When it comes to deciding whether to work for or interact with an organization, many individuals are influenced by the organization’s culture. For example, a company might pay well, operate in a competitive field, and offer great benefits, but a toxic culture might cause employees and managers to leave at higher rates than normal. On the other hand, an organization might handle extremely difficult or dangerous work but is comprised of employees who are loyal because they care for and appreciate the work culture. In this Discussion, you will explore examples of healthy and unhealthy cultures in organizations and consider the practices that contribute to the health of those organizations. 

RESOURCES

Be sure to review the Learning Resources before completing this activity.
Click the weekly resources link to access the resources. 

To prepare for this Discussion:

• From personal experience or public reputation, consider examples of organizations with healthy or unhealthy corporate cultures. Identify examples of business practices that are reflective of organizational health (and those that are not). You may use examples from your own experience or examples you have located through your own search.

BY DAY 3

Post your synthesis of business practices reflective of organizational health, to include the following:

• Identify at least one example of a healthy organizational culture and at least one example of an unhealthy organizational culture. For each example, briefly describe the organization, being sure to avoid using real names of either the company or any individuals in your description.
• For the healthy culture you described, identify at least two specific practices that contribute to the overall health of the organization, including a rationale to support your assertion.
• For the unhealthy culture you described, identify the specific practices that detract from the overall health of the organization, including a rationale to support your assertion.
• For each unhealthy practice identified, propose how it could feasibly be refocused or changed to yield more positive outcomes for the organization’s overall health.

Refer to the Week 4 Discussion Rubric for specific grading elements and criteria. Your Instructor will use this grading rubric to assess your work.

Read some of your colleagues’ postings.

BY DAY 5

Respond to two or more of your colleagues’ posts in one or more of the following ways:

• Ask a question about the examples of healthy and unhealthy organizational cultures that your colleague described.
• Ask a question about or share an insight you gained from the practices that either contributed to or detracted from the overall health of the organization your colleague described.
• Provide an additional recommendation for how an unhealthy practice your colleague identified could be handled differently to yield more positive organizational health outcomes.

Return to this Discussion in a few days to read the responses to your initial posting. Note what you have learned or any insights you have gained as a result of the comments your colleagues made.