Organizational Culture At The University Level: A Study Using The OCAI Instrument

Abstract

Organizational culture is a primary component of functional decision making in universities.  In order for administrators, faculty, and staff to effectively coordinate an efficient academic environment for health education, continuing cultural assessment and change are necessary.  The purpose of this study was to explore the concept of culture at the university level.  Specifically, 50 students from two health education courses at Rowan University were studied with regard to three main levels of culture with respect to the Health and Exercise Science Department:  Artifacts, Espoused Values, and Basic Underlying Assumptions.  The Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument (OCAI) was utilized to determine how departmental culture affects the perceptions, thoughts, and feelings of students.  In this paper, results of the OCAI were examined in terms of how students rated the current departmental culture, and what they would prefer it to be in five years.  It was hypothesized that student perceptions of departmental culture would positively coincide with the overall mission, goals, and objectives of the department and university.