Organizational culture

Organizational culture refers to the the shared values and norms together with the  expectations that guide the way people approach their work and the way they interact to one another.

Most a times, people are influenced by the kind of environment that surround them, and therefore the people working within an organization will be strongly influenced by the culture of that organization once they join the company work team. American Telephone and Telegraph (AT&T) is not an exception of this.

This paper will evaluate the the organizational culture of AT&T company with respect to visible and invisible cultures, key elements of the culture, the way its organization is, the company values, the internal and external environments and their impact on a manager as well as evaluating whether the company’s current strategies are consistent with its objectives and business goals.
AT&T organizational culture
The culture of an organization can either be visible or invisible (Terrence and Kennedy, 2002, p.135). AT &T  company  has the two forms of culture. The visible culture is demonstrated by the way employees and senior management staff behave and also artefacts. First, all executives are required by their culture to be very smart and welcoming. They should be apt and should demonstrate the ability to be charming and very strong negotiation skills. The dressing code for this company has been a major mark of its characteristic culture. Both ladies and gents are supposed to dress very smartly as required by their business culture.
The nature of business activities in this company has necessitated the adoption of a culture of using a very high level of technology. This is a communication company and it has to move along with the fast changing technology and therefore it has adapted a culture of utilizing the latest technology. The artefacts and the behaviour of this company also tell us what the group is doing.
The invisible culture of AT&T is defined by its values. AT&T company has got a number of values that it encourages among its employees. First, there is a strong sense of unity and team work. For the success of the company, this value has played a very key role because through strong team spirit, the company has seen success all the time. The employees hold the value of respect strongly. Respect is basic to building a strong team spirit. Respecting one another and respecting each others duties in the company has resulted to strength and working for to achieve common goals.
Their friendliness has led to retention of customers for a long business period while confidence in their work has led to the positioning of the company in the leading edge in terms of producing quality products. It is important to note that not all employees of the AT&T company naturally have these values but the culture of the company directs their behavior to adapting and internalizing them while executing their professional responsibilities.
Organizational Structure
The organization structure of AT&T has strongly influenced the way ideas decisions are made to attain the desired shape. This company has a flat organizational structure. The chief executive is at the top while both line and operational managers come under him. The rest of the corporates employees like junior finance officers, technicians, legal, customer care personnel as well as the other support staff comes under.
This structure is adaptable to change, which is one of the basic culture element of the company with respect to technology advancement as stated earlier in this paper. It is accommodative to review which is in line with the goals and strategies of the corporate.