Organizational Culture in the Workplace

Our text defines "organizational culture" as the workplace environment: actions, ways of thinking, practices, stories and artifacts that characterize a particular organization (p. 127). Culture can be observed in an organization by simply looking at or examining the physical environment and individuals' interactions. I remember when I used to work a makeup artist/retail manager for a particular cosmetics line, I actually wrote an ethnography paper on the culture there for an anthropology class. What I noticed, first as an outsider of that culture, then as an insider of that particular culture was that a lot of the girls did their makeup a particular way or style, wore a certain style of clothing, having a distinct look as makeup artists. The participated in some of the same events or rituals, had a particular way of thinking, had their own shared stories, language and jargon.... For those of you who have seen a MAC makeup artist, you may know what I mean. But I imagine it is like this in a lot of workplace organizations, because that's what it is- the culture of the organization: its members, purpose and goal are what make up the culture.