Cultural audit as a tool to increase employee involvement in small firms: a case study

Manuela Pardo-del-Val¹

Sonia Dasí-Rodríguez ¹

Elvira Cerver-Romero ¹

Amparo de-la-Torre-Fernández ¹

 

¹Facultad de Economía, Universitat de València, Spain

 

Resumo. O envolvimento dos empregados é um objectivo frequente nas organizações. A presenteinvestigação surgiu de uma oportunidade criada no seio de uma empresa familiar no sector da horti-cultura, quando se decidiu aumentar o envolvimento dos empregados e melhorar o clima organizacional.Os investigadores desenvolveram um instrumento de auditoria cultural, adaptado a pequenas empresasfamiliares. Este artigo revê a literatura sobre cultura organizacional, com particular destaque para os trabalhos emque se relaciona a cultura e o envolvimento dos empregados, e auditoria cultural. Em segundo lugar, éexposto o desenho e a implementação da auditoria cultural na empresa, para o que se recorre a um estudode caso. Por fim, são discutidos sucessivamente a falta de confiança, a atmosfera criativa, e a visão partilhada,e sugeridas algumas recomendações sobre como desenvolver estes atributos.

Palavras-chave: Envolvimento, clima, auditoria cultural.

 

Abstract. Employee involvement is a common goal for most companies. This research started when managers of a family-run horticultural firm decided to increase employee commitment and improve organizational climate. To help them, we considered the possibility of developing a cultural audit, adapting the tool to the fact that it was a small family business. Therefore, this paper will firstly review the existing literature concerning organizational culture, specially which cultural characteristics should be more valuable to achieve employee commitment and involvement and how to run a cultural audit. Secondly, it will expose the design and implementation of a cultural audit at this company, through an explicative case study that aims to compare the existing culture with the characteristics described theoretically. The study discusses the lack of trust, of a creative atmosphere, and of a shared vission, and suggests some recommendations to develop these characteristics, in order to gain the desired level of employee involvement.

Key words: Employee involvement, organizational climate, cultural audit.

 

 

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