Review the following situation,and then (a)describe the four general types of organizational culture,and (b)identify which type of culture would probably be most appropriate for Samuel to look for in the company with which he ultimately accepts his first position.
Samuel is about to graduate from college with a bachelor's degree in computer programming.He has no real experience working in the corporate world,since his summer work took the form of a lawn care company that he ran on his own.His long-term career interests include starting his own consulting company (probably when he is in his mid-thirties)to serve the needs of medium to large sized businesses.His immediate career development goal is to explore the variety of different computer applications that are currently popular in the corporate world,so that he can develop his professional expertise and capabilities.Samuel is not looking for immediate or rapid promotions.Rather,he wants a steady,dependable job that will help him repay his student loans.He is most interested in the opportunity to develop both his programming skills and his understanding of business practices in a way that will prepare him to start his own business in the future.

The four general types of organizational culture are the bureaucratic,clan,entrepreneurial,and market cultures.Student's answers should appropriately describe the different types of organizational culture,and offer a reasonable argument for Samuel's choice of a specific cultural type based upon the characteristics of that specific culture and his own specific needs and career plans.Some suggested comments follow:
The bureaucratic culture values formality,rules,standard operating procedures,and hierarchical coordination.Its long-term concerns are predictability,efficiency,and stability,and behavioral norms support formality over informality.Most local,state,and federal governments have bureaucratic cultures.Such a culture is very different from the successful business culture that Samuel would probably want in his own consulting company,and therefore probably not a very good choice for a type of culture to learn the ways of business.
The clan culture emphasizes tradition,loyalty,personal commitment,extensive socialization,teamwork,self-management,and social influence.The individual's long-term commitment to the organization (loyalty)is exchanged for the organization's long-term commitment to the individual (security).Since this culture places great emphasis on long-term commitments from employees,it might not be the most appropriate choice for Samuel,who wants to start his own consulting company in ten or fifteen years.
The entrepreneurial culture is characterized by high levels of risk taking and creativity.There is a commitment to experimentation,innovation,and being on the leading edge.This culture is usually associated with small to mid-sized companies that are still run by a founder,such as Microsoft,Intel,e-Bay,and many Silicon Valley startups.Since this is a culture of new,growing,successful businesses,many of them in the computer field,it may be an appropriate choice for Samuel.He could learn much about starting and running such a business in this type of culture.
Finally,the market culture emphasizes the achievement of measurable and demanding goals,especially those that are financial and market-based (such as sales growth,profitability,and market share).Hard-driving competitiveness and a profit orientation prevail throughout the organization.In a market culture,the relationship between the individual and organization is contractual,with no long-term commitments on either side.Organizational rewards,including money,are exchanged for good employee performance.This culture values independence and individuality and encourages members to pursue their own financial goals.Historically,consulting firms have had market cultures.As such,this might also be an appropriate choice for Samuel.Here he might have the opportunity to earn considerable money to pay off his student loans,and to raise the capital and develop the business connections to get his consulting business off the ground,without ruffling any corporate feathers with his lack of organizational loyalty.