ABSTRACT
Organizational culture refers to an organization's "ways of doing things" as reflected in the regular activities of its members and the various artifacts that have come to symbolize the organization. Numerous factors serve to give an organization a particular feel and look, and these can include rites (such as Holy Communion in the Catholic Church), ceremonies (such as commencement at Harvard University), dress (such as the conservative blue suits of the IBM sales force), stories (such as the history of the founder that is imparted to the new Mary Kay recruits), symbols (such as McDonalds's golden arches), buildings (such as the distinctive style of mosques), slogans (such as At Ford, Service is Job Number One), expressed values (such as Rotary International's commitment to "service above self"), leadership style (such as that of Lee lacocca), and various other aspects of an organization's operation. The culture of an organization is thought to shape the experiences of its members—how they feel about the organization and how they feel about themselves. The feminist contention that gender is a cultural phenomenon and that various elements of sexual discrimination are rooted in the culture of a society, has led feminists to examine the character of organizational culture and its part in the processes of sexual inequities.
