Enculturation and Commitment in Creative Organizations: A Theoretical Perspective

Distinctive culture is that culture of an organization which enables the organization get an identify of its own and meet success with respect to the purpose(s) of the organization. The distinctive culture is a function of the internal and external environmental characteristics as well as the culture of the Dominant coalition of the organization. The main thesis of this paper is that for success of organizations, organizations need to ensure that their members get “committed” to this distinctive culture. “Commitment” is viewed as a three dimensional concept. These dimensions are (1) loyalty to, (2) identification with and (3) involvement in the organizational activities. Elements of culture and the characteristics of the members of creative organizations have been identified through literature survey. Hypotheses regarding the roles of the enculturation mechanisms – (1) Entry mechanisms, (2) Socialization mechanisms and (3) Control mechanisms – in affecting the three dimensions of commitment and hypothesized. Implications of this theoretical perspective to Personnel Management and Organizational Designing are drawn.