Uncovering the influencing factors that shape a bank's branch culture using ethnographic case study method

The study of organisational culture in India has been dominated by positivistic framework of research enquiry by exploring the existence or absence of a pre-defined set of cultural attributes. There has not been significant effort on the part of research scholars to explore, understand and articulate the evolution of the organisational culture from a social constructionist perspective. What shapes a particular kind of culture has not been adequately researched or documented. Ethnographic approach holds promise to provide better insight into these forces that contribute to the evolution of culture. Guided by social constructionist philosophy the study reported here develops a framework that would help us understand how the culture is shaped, while organisation as a whole adapts to the situations which are shaped by the interplay of various influencing factors within the organisation. This study relies on ethnographic approach using qualitative data based on observations and open-ended in-depth interviews. The authors have identified five influencing factors, whose interactional dynamics had shaped the 'Security-Seeking-Task-Oriented Conflictive' work culture of the branch. The leadership style of the Branch Head and the second man was discovered to be the most critical in shaping the branch culture.