, and give the management a possibility to both get closer and tell their strategic plan, to their employees. Last chapter is partly a conclusive summary on this rapport, partly a short introduction to a rapport for the organization.

A master programme thesis from Aalborg University

Kulturændring kræver kulturforståelse

[“To change the culture, you need to get a cultural understanding”,]