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Culture and Structure of Higher Education in the Industrial Revolution 4.0: A Conceptual Framework
Muhammad Azis & Fajriani Azis Makassar State University, Indonesia
Email: [email protected]
Abstract. This study aims to increase understanding in relation to managing culture effectively in public sector organizations and also to provide lessons from the initiatives implemented to date in the public and private sectors. The importance of managing and manipulating culture in public sector organizations cannot be underestimated in terms of its impact on the modernization agenda. Developing appropriate measures to address cultural issues in organizations in terms of improving organizational capabilities and performance is discussed in the early chapters of this study. While the implications of such an approach are broad, fundamentally the key to effective culture management is leadership. Leadership must be committed to managing culture in terms of developing and maintaining organizational performance, while managers throughout the organization are responsible for its effective development.
Keywords: organizational culture, effectiveness, higher education, Indonesia INTRODUCTION
Much remains to be done to address the clear gap between the impact of cultural issues and the approach adopted by managers, an approach that is quite fundamental in many public sector organizations. The organizations cited for this study provide useful examples of how organizations can effectively manage organizational culture as an integral part of organizational strategy.
The decision-making process in an organization is one of the important topics discussed by various researchers, writers and observers of education in the field of organizational culture. The decision-making process in an organization reflects the culture and characteristics of an organization. A healthy organization is very much determined by one of its decision-making processes, especially organizations that are in the current era of the industrial revolution.
Decision making is an activity related to the process of determining a choice among the many challenges and choices 1. This means that decision making means the process of selecting the best alternative from the various options available. Furthermore, several researchers from Brazil, Marchisotti and Almeida (2018) explained that the decision-making process is the culmination of an important process in an organizational
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culture, because decision-making will determine the direction of organizational policies and programs in the future of an organization. Therefore, an organization that has a healthy, strong and professional culture places the decision-making process as the core momentum in a series of organizational activities.
The concept of decision-making mechanisms has been widely studied by various researchers in the world. Wallach, Allen, and Smit (2008) suggest that the decision-making process is carried out in two ways: top-down and bottom-up. The method is also influenced by the morals and character of the people who are members of an organization. Furthermore, researchers such as Kim, Sting, and Loch, (2014) explain that the decision-making process in an organization needs to integrate the two so that the results of decisions taken can be accounted for and accepted by many people. The incorporation of the decision-making process method is also supported by other researchers, namely researchers who are members of the observer group of decision- making processes in an organization 5,6. The above researchers show the importance of a decision-making process that combines top-down and bottom-up processes.
On the other hand, researchers such as Biesbroek et al (2015), Callon, Beach, Links, Wasserman, & Boss, (2018), and Peschel, Orquin, & Loose (2019) say that the decision- making process that ensures fairness and partiality to all is a mechanism bottom-up. The reason is that many decisions taken by leaders never involve subordinates so that it is very beneficial for a small group in an organization. Likewise, Apostolopoulos and Liargovas (2018) add that the decision-making process through a bottom-up mechanism can accommodate many of the current interests of marginalized groups so that it can be the right choice in every decision-making.
Other researchers also do not fully agree that the bottok-up mechanism is the right choice. Turpin and Marais (2004) argue that an effective and fast decision-making process can only be done on a top-down basis because the process is not too long and the mechanism is very simple. Wu (2015) explains that the decision-making process in an organization, especially with the "top-down" mechanism, is an investment process that saves energy for all parties.
Research on organizational culture in the world has been widely carried out.
However, in Indonesia, research on organizational culture still needs to be done because there are not many studies, especially those related to the decision-making process and effective strategies for disseminating decisions to organizational members. Therefore, this article aims to provide a description of the decision-making mechanism in a university and the strategy for the dissemination of these activities. This article contributes to organizational culture in terms of decision making and is expected to add to the debate.
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The conceptual framework of higher education culture and organizational structure The basic concepts of culture research and the organizational structure of higher education institutions involves six dimension: creating a climate for change, visionary leader, employee engagement, team orientation, team orientation, tracking cultural change, and rewards.
1. Creating a climate for change
In terms of creating a climate for change, culture is only effective if it is applied to a relevant area that needs change or is related to some organizational problem. Some of the organizations studied here use internal or external drivers to facilitate the cultural change they seek to achieve. The 'unfreezing' phase of their change program created a climate in which a change in civil servants to a more managerial culture was seen as necessary to address longstanding problems. The Ministry of Education and Science uses social partnership agreements as a framework to promote change. BCI has used its organizational development policy as a driver to develop the organizational culture in the desired direction.
2. Visionary leader
Leadership is clearly important in determining the effectiveness of cultural change.
Organizational leaders are the 'champions' of understanding and managing culture within the organization and reward or punish subcultures depending on whether or not they align with the corporate culture held by the leaders. The influence of leaders in valuing sub-cultural groups that share the organization's dominant beliefs, values and underlying assumptions cannot be underestimated. This is demonstrated, for example, at Queensland Health, 3M and the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism where significant emphasis has been placed on leadership development programs and initiatives. The example of local authorities illustrates that clear strategic leadership is needed to ensure consistency of organizational culture.
3. Employee engagement and empowerment
Employee engagement and empowerment is critical to ensuring that the culture is managed effectively and aligned with the overall organizational culture assumptions.
Demonstration projects in the UK civil service, which promote desirable managerial thinking and at the same time involve staff in the change process, are an important element in cultural change. Local partnership committees and projects at BCI and PRA have been used to engage and empower staff, although each recognizes that partnership arrangements require careful management if they are to be successful.
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Teamwork is a common feature in most of the organizations studied, in terms of crossing existing barriers and as a useful means of promoting and disseminating new cultural traits. In terms of individual and organizational development, teams are seen as a way of investing in talent development. HSBC, for example, places special emphasis on team projects rooted in the promotion of desired core values for the organization. The Carlow County Council case highlights a further dimension of team orientation about the benefits of joint team development working with individuals and businesses outside the organization to help shift focus to the promotion of a developmental culture. Similarly, Carlow County Council, Donegal County Council and South Dublin County Council emphasized a cross-agency culture and cross-functional collaboration and teamwork with public agencies and institutions in developing more effective service delivery at the local level.
5. Tracking cultural changes
Tracking cultural change is important in terms of assessing whether culture has become out of tune in terms of cultural subcultural practices, or whether there are problems or challenges to be overcome that could undermine the cultural ethos and fundamental assumptions of the organization. In the US, the Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument (OCAI) has been used to good effect in several federal agencies.
BCI conducted an organizational culture mapping exercise. Schein (2004) suggests that the ten-step Cultural Awareness Program (see Appendix 1 for details) is a helpful instrument in most situations where leaders need to manage some element of their culture.
6. Training, rewards and recognition
Training in cultural awareness is viewed differently in different organizations.
Culture is an aspect of general management training in some organizations. In other organizations, it is appropriate to learn from leaders and managers about common cultural norms and assumptions. 3M has put as much emphasis on non-monetary rewards as rewards and recognition programs as well as on monetary rewards (Bygate, & Samuda, 2005). The Carlow County Council, too, has placed significant emphasis on recognition and rewards and in particular pushed for entry into national recognition and awards schemes as a way of promoting a winning culture.
CONCLUSION
This study aims to increase understanding in relation to managing culture effectively in public sector organizations and also to provide lessons from the initiatives
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implemented to date in the public and private sectors. The importance of managing and manipulating culture in public sector organizations cannot be underestimated in terms of its impact on the modernization agenda (Bartunek, Rynes, & Ireland, 2006). Developing appropriate measures to address cultural issues in organizations in terms of enhancing organizational capabilities and performance is discussed in the early chapters of this study. While the implications of such an approach are broad, fundamentally the key to effective culture management is leadership. Leadership must be committed to managing culture in terms of developing and maintaining organizational performance, while managers throughout the organization are responsible for its effective development.
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