{"id":6142,"date":"2020-04-15T20:14:19","date_gmt":"2020-04-16T00:14:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.atyourbusiness.com\/blog\/?p=6142"},"modified":"2020-04-15T20:14:46","modified_gmt":"2020-04-16T00:14:46","slug":"what-is-an-organizational-iceberg","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.atyourbusiness.com\/blog\/what-is-an-organizational-iceberg\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is an Organizational Iceberg?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

94 percent<\/a> of all business executives believe that a distinct workplace culture is essential for business success. For most of these executives, establishing a culture that fosters employee engagement and productivity is the biggest organizational challenge they face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The truth is every business has an organizational culture of its own. For some organizations, that organizational culture is healthy and dynamic. For others, it\u2019s erratic and dysfunctional. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the culture an organization has, only a tiny part is visible. The majority of leaders only know a tenth of what\u2019s happening in their organization. It\u2019s best understood as an organizational iceberg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In today’s post, we tell you all you need to know about an organizational iceberg. We’ll let you know why improving an organization’s existing culture is such a huge challenge. Most importantly, we’ll suggest a few tips on improving organizational culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read on to learn more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

What Is an Organizational Iceberg?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Each organization is like a puzzle that has many little pieces that form a whole. According to many organizational culture articles, leaders usually notice the visible parts. They often fail to recognize the bulk that lies underwater.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But behind the daily veneer, there\u2019s how an organization feels, thinks, and acts. A leader\u2019s ability to recognize all of these aspects is key to the organization\u2019s long-term sustainability.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only when leaders understand what\u2019s really going on in their companies can they start to implement necessary changes to their organizational culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Levels of an Organizational Culture<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A company\u2019s organizational culture is much more than what is immediately visible, as any topic on culture will tell you. Like an iceberg, the largest chunk of what drives your company is unseen and mostly inaccessible. It\u2019s far below what everyone in your organization consciously thinks about. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a clearer understanding of organizational culture, let\u2019s look at the three levels that constitute it:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Visible Artifacts  <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Visible artifacts refer to all the overt, tangible, or verbally identifiable elements in your organization. They include the architecture, furniture, staff dress code, daily buzz, and status quo in your organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ve probably heard of the popular catchall \u201cThe way things are done around here\u201d. It perfectly exemplifies visible artifacts of an organization. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the indicators of problems at this level are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n