To What Extent Are Organizations Socially Constructed Phenomena Coursework - 3

To What Extent Are Organizations Socially Constructed Phenomena - Coursework Example The present paper has identified that after studying the patterns of cultural evolution, the writer of this paper is inclined towards the belief that there is a significant amount of similarity in the manner in which culture is manifested in business organizations and in society in general (Rollinson et al, 1998; Morgan, 1998). To understand cultural diversity in organizations, it would be helpful to understand its roots at a sociological level. Cultural diversity in the workplace is a direct result of ‘multiculturalism’ in society. A multicultural society simply denotes a society in which there exist several cultures (Watson, 2000). Culture is defined as,   Ã¢â‚¬Å"A pattern of shared assumptions a group learned as it solved its problems of external adaptation and internal integration that has worked well enough to be considered valid and, therefore, to be taught to new members as the correct way you think, perceive, and feel in relation to those problems† (Schei n, 2003). So, multicultural society has in it different groups, which have learned different ways of thinking, perceiving, and tackling problems that exist in the society. Each group taken individually is a society on its own, with its own individual culture. When all these individual societies are brought under one single core society, the culture of such a society becomes the core culture, with the individual cultures as its subcultures (Watson, 2002). A peaceful co-existence of the subcultures depends on the way the core culture is structured and shaped. Culture is a sensitive term even today and it still has the ability to invoke an emotional and nostalgic association with an individual’s distinctive way of life, and speaks directly to their sense of identity and belonging (Watson, 2002). A general view of cultural differences is that they affect intercultural encounters, usually by leading to misunderstanding or conflict, at both the individual and group levels (Larkey, 1996).