An analysis of different kinds of organisational culture

This study analysed the different types of organisational cultures in which a sample of 370 managers were working. The four types of organisational culture were classified as power, role, task and person. The most prevalent organisational cultures in which these managers believed they worked were the role, power and task cultures, with role culture being the most prominent. When asked what type of organisational culture they preferred to work in, respondents' ratings favoured task culture over power, person and role cultures. These preferences particularly applied to respondents who were older in age, had higher levels of salary, and greater years of work experience. Gender differences were also found on ideal culture ratings with women showing greater preference for person cultures. Furthermore, when ratings on current and ideal cultures were compared, respondents rated their organisations as having greater power or role cultures than desired, and less task or person cultures than desired. The implications of these kinds of discrepancies are discussed with respect to leadership and management practice.