Culture is originally an anthropological and sociological term; it refers to the basic values, beliefs and codes of practice that makes a community what it is. Culture has been called "the way of life for an entire society." As such, it includes code of conduct, dress, language, religion, rituals, norms of behavior and systems of belief. Culture is a multidimensional and multifaceted concept. Various definitions of culture reflect different theories. Sir Edward B Tylor's writing from the perspective of social anthropology in 1871, described culture as, "Culture or civilization, taken in its wide ethnographic sense, is that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society."
In recent times, the United Nations Economic, Social and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) described culture stating, "... culture should be regarded as the set of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features of society or a social group it encompasses, in addition to art and literature, lifestyles, ways of living together, value systems, traditions and beliefs."
Thus, we can say that customs of society, the self-esteem of its members, and the things that make it different from other societies is culture. Culture is strongly prejudiced and reflects the meanings and understandings that we typically characterize with situations. The idea of a common culture raises the question about whether organizations have culture. Organizations are only one component element of society. People enter them from the surrounding community and bring their culture with them. It is, however, possible for organizations to have a cultures of its own. Considering the fact that, they possess the ironic quality of being both "part" of and "apart" from society, they are entrenched in the wider societal context, but they are also communities of their own with distinct regulations and principles. |
