Mains Practice Questions

Approach

• In the introduction define what do you understand by ‘Work Culture’.
• Explain briefly the traits of a good work culture.
• Discuss how a good work culture leads to efficient working of the organisation.
• In conclusion, write how a good work culture can be maintained in an organisation.

Introduction

• Work culture is regarded as a set of practices, values and shared beliefs within an organisation and its employees that arise from what is generally regarded as appropriate ways to think and act.
• It is the work culture that decides the way employees interact with each other and how an organisation functions. The work culture is a product of its history, traditions, values and vision.

Body

Characteristics of a good work culture

• Desirable work culture includes shared institutional values, priorities, rewards and other practices which foster inclusion, high performance, and commitment, while still allowing diversity in thought and action.
  
  • A perfect example of a good workplace culture is ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation).
  • It was founded in the 1960s and has since then contributed immensely in the development of the nation.
  • Despite India being a third world country, ISRO has against all odds launched various space programs, the most recent being Chandayan 2.
  • It can not be denied that one of the most important factors of ISRO’s success is healthy work culture.
• Importance of work culture in the success of an organisation
  
  • Transparency, innovation and discipline: Healthy work culture promotes transparency, innovation and discipline in an organisation.
  • Reduced Conflicts: Good work culture promotes effective communication and helps in reducing conflicts among individuals/team during work.
  • Increases Productivity and Quality: Transparency, responsibility, unbiased are underpinnings of good work culture. These will enable individuals and teams to become self-organized which in turn improves quality and productivity.
  • Sustainable Work: Good work culture includes peer respect, recognition of hard work, and freedom to bring new ideas (innovation). These will help in long term prospects of the organization.
  • Effective Communication: Healthy work culture provides a platform for effective communication among the verticals and horizontals of the organisation which helps in getting work done effectively.
• A healthy work culture is maintained through attraction-selection-attrition, new employee onboarding, leadership, and organizational reward systems.

Conclusion

• Often healthy work culture is associated with private organisations and government organisations are known for the lack of it due to frequent mismanagement, corruption, bureaucratic red tape etc.
• However, efforts like RTI, e-governance, strict laws etc are improving the situation.
• These efforts will certainly help in bringing out the best in government employees as well.