dubai organisational picture

Queensland University of Technology Faculty of Built Environment & Engineering

BEN910 Integrated Project

Project Report:

An Investigation into the Organisational Culture and Performance of the Dubai Municipality

Unit: BEN910 – Integrated Project

Semester: Semester 1, 2012

Unit Coordinator: Dr Wim Dekkers

Supervisor: Dr Vaughan Coffey

Authors: Abdulla Ahli – N4900537

Faisal Qadir – N8389977

Due Date: 01 Jun 2012

i

ABSTRACT

This research paper analyses organisational culture and effectiveness / performance of Dubai

Municipality (DM). The literature review summarises the debates and materials available on the subject

of organisational culture and performance. It also provides an overview of the critiques that has been

presented on the subject by other researchers and further discussed from the authors’ perspectives.

Furthermore, the research methodology presented the tussle between qualitative and quantitative

approaches, where equal numbers of researchers have supported both methodologies. The four

departments of DM considered to test the proposition of organisational culture and performance

measurement were the Contracts and Purchasing Department, General Projects Departments, Project

Finance Department and Sewage and Drainage Department. The Denison Organisational Culture Model

(DOCM) survey was carried out in order to profile the DOCM for each department.

The collected data was subject to a number of data verification and validation tests such as reliability

and validity test in order to ensure the accuracy of the generated results and conclusion. Coefficient

alpha was conducted to test the reliability of the data, which ranged between (0.70) and (0.94). No

validity test was conducted as one of the researchers was present at all time to assist the respondents’

in-filling the survey. The survey results were further analysed with respect to their financial performance

that gave relevance to research. The collected data was analysed in a way to develop results that can

lead to certain conclusions for DM’s culture and performance.

The general statistical results suggested that DM employed more females than their male counterparts.

It also showed that the majority of the samples possess at least a graduate certificate and are aged

between 20-35 years. In addition, the research found that the mission was by far the most important

trait and had the highest mean score for the three out of four targets departments. In contrast, the

adaptability trait had the lowest mean score. In addition, the internal and external focus score for the

four departments suggested that DM has a lack of stakeholders’ management. Despite the relatively

strong organisational culture of the target departments, the research found that the majority of DM

projects for both General Project and Drainage and Sewage Departments were completed behind

schedule and over the allocated budget.

Key words: Culture, Organisational Culture, Organisation Performance, Denison Model

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We are thankful to almighty Allah for giving us strength to undertake this research. We would like to

sincerely thank Dr. Vaughan Coffey for his kind supervision, inspiration and guidance throughout the

project.

We would also like to show our gratitude to Dubai Municipality who unequivocally allowed us to

interview their employees and conduct the survey. We were given an open hand to access their financial

and organisational data. Special thanks to the employees of the Contract and Purchasing Department,

General Project Department, Finance Department and Drainage and Sewage Department for their

unlimited support and time to enable this research to happen.

We would also like to thank our families who tolerated and assisted us in the process of our research

work. Though we were close friends before the start of research work but in the process of research

work we developed a relationship of brotherhood. That we hope to cherish for times to come.

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STATEMENT OF ORIGINAL WORKS

The authors declare that the work contained in this study has not been previously submitted for any

other tertiary degree or diploma at the Queensland University of Technology or any other tertiary

educational institution. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no material that has been previously

published or written by any other person has been included in this report, unless properly cited and

referenced.

Signed.............................................................................. Date:.....................

(Name Printed)

Signed.............................................................................. Date:.....................

(Name Printed)

iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 CHAPTER – INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................1

1.1 CHAPTER INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................... 1

1.2 PROPOSITIONS .................................................................................................................................. 2

1.3 PROJECT SCOPE ................................................................................................................................. 2

1.3.1 Aim ........................................................................................................................................ 2

1.3.2 Objectives .............................................................................................................................. 2

1.3.3 Significance ........................................................................................................................... 2

1.4 EXPECTED OUTCOMES ........................................................................................................................ 3

1.5 LIMITATIONS ..................................................................................................................................... 3

1.6 EXCLUSIONS ...................................................................................................................................... 4

1.7 RESEARCH STRUCTURE ....................................................................................................................... 4

1.7.1 Stage 1 – Preliminary ............................................................................................................ 5

1.7.2 Stage 2 – Initiation ................................................................................................................ 5

1.7.3 Phase 3 – Planning ................................................................................................................ 5

1.7.4 Stage 4 – Execution ............................................................................................................... 5

1.7.5 Phase 5 – Closeout ................................................................................................................ 5

2 CHAPTER – LITERATURE REVIEW ..................................................................................................6

2.1 CHAPTER INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................... 6

2.2 ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE................................................................................................................. 7

2.3 CULTURE OR CLIMATE RESEARCH FOCUS FOR ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR ............................................. 12

2.4 ORGANISATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS / PERFORMANCE .............................................................................. 16

2.5 MEASUREMENT OF ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE / THEORIES ................................................................... 18

2.6 SUMMARY ...................................................................................................................................... 21

3 CHAPTER – RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ...................................................................................... 23

3.1 CHAPTER INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................. 23

3.2 PURPOSE OF THE RESEARCH .............................................................................................................. 23

3.3 EXTENT OF RESEARCHER INFLUENCE AND STUDY SETTING ...................................................................... 23

3.3.1 Researcher Influence ........................................................................................................... 23

3.3.2 Study Setting ....................................................................................................................... 23

3.4 UNIT OF ANALYSIS ........................................................................................................................... 23

3.5 TIME HORIZON ................................................................................................................................ 24

3.6 DATA COLLECTION ........................................................................................................................... 24

3.6.1 Method ................................................................................................................................ 24

3.6.2 Sample ................................................................................................................................. 26

3.6.3 Analysis ............................................................................................................................... 28

3.7 ETHICAL CONSIDERATION .................................................................................................................. 30

3.8 PROPOSITION QUESTIONS ................................................................................................................. 30

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3.9 DENISON MODEL ............................................................................................................................ 31

3.9.1 Overview ............................................................................................................................. 31

3.9.2 Involvement ......................................................................................................................... 32

3.9.3 Consistency .......................................................................................................................... 33

3.9.4 Adaptability ......................................................................................................................... 33

3.9.5 Mission ................................................................................................................................ 34

3.9.6 Internal / External Focus ..................................................................................................... 35

3.9.7 Stability / Flexibility ............................................................................................................. 35

3.9.8 Contradiction ....................................................................................................................... 36

3.9.9 Questionnaire ...................................................................................................................... 36

3.10 SUMMARY ...................................................................................................................................... 37

4 CHAPTER –DISCUSSION & RESULTS ............................................................................................. 38

4.1 CHAPTER INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................. 38

4.2 STATISTICAL DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS .................................................................................................... 38

4.2.1 Research Population ........................................................................................................... 38

4.2.2 Gender Profile ..................................................................................................................... 39

4.2.3 Age Profile ........................................................................................................................... 40

4.2.4 Education Level Profile ........................................................................................................ 41

4.2.5 Years with Organisation Profile .......................................................................................... 42

4.2.6 Sample Function Profile ...................................................................................................... 43

4.3 DATA RELIABILITY ............................................................................................................................ 44

4.4 DM ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE PROFILES .......................................................................................... 45

4.4.1 General Projects Departments ............................................................................................ 45

4.4.2 Drainage & Sewage Departments ....................................................................................... 46

4.4.3 Contracts & Purchasing Departments ................................................................................. 48

4.4.4 Projects Finance Departments ............................................................................................ 49

4.5 PROJECT PERFORMANCE ................................................................................................................... 50

4.5.1 Brief ..................................................................................................................................... 50

4.5.2 Time Performance ............................................................................................................... 50

4.5.3 Budget Performance ........................................................................................................... 51

4.6 DM DEPARTMENTS PROFILES VS PERFORMANCE .................................................................................. 52

4.7 THE IDEAL DOCM FOR DM DEPARTMENTS ........................................................................................ 53

4.8 SUMMARY ...................................................................................................................................... 53

5 CHAPTER – CONCLUSION & RECOMMENDATIONS ...................................................................... 54

5.1 CONCLUSION .................................................................................................................................. 54

5.2 RECOMMENDATIONS ....................................................................................................................... 55

Appendix A – Dubai Municipality Organisational Chart

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LIST OF TABLES

TABLE 1: DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CULTURE AND CLIMATE .......................................................................................................... 15

TABLE 2: ORGANISATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS QUESTIONS ADOPTED FROM LEWIN AND MINTON (1986, P 16) ..................................... 19

TABLE 3: RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE AND SUCCESS FACTORS IN DUBAI MUNICIPALITY .................................. 30

TABLE 4: DM DENISON ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE SURVEY DATA VALIDITY ............................................................................... 44

LIST FIGURES

FIGURE 1: DUBAI MUNICIPALITY ORGANISATIONAL CHART ....................................................................................................... 27

FIGURE 2: DENISON ORGAADAPTEDNAL CULTURE MODEL ADOPTED FROM (DENISON AND NEALE, 1996) ........................................ 31

FIGURE 3: DM GENDER PROFILE ......................................................................................................................................... 39

FIGURE 4: DM AGE PROFILE .............................................................................................................................................. 40

FIGURE 5: DM EDUCATIONAL LEVEL PROFILE ........................................................................................................................ 41

FIGURE 6: POPULATION YEAR OF SERVICE IN DM ................................................................................................................... 42

FIGURE 7: POPULATION FUNCTION IN DM ............................................................................................................................ 43

FIGURE 8: DM – GENERAL PROJECT DEPARTMENT DOC PROFILE ............................................................................................. 45

FIGURE 9: DM – DRAINAGE & SEWAGE DEPARTMENT DOC PROFILE ........................................................................................ 47

FIGURE 10: DM – CONTRACT & PURCHASING DEPARTMENT DOCM PROFILE ............................................................................ 48

FIGURE 11: DM – PROJECT FINANCE DEPARTMENT DOC PROFILE ............................................................................................ 49

FIGURE 12: DM PROJECTS TIME PERFORMANCE .................................................................................................................... 51

FIGURE 13: DM PROJECTS CONTRACT VALUE PERFORMANCE ................................................................................................... 51

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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

DM Dubai Municipality

CDP Contracts & Purchasing Department

GPD General Projects Department

DSD Drainage & Sewage Department

PFD Projects Finance Department

DOCM Denison Organisational Culture Model

BEN 910 Integrated Projects – Project Report An Investigation into Organisational Culture & Performance of Dubai Municipality

Abdulla Ahli n4900537 Faisal Qadir N8389977 1

1 Chapter – Introduction

1.1 Chapter Introduction

Dubai, due to its location and superior leadership, has transformed into a world leader of urban

development and mega projects in very little time. Projects like Burj Khalifa, the Palm and the World

Islands have set a new benchmark for landmarks in the field of construction and urban development for

the rest of the world to follow (Krane, 2009). Dubai, which was once known for its sandy beaches and

small fishing villages has now transformed into one of the world most luxurious and desired tourist

destinations (Krane, 2009). Dubai is home to signature names in entertainment, banking, sports,

business, shopping malls and man-made wonders, put simply, Dubai is a trend setter for the rest of the

world (Pacione, 2005).

The question arises, as to how is it possible that a small fishing town can transform into a world leader

and trend setter for the rest of the world in the fields of entertainment, real estate and urban

development in just a few years? The credit, single-handedly, goes to Sheikh Mohammed, his team and

his predecessors who through their superior leadership and dedication have transformed Dubai into

world’s most advanced city (Acuto, 2010). Dubai Municipality (DM) is responsible for translating Sheikh

Mohammed’s vision of modern Dubai into a reality. DM is the sponsor organisation for these projects

and has a project budget of over 1.25 billion US dollars annually (Bitar, 2011). DM manages building

permits for construction projects carried out in DM’s area of responsibility. DM has a multinational

workforce that represents diverse cultural and ethnic groups. Moreover, such a mix of various

nationalities creates diversity, which affects organisational culture, organisational effectiveness and

ultimately influences DM performance (Krane, 2009). As such, no study has been conducted to identify

DM organisational culture. Despite its tremendous success stories there are a number of projects, which

could not achieve their desired performance parameters. Is there a missing link in DM’s organisational

culture and performance?



1.2 Propositions

DM has a strong organisational culture that influences its organisational performance in the form of

superior services and products. From this observation the following two propositions are put forward:

Proposition 1: DM has a positive / superior organisational culture.

Proposition 2: DM’s organisational culture influences organisational performance that results in

superior services and products.

1.3 Project Scope

1.3.1 Aim

There are a number of aims in this report, which are:

Identify and analyse organisational culture of DM for its strengths / weakness.

Review the financial performance of DM projects in terms of approved budget and final contract

price.

Profile the surveyed department’s organisational culture.

1.3.2 Objectives

There are numbers of objectives that the report aims to achieve, which are:

Benchmark DM’s performance by analysing its financial performance.

Correlate cultural trends and organisational performance to ascertain future development

criteria.

Suggest an organisational culture profile that is likely to increase DM projects and services

effectiveness.

Suggest areas of improvement for DM to enhance organisational performance.

1.3.3 Significance

The findings of this research project will be used by DM to assess and evaluate current organisational

culture and its influence on DM performance. These will facilitate DM to identify strengths and

weakness of its organisational culture and take steps to overcome problem areas for better

organisational performance.



1.4 Expected Outcomes

DM is not well aware of its cultural strengths and weaknesses. On one hand, DM’s diverse culture

strengthens the organisation, but at the same time threatens its performance, due to cultural

disharmony. Dubai has a small local population, thus cannot meet the constructional industry’s

requirements through local resources and will require a large expatriate workforce for years to come.

Assessment of DM culture and its influence on performance will facilitate DM to improve shortcomings

in its organisational culture and performance, which may yield savings in time and money.

1.5 Limitations

The following factors might influence research analysis and data collection, which are beyond authors’

control:

Language barrier, as a large number of employees do not speak English, thus they are likely to

remain out of the survey.

Non-availability of a large number of organisational employees at all tiers of management to

conduct survey.

Employees will remain hesitant to share their true feelings despite assurance of privacy.

Data collected through the survey will not be a sufficient sample to establish comprehensive

conclusions.

Organisational culture’s trends might not be as per ideal conditions.

Despite the fact that DM is performing very well its organisational culture may not be plotted as

positive as compared to its performance.

Most employees are on work visas and would like to present a positive picture to their

organizations. This might not coincide with the performance of DM.

The survey will be carried out in Dubai, which may present geographical challenge to return for

more data collection.



Efforts are made to address above-mentioned shortcomings to ensure that data collection is as close to

actual trends present in DM as possible. Following measures will be implemented:

Explain to the employees the spirit behind this research and the effectiveness of the Denison

model before conducting the survey.

Provide the Denison Model survey (Denison, 1984) in English and Arabic for those employees for

whom English is not their preferred language.

Survey minimum 25 – 30 employees from each department, through a questionnaire based on

the Denison Model of organisational effectiveness and performance (Denison, 1984) .This

sample size will be sufficient to identify trends and generate a meaningful discussion and

conclusions.

Ensure privacy of employees. The sample will be asked to mention only their departments.

Take authorisation of senior management to conduct survey. Results / data collection will be

kept confidential. Surveys will be directly conducted and collected by one of the authors. DM

will not have access to survey forms. However, will be allowed access to comprehensive picture.

1.6 Exclusions

The research project will not be able to survey all departments of DM, as it requires a lot of time and

resources. Thus our survey will limit itself to four departments. Conclusions will be drawn based on

sample analysis of collected data. The following departments will be surveyed only:

Contracts and Purchasing Department (CPD).

General Projects Departments (GPD).

Project Finance Department (PFD).

Drainage and Sewage Department (DSD).

1.7 Research Structure

This proposal is the first step to establishing the main project report. Therefore, the project report will

be divided into five different stages in order to manage the project more effectively. The five stages are

briefly described as follows:



1.7.1 Stage 1 – Preliminary

The preliminary stage spans from 22/11/11 to 23/02/12 and involves the generation and evaluation of

different project topics by the authors, selection of the supervisor and collection of the primary data

required for the project report. The preliminary proposal will be developed after a topic is approved. All

the work is carried out before the commencement of semester one 2012. The main deliverable of this

stage is a topic confirmation proposal.

1.7.2 Stage 2 – Initiation

The initiation stage will commence 24/02/12 (with Semester 1 of 2012) to 06/03/12. It involves setting

the referencing management tool (Endnote), preliminary literature and the topic registration. This stage

is concluded by the main deliverable, which is the topic registration.

1.7.3 Phase 3 – Planning

The planning stage spans from 06/03/12 to the 30/03/12 and consists of structuring the basis for the

research. It includes aims, objectives, methods, limitations and reference. The third stage deliverable is

the formal written research proposal.

1.7.4 Stage 4 – Execution

The execution stage develops research, which includes the collecting and processing of the data,

literature review, the discussion and the findings produced from the collected data and literature. This

stage starts from 24/02/12 and ends on 25/05/12. The deliverable of this stage is research data, analysis,

findings and the supporting literature.

1.7.5 Phase 5 – Closeout

The closeout stage involves the delivery of the final paper. It includes conclusions, recommendations

and the complete project reflective log and supervisor/student contact sheets. The key deliverable of

this final stage is the project report and reflective log.



2 Chapter – Literature Review


The term “culture” originally referred to cultivation / development of soul and minds. The Evidence of its

existence can be traced back to the early days of human history. In those days “Might is right” was the

overarching factor of human relationship. However, due to interaction, hunting and socialization; initial

forms of cultural norms were developed. These early human interactions laid foundation stones of

society that nourished various forms of culture that are researched and taught today (Guy, 1999).

The term culture has its roots in anthropology. Aberle (1987) has referred to anthropology as science of

history. As noted by Johnson and Levi Strauss (2003) Cultural anthropology is a branch of anthropology

that deals with studies of culture variation and its effects on human life. Furthermore, the effects of

cultural variations in humans on economic progress are also a focus for anthropology. This is achieved

through various methods that include participant observation, interviews and surveys. Culture was used

in its present form by one English researcher in the late eighteenth century, who referred it to be as

‘cultivation of soul’ and explained the phenomena by comparing it with agriculture development

process, Velkley (1997). The concept was based on enhancement of the human race (Schein, 1992).

Arnold (1869), a researcher and poet used the word ‘culture’ to represent superior human capabilities

as in his opinion the culture represents superior human capabilities that have been achieved so far. It is

assumed that culture is a set of positive traits that influence human behaviour for better results.

However, Arnold (1869) did not talk about the traits that have negative effects on culture. It was only in

nineteen century that ‘culture’ was associated with behaviour sciences and was studied for capacity

building. Thereafter, culture took centre place of research studies with a focus to understand human

behaviour (Simmel, 1971). This was the reason that research in the field of culture gained popularity in a

very short time as it promised greater gains with increases in positive cultural values.

Culture can be attributed as a way of life adopted by a group of people. It is a combination of their

‘beliefs, norms, rituals, behaviours and values’ that they accept to be righteous and practiced. In most of

the cases next generations adopt these values and believe without even questioning their validity,

Schein (Schein, 1990). In other words, cultural influence on human behaviour works like ‘slow poisoning’

where the victim is not aware of its being victimised by a cultural onslaught. The phrase that ‘I do it the

way my father and forefather used to do it’ speaks of our unintentional submission to cultural invasion.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthropology

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Participant_observation

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interviews

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statistical_survey



We want to continue with our cultural values and traditions that have been passed to us by our elders.

This proves Schein’s (1990) claim that culture is passed on to the next generations.

This is very much understandable in a multicultural environment where people doing different things

get a cultural refuge to legitimize their acts that are not welcomed or appreciated in different cultural

settings. Kotter (1992) also supports the idea that culture is a combination of beliefs, norms and values

possessed by a society or a group of people.

In North West Frontier Province (NWFP) of Pakistan, a tribal system prevails where tribes get united to

fight against their enemy tribes. Their life is governed by the cultural norms and traditions which are

considered sacred and are respected. Some of these traditions influencing their lifestyle are very

different and are not understandable, but still traditions and culture are adopted, for instance, forgiving

an enemy if he comes to your home and requests forgiveness. Protecting and feeding a guest even at

the cost of the host’s life. Living in groups (tribes) and having joint defence agreements. It is

understandable that the development of unique cultural traits and strong bindings within the tribes is

influenced by the harsh nature of terrain, lack of civic facilities, interdependences of tribes and

compulsion to unite and fight for survival of the fittest that has been practised by their forefathers and is

the unwritten law of the land.

2.2 Organisational Culture

The topic of organisational culture gained momentum in the late seventies. The extensive investigation

on this topic by the researchers drew attention to the importance of the organisational culture on

business domains and its impact on organisational effectiveness (Quinn & Cameron, 1983). As a result, it

gained wide acceptance as a way to understand human systems from the early development of “theory

(X)” and “theory (Y)” (Schein, 1992) to an "open-systems" perspective (Schein, 1990).

A number of researchers consider the study of organisational culture to be one of the major areas of

organisational research and even consider organisational culture to be the most important and relevant

to organisational studies, (Ouchi & Wilkins, 1985). Barney (1986) noted that there have been very few

concepts in organisational theory that have such large number of conflicting definitions of

“organisational culture”. Moreover, organisational culture is mostly defined as a complex set of values,

beliefs, assumptions, and symbols that define the way in which a firm conducts its business and that



influences its performance. The organisational culture aspects are considered an important

environmental condition affecting the system and its subsystems. In addition, the examination of

organisational culture is a valuable analytical tool, in modern times, to assess the organisation’s success

(Yusuff, Busu, & Zulkifli, 2008).

Coffey (2005) is of the opinion that researchers of anthropology are confused on a standard definition of

culture that is acceptable to all researchers. However, he (Ibid 2005) suggests that it is important for the

researchers to first identify true traits of culture, what is its importance for an organisation and how can

an organisation measure and improve its prevailing culture. This will speed up the research work and

will patch up the gaps between the different factions of cultural researchers.

Lim (1995), while referring to Denison (1984), states that the term organisational culture was first used

in America to explain the economic success of Japanese companies. The essence of this concept was a

highly motivated and dedicated work force that was employed to achieve the cultural values, beliefs and

assumptions that were set as a target to be achieved. Cultural studies in America were basically

conducted to analyse superior Japanese industrial performance that was influenced by the cultural

ability of an organisation to increase its performance. This represents the desire of American

manufacturers to catch up with Japanese industrial growth and researchers suggesting the use of

culture as a force multiplier (Schein, 1990).

Schein (1986) presents culture at two different levels of ‘Micro’ and ‘Macro’ in which the former deals

with the well-being of employees and organisations, whereas, the latter refers to the business

effectiveness and development of an organisation.

Considering the above discussion, it is important to understand the Dubai cultural environment before

we compare it with others contained in the literature review. Dubai is a hub of development and

financial activity that has attracted a workforce from all over the world (Krane, 2009). The senior tiers of

organisations generally consist of Europeans or Dubai nationals who are well trained and have

experience in multinational projects. They understand culture and its potential for transforming

organisations. However, the bulk of the work force is formed largely by operatives that are uneducated

and who have flocked from neighbouring developing countries of Pakistan, India and Bangladesh in

search of jobs. This workforce therefore has its own distinct culture formed from a meld of national

cultures that influences behaviour. Due to only undertaking a short duration of stay in Dubai and having



a main focus on earning money, this multinational workforce does not either understand, or participate

in, cultural formation. Moreover, language is the biggest hurdle at all tiers of the workforce. Moreover, a

general reluctance to point out any negative aspect in the workplace or the organisation prevails due to

insecure job environments. Therefore, formation of organisational culture remains a difficult proposition.

Organisations do have ‘micro culture’ as it relates to the well-being of employees but due to the

aforementioned factor and an attitude of “boss is always right”, they do not develop and display ‘macro

culture’. In such an environment the line manager always has final and unchallenged authority that

normally does not exist in multinational organisations. Employee involvement in decision making and

goal setting does not exist at all. The decisions are based on the boss’ desires, where the financial sense

does not get requisite consideration if the go ahead signal for actions is given.

Schein (1992) refers to organisational culture as a set of behaviours and assumptions that are

transferred to new members of organisations as an instinct. Moreover, culture can be referred to as a

set pattern of behaviours those members of an organisation, or society, posses. It is a reflection of

organisational values and norms. Organisational culture is the depiction of the way employees or

members of an organisation behave in a particular situation. Pettigrew (1979) used the term

organisational culture for the first time in “Administrative Science Quarterly” journal. Colville, Waterman

and Weick (1999) have also pointed that organisations making exceptional business or personnel growth

have strong organisational culture that also leads to corresponding financial growth. A true definition of

organisational culture has been presented by Schein (1990, p. 111)

“a pattern of basic assumptions that a group has invented, discovered or developed

in learning to cope with its problems of external adaptation and internal integration,

and that have worked well enough to be considered valid, and therefore, to be taught

to new members as the correct way to perceive, think, and feel in relation to those

problems”.



Burkhart (1995, p. 5) refers definition of organisational culture by Alder (1989)

“A relatively stable picture of organisation’s personality shared by its members.

Cultures are usually shaped in the organisation’s early days, often by its earliest

leaders. Everyday customs and rituals both reflect the culture and continue to shape

it”.

(Coffey, 2005, p. 30) has synthesized several definitions to form the following specific definition of

organisational culture as “A set of shared ideals, values and standards of behaviour; it is the common

denominator that makes the actions of individuals intelligible to the group”.

An organisation is known by its culture; which represents norms and values practiced within the

organisation. Moreover, understanding of organisational culture helps to improve its performance.

Reflection of cultural strength can be strongly felt in all fields of life of an organisation. Corporate world

benefited from studies unearthing potentials of organisational culture and its benefits towards

enhanced financial performance. Researchers for organisational effectiveness and performance believe

that organisational culture is an important factor that formulates organisational, individuals and group

behaviour that subsequently influences the organisation’s effectiveness and performance (Kwantes,

Arbour and Boglarsky, 2007).

From the definitions of organisational culture above and subsequent discussion in the extant literature,

it is evident that organisational culture is a combination of beliefs and norms that are practiced and

shared by all members of an organisation. However, relating this back to the case study organisation in

this research (Dubai Municipality), it seems to be the other way around as this organisation has a

multinational workforce that does not share a common culture, religion and above all a common

language. As a result, the organisation is segregated into individual sub groups that maintain their own

traditions and culture that may not be always in line with organisational culture, which often creates

‘silo effect’. So the question arises, how is it possible that a group of people, who don’t have a common

culture and language are still able to participate in forming a cohesive culture?

Van Den (2004) refers to organisational culture as the “glue” that binds a group of individuals into one

unit. This binding force stimulates employees to selflessly work for betterment of the organisation.

However, he (Ibid 2004) maintains that researchers have little focused on how to utilise this strength as



a force multiplier. Organisational culture can be defined as a specific method of performing

organisational tasks that are standard to an organisation and has matured over the passage of time. This

‘standard’ is a reflection of organisational knowledge and competence.

Hemmelgarn et al (2006) describes organisational culture as “way things are done in an organisation“.

They further opine that organisational culture refers to shared norms, beliefs and behaviours that are

expected from employees of an organisation. These beliefs and behaviours form the very basis of social

interaction that forms an organisational culture. Such phenomena of organisational culture can be seen

at work in some multinational organisations working in Dubai. These multinationals have certain

standards of quality and performance and their members are always expected to perform according to

these desired performance levels.

Yauch and Steudel (2003) while referring to Schein (1992) note that to identify the culture of any

organisation, three basic factors have to be gauged such as ‘artefacts’, ‘espoused values’ and ‘basic

assumptions’. It is important for researchers to understand the basic assumptions of an organisation as

this then leads to an understanding of ‘artefacts’ and ‘espoused values’ prevailing in an organisation.

Moreover, they (Ibid 2003) opine that behaviours and norms present precedence for new employees to

get adjusted into the organisation. They attain positions of unwritten rules and regulations that

members of an organisation are supposed to follow. Schein (1992) considers culture to be a

phenomenon that surrounds us. It consists of norms, values, behaviour patterns, rituals and traditions. It

implies structural stability, patterning and integration. Above all, it is an accumulated shared learning

from history.

Despite the extreme cultural diversity of its workforce, Dubai-based organisations display some or all of

these traits mentioned in the definitions above. The physical and social environments of these

organisations are governed by the rules and regulations that exist in the country. However, each

organisation has its own environment that is governed by the strategic vision and policies of its

leadership and values are not always standard as the workforce is multinational and has its own

dominating multi-culture. Even within such companies there are various subcultures that prevail due to

different groups within the workforce undertaking projects.



Van Den (2004), while supporting organisational practices as a yardstick to measure organisational

culture, notes that a number of researchers have used an assessment of ‘values’ to define organisational

culture. In Van Den’s (2004) opinion, organisational values cannot be observed directly from the

workforce but are reflected in organisational practices. Thus organisational practices are a true

representation of organisational culture.

Delobbe (2002) has talked of various layers of organisational culture and notes that, “values” and

“norms” are the intermediate level of cultural layers whereas “artefacts”, are the top level layer with

“basic assumptions” forming the core layer of an organisation.

Yauch and Steudel (2003) noted that values, assumptions, and behavioural norms are cultural factors

that help an entity to successfully achieve its goals and objectives. While referring to Schein’s (1992)

three level organisational culture model, theses authors (Ibid 2003) note that artefacts, espoused

values, and basic assumptions are key factors in organisational culture identification. As it is difficult to

truly analyse basic assumptions, behaviour norms are thus referred to as a factor of organisational

culture. The above discussion refers to different views of researchers on the construct of organisational

culture.

Murphy (1986) refers to culture as a set of traditions borne by a society and transferred to its next

generations. It is a representation of norms, values and standards that are adopted by people in their

day to day life, Lewis et al, (1993), Asif, (2011) and Schneider, (1990) grade organisational climate as a

temporary phase that has less influence and effects upon organisational culture and that represents the

feelings of members. In addition, organisational culture has greater influence in the long run on

organisational performance. Cameron and Quinn (2011) similar to Van Den (2004) as mentioned earlier,

consider organisational culture to be the “social glue” that sticks together all components of an

organisation.

2.3 Culture or Climate Research Focus for Organisational Behaviour

The difference of opinion between the researchers to use organisational culture or organisational

climate as a pathway to explore avenues of organisational behaviour, performance and effectiveness



has created an interesting conflict of interest. A large number of organisational theory researchers have

used organisational culture as the focus of their research work, whereas, an equally large number of

organisational theory researchers have considered organisational climate to further their research work.

Researchers, who followed organisational culture as the basis of their research work, often preferred

qualitative methodology to conduct research, whereas researchers, who opted for organisational

climate as an instrument to explore organisations, generally preferred quantitative methodology for

their research. However, it appears that in recent studies both the differences are fading away (Denison,

(1996).

Coffey (2005) while analysing both culture and climate as an option for his own research methodology in

the field of organisational studies opines that the major difference between both the methodologies is

that the “cultural pathway” to organisational studies for organisational effectiveness measurement is

based on ‘practices that produce measurable outcomes’ where as the “climate pathway” to

organisational studies is focused on ‘overt views’ that employees have about their organisation at a

specific moment of time.

A large amount of research has been carried out on both aspects of organisational theory. Despite the

dispute on the issue of culture and climate, both have attracted a large number of researchers in

research work. This is not an academic interest only but has facilitated understanding of “complexities of

organisational operations” (Peterson and Spencer, (Peterson & Spencer, 1990).

Yauch (2003) while referring to Schein (1990), notes that culture is viewed as an reflection of ‘what an

organisation is or has ‘and is focused on ‘behavioural patterns, values, beliefs, or ideologies’ that

represents uniqueness of an organisation.

Peterson and Spencer (1990) have very logically presented the linkage between culture and climate and

have analysed influence of each other on organisational behaviour. While referring to Tichy (1983) they

note that culture has been identified as a key factor for organisational effectiveness, whereas

commenting in support of organisational climate while referring to Blackburn & Pitney (1988), they note

(Ibid , 1990) that climate has been considered for a long time as a key factor for individual performance.

As evident from above statements, climate and culture both have been adopted as a means to conduct

research. Culture and climate however provide an understanding of purpose and true meaning of the



existence of the organisation and their role in its success. This forms a guideline for new employees and

steers them in the right direction. The combination of organisational culture and climate gives strength

to a sense of ownership and pride in their work and their relationship to the organisation they represent

(Peterson & Spencer, 1990).

The phenomena of organisational culture and climate are transitional in nature and can vary depending

on the factors that contribute to organisational effectiveness, behaviour and performance. The ‘cultural

identity’ creates an image of an organisation that represents its face or image. This image or face acts as

an inspiration for positive performance of an organisation. In case the organisation’s image or face is

presenting negativity, new employees will find it difficult to get inspiration for their work, (Peterson &

Spencer, 1990).

Peterson and Spencer (1990, p. 7) note that:

“organisational culture and climate provide a Reasonable framework for making

sense of the no rational and informal aspects of an organisation that are not captured

in formal documents and procedures, objective characteristics of its members,

quantitative measures of resources and performance, or organisational charts”.

Berg and Wilderson (2004) while referring to Denison (1984), note that cultural and climate studies are

based on the ‘internal social psychological environment’ of an organisation. In both the cases i.e. climate

and culture; dimensions used for measure are “overlapping”.

Van Den, Wilderom and Berg (2004) noted that there is undefined confusion on the subject of

organisational culture and organisational climate. Therefore, for interest of the research this conflict is

not perused instead, a small difference in organisational culture and climate is presented as the climate

refers to analysis of current state of an organisation where as culture refers to the analysis of that

actually happens in a workplace of an organisation.

Coffey (2005) stated that organisational behaviour is the field of study that investigates impact of

individuals and groups on behaviour that is displayed within an organisation. Moreover, study of

organisational behaviour has its roots in the fields of “psychology, sociology, social psychology,

anthropology and political science”. Culture and climate have its roots in anthropology, linguistics,



psychology and sociology. Both have been used to represent behavioural sciences in various time

frames. Peterson and Spencer (1990) have tabulated difference of culture and climate as follows:-

Table 1: Difference between Culture and Climate

Organisational Concepts

Culture Climate

Basis of concept Deeply shared values assumptions, believes or ideologies of members

Common members perception of attitudes towards and feelings about organisational life

Primary Conceptual source

Anthropology, sociology, linguistics and organisational behaviour

Cognitive and social psychology and organisational behaviour

Organisational perspective

Holistic primary emergent patterns

Previously organisational patterns often focused on specific arenas

Major purpose of concept

Instrument : social interpretation, behaviour control and adaptation

Member control , member motivation

Primary emphasis Super ordinate meaning Common view of participation

Major Characteristics Embedded Current patterns or atmosphere

Nature of change Long term More malleable , various direct or indirect

Source: Major difference between climate and culture adopted from Peterson & Spencer (1990, p. 7)

Yauch & Steudel (2003) while referring to Peterson (1990), opine that the term climate has its roots in

the social psychology and organisational behaviour studies. Ibid (2003) further adds that though the

terms climate and culture are often used interchangeably they can be used independently as well.

Climate represents present ‘patterns of dimensions’ of organisation or its member’s behaviour. He

concludes that climate is more relevant as compared to culture for measurement of employee’s present

feelings and understanding of beliefs and values of an organisation. Ibid (2003) maintains that culture is

a term that represents a complete picture of an origination that encompasses the whole organisation. In

contrast, climate refers to feelings of employees and their understanding of ‘what is there’ in an

organisation.



Yauch and Steudel (2003) have further divided climate into two parts i.e. ‘perceived climate’ and ‘felt

climate’ where the former focuses on the perception of employees than how an organisation should

function (“An idealistic approach”). In comparison, the latter is ‘motivational, rather than perceptual’. It

measures how employees feel about their organisation and workplace “that is present today”

The above discussion has highlighted the differences and complexities of culture and climate. As evident

from the discussion, climate is a cultural instrument that is less visible and has to be extracted from the

employees. This adds to difficulty of measurement and consolidation of data. In the case of DM it will be

easier to measure organisational culture as compared to measuring organisational climate. This is

largely due to the reason that working environments in the Middle East in the general tend to have the

issue of power and distance, where the employees seem to please their superior, rather than properly

delivering the job (G. Hofstede, Neuijen, Ohayv, & Sanders, 1990).

2.4 Organisational Effectiveness / Performance

Many researchers are of the opinion that organisational culture has strong influences on organisational

performance. Wilson (2001) indicates that a number of studies have been conducted on the influence of

organisational behaviour and its relationship to organisational performance, which is a core objective of

an organisation. Organisations are not only facing extended competition and pressure to innovate in

service and products, but also to remain focussed on performance enhancement. Hence, the

importance of measurement of the organisational culture is vital to business survival and effectiveness.

In order to prove the above claim the study has to establish a relationship between the organisational

culture in DM and its performance. As per assumed perception if the DM is performing well, it should

have an organisational culture that is relevant to its performance.

Steers (1975) notes that the concept of organisational effectiveness has been thoroughly studied by the

researchers, however, the true understanding of what actually constitutes organisational effectiveness

is still not clear. He (ibid 1975) opines that no serious attempts have been made to understand factors

which contribute to organisational effectiveness. A number of criteria have been short listed as suitable

organisational measurements, however, researchers are still not clear as to how these can influence

organisational effectiveness. While supporting multi dimensional criteria to measure organisational

effectiveness, Steers (1975) notes that the multi dimensional measurement model focuses on the

relationship between variables and also accounts for their mutual influence on the success of an



organisation Contrary to the above opinion, Rose (2008) notes that the study of organisational culture

and performance is advantageous as ‘cultural values’ are ‘observable and measurable’. Therefore, it is

easy to measure and compare it across organisations to benchmark their performance. He opines that

performance is basically return on investment therefore, should be represented by a combination of

financial and non-financial measures. Performance has a number of attributes that can be considered

while assessing organisations i.e. “quality, consistency, productivity, behaviours and norms”

The same author (Ibid 2008) while referring Kotter (1992) noted that organisations which have

“adaptive values” perform superior for a longer time. Therefore, it is important for researchers to

consider financial and non financial measures while analysing organisational performance. Whereas,

Berg and Wilderom (2004) supporting the measurement of effectiveness suggests to lower the

measurement at team or group level further notes that measurement of organisational effectiveness of

within a organisation can only be effectively measured at a team or group level.

Lim (1995) has supported performance measurement through organisational goal achievement.

However, an organisation that has not set realistic goals will not be able to achieve true measurement of

its performance despite the fact that it has performed very well. On the other hand, an organisation that

has set low goals will be graded at a better place as compared to the organisation with non-realistic

goals. A basic flaw in goal based performance measurement system.

Coffey (2005) notes that a large number of researchers have established a link between ‘level of

development’, presence of various ‘organisational traits’ and resultant success of an organisation to

continuously produce high quality products and services.

Scaffold (1988) while referring Denison (1984), notes that culture plays a vital and dominating role in an

organisation’s success story. It can be hypothesized that a strong and positive culture can be attributed

to organisational success. Whereas, at the same time a weak and negative culture would result into

poor performance. It can generally be summarised that strong cultures are a hallmark of a successful

organisation.

Taking lead from the above statements, an example of motorway police recruitment in Pakistan is very

pertinent, where the Government of Pakistan was totally disappointed with performance of traffic

police due to large corruption and low performance issues decided not to post existing police officers to



new motorway police as their organisational culture had too many negative traits. The government

decided to recruit a completely new police force to monitor motorways. This new police force was given

better salaries/ working environments and better organisational culture of pride and comradeship. This

new police force performed exceptionally well and there was not even a single report against them for

corruption or low performance. Thus, it proves that an organisation with a superior culture will perform

better. As the same set of people perform far superior working under superior organisational culture as

compared to them performing under adverse cultural environments.

Coffey (2005) noted that till 1987 financial reporting systems were used as a basis of measurement for

organisational performance and effectiveness. However, these measures were not considered suitable

for true performance measurement as researchers concluded that results could be ‘distorted if it was

based on inadequate goals. This paved the way for ‘system based’ organisational models based on

multiple sets of criteria to measure organisational performance. In 1990s, “balanced performance

measurement matrix” was presented by Keegan (1989). Ibid (1989) focused on “cost, non cost, internal

and external dimensions of an organisation”. Kennerley and Neely (2002) as referred by Coffey (2005)

outlined that for a successful organisational performance measurement system must be able to present

a ‘balance picture’ of an organisation; present holistic overview of organisational performance; should

be ‘comprehensive and multidimensional’ in nature and at the same time be ‘integrated across

organisational functions and hierarchy’.

An effective measurement system that is holistic and presents a complete picture of the organisation

under scrutiny cannot be based on a single attribute of organisational culture, therefore, the

organisational performance measurement system has to be based on set of attributes that covers all

aspects of organisational life (Keegan, Eiler, & Jones, 1989).

2.5 Measurement of Organisational Culture / Theories

Denison and Mishra (1995) note that organisational culture and effectiveness is an important subject for

researchers. However, it remained neglected and was pursued at a relatively slow speed due to inherent

research problems. As in their opinion organisational measurement theory must have ‘core

assumptions’ that relates to ‘visible artefacts’, ‘social structure to individual meanings’. Researchers are

still not fully convinced on such a theory for measurement of organisational culture. It is still a debate as



to whether culture can be assessed in a way that two organisations can be equated with each other

based on their performance. Peterson & Spencer (1990) noted that ‘successful organisations possess

certain cultural traits of excellence’.

Kotter (1992) noted that organisational culture has become the centre of research due to the

assumption that a certain type of organisational culture enhances the overall performance of an

organisation. This added advantage / financial gain has been instrumental in a number of research

studies conducted in this field. Despite the fact that a large number of studies have been conducted on

the organisational culture but, there is very few studies that have focused on the relationship of

organisational culture and performance.

Lewin and Minton (1986) have presented various questions that researchers must consider before

measuring organisational effectiveness. These questions are tabulated as below:-

Table 2: Organisational effectiveness questions adopted from Lewin and Minton (1986, p 16)

Questions to be asked by researchers for organisational effectiveness

‘What is effectiveness’?

‘What are its indicators’?

‘What are its predictors’?

‘Can it be specified or measured’?

‘Can it be related to particular perspectives, environments, behaviours or structures’?

‘Is it a constant or an ideal’?

‘Does it change with time and organisational maturity’?

‘Can it be sought, gained, enhanced, or lost’?

‘Why is one organisation effective at one time and not at another, or why is one ‘organisation effective and another not’?

Above tabulated questions serve as a guideline for all researchers for measurement of organisational

effectiveness. Fjortoft and Smart (1994) have noted that several cultural theories / models have been

presented to measure organisational effectiveness. Whereas, Meek (1988) notes that organisational



cultural theories can be generally categorised into two categories. Firstly, those theories who consider

organisational culture to be a ‘variable’ i.e. what an ‘organisation has’. Secondly, those theories who

consider organisational culture to be what an ‘organisation is’. In his opinion, the latter approach is

aligned with the definition of culture as presented by anthropologists. Culture is a combination of

‘negotiated and shared symbols and meanings’ that members of an organisation inherited and practised

in their daily life considering them to be righteous. Early researchers used qualitative data analysis for

the measurement of organisational culture, which lacked strong relationships between various

components of measured data, for example, performance and individual behaviour (Koberg & Chusmir,

1987). However, a number of researchers used quantitative data for measurement of organisational

culture. Most commonly used models are “Competing Values Frame Work” Cameron & Quinn (2011)

and Denison organisational culture measurement model Denison and Mishra (1995). This research will

limit itself to Denison’s organisational survey model to ascertain the organisational culture of DM.

There are number of well-established models to measure the organisational culture, and investigate the

link between organisational culture and business performance. These models have provided assistance

for many leading corporations regarding organisational change, leadership development, and the

cultural issues associated with mergers & acquisitions, turnaround, and globalisation to overcome

inconsistencies, improve performance and employees satisfaction Dension & Spreitzer (1991).

The Denison model is one of the most recognised tools, which specialises in the areas of organisational

culture, effectiveness and leadership (D. Denison & A. K. Mishra, 1995) The Denison Model focuses on

four main areas: adaptability, involvement, consistency and mission (D. Denison & A. K. Mishra, 1995). It

also demonstrates the important relationships between these areas, which shape the balance of the

internal and external focus, flexibility and stability of an organisation (D. Denison & A. K. Mishra, 1995).

The model was developed, like many other products and services, for the North American and, to a

lesser degree, Western European markets. It does not take into account the cultural differences of the

nations; for example, some acts considered norms in Australia are not necessarily accepted norms in the

UAE (Fey & Denison, 2003). Quinn and Rohrbaugh (1983) developed the Competing Values Framework

(CVF) in the early eighties. Later, the model was further developed by Quinn and Cameron. It was based

on the four types of cultures, which are; clan, market, adhocracy and hierarchy. It also had the four

polarities, as per the Denison model Quinn & Cameron (1983). However, model had a contradictory

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adhocracy



approach viewing culture and effectiveness of the organisation, (D. R. Dension & Spreitzer, 1991). For

example, it suggests flexibility and control or internal and external focus and could not exist

simultaneously in an organisation.

Furthermore, Coffey (2009) suggests in the initial stages most organisational performance and

effectiveness was measured based on single criteria of financial performance of an organisation.

However, the 1980s and 1990s saw an increase in multi criteria based performance measurement

models. There are number of studies, which identified significant correlation between performance and

employee encouraging organisational culture (Ogaard, Larsen and Marnburg, 2005). They also conclude

a healthy encouraging work environment, which focuses on goal setting and achievement is likely to

reduce turnover and increase employees’ satisfaction. In addition, Liu (2003) indicates that the rationale

of studying organisational culture has many aspects, but the key principle is to discover the affects of

the organisational performance with a view to improving the performance.

2.6 Summary

Culture can be defined as the system of norms, beliefs, and traditions that prevail around us and

transform our behaviours and actions. It is a term that has been amply researched and inquired. Initially,

researchers focused only on one aspect of culture i.e. its ability to mould out behaviours. However, it

was only in the nineteenth century that researchers were able to identify cultural influences on

organisational performance and the resultant increase in the profitability. This discovery transformed

the way researchers looked towards culture. The industrial world was keen to know the secrets of

Japanese industrial might and superior performance of its workforce. The triangular relationship of

culture with organisations culture and organisational performance became centre of focus for all

researchers.

However, researchers are not sure how to measure it. A large number of researchers are supporting

qualitative whereas an equally large number of researchers have favoured quantitative methods to

measure organisational performance. At the same time an academic tussle between culture and climate

as basis of organisational culture measurement has been centre of research. Despite, these major

differences some researchers agree that organisational culture should be measured using both

quantitative and qualitative methods as it gives yet another angle to analyse data. This adds to its

authenticity.



Dubai being a multicultural destination, presents a lot of challenges for the Denison measurement

model as the model itself was designed for South American organisations that had a work force with

largely the same cultural and social background. Whereas, the workforce had some influence in

formation of overall strategy of the organisation. However, on the contrary the workforce in Dubai was

mostly based on multinational groups from neighbouring countries who had no or limited interaction

with local culture as they were there to earn money and could not speak the local language or English. In

most cases, interpreters were a commonly use communication tool. However, to get some sort of

organisational cultural trend in DM sub organisations the Denison survey model has been used. Though,

it will not be able to give real picture of cultural disperse and its influence on organisational

performance however, this research can be used as a base line for further research work. That can focus

on a greater number of employees with better combination to ascertain the actual organisational

culture spread and its influence on organisational performance.



3 Chapter – Research Methodology


The purpose of this section is to illustrate the methods that will be used to carry out the investigation of

organisational culture and the effectiveness of DM. This includes the purpose of study, the extent of the

researchers influence, study setting, the unit of analysis, time horizon, measurements and measures,

data collection, ethical considerations, the proposition questions and the Denison Model (Denison,

1984).

3.2 Purpose of the Research

The purpose of the study is to test propositions which have been developed in section 3.8 and the

relationship between the organisational culture and the project performance for DM. By testing the

statement thoroughly, as much uncertainty as possible will be eliminated and this will be replaced with

knowledge.

3.3 Extent of Researcher Influence and Study Setting

3.3.1 Researcher Influence

Positivistic and descriptive research will be used as it was established in section 3.2 that propositional

testing will be carried out. Additionally, objectivity should be used for this type of testing. The level of

influence from the two researchers will be minimal so that a natural order of events can be found.

3.3.2 Study Setting

The investigation will be conducted using a case study, therefore aspects of the case study will be

examined and there will be no opinion or favouritism towards a specific result, unless supported with

evidence.

3.4 Unit of Analysis

The literature review revealed that the majority of research carried out to date has occurred at many

levels, which includes project and organisational levels. Therefore, in this study the analysis has also

occurred at the level of projects performance verse the department organisational cultural scores.



3.5 Time Horizon

The study aims to find out how the circumstances stand at this given point of time. Therefore, the study

will be carried out in a cross-sectional format over the course of three months. This technique is suitable

as the results will be purified to be presented in a meaningful and beneficial way.

3.6 Data Collection

3.6.1 Method

The discipline of organisational culture has long remained engulfed in a ’paradigm war’ situation

between followers of rational and non rational approaches. At various times each approach combined

research and produced new theories, which could not have been evolved by one or other approach

alone (Cameron & Ettington, 1988). There are two different methodologies, which have been used to

assess organisational culture, namely the qualitative and quantitative approaches. A number of

researchers have described both processes as mutually exclusive (Yauch & Steudel, 2003). However, in

many recent cultural studies, it has been identified that using both qualitative and quantitative

approaches in tandem as a ‘mixed method’ not only gives a new angle to analyse the information but

gives better results and is more beneficial. Mixed method approach allows “triangulation” of data

gathered by qualitative and quantitative approaches. This will help to shape the data and decrease bias,

enhancing the authenticity of data analysis and increasing understanding of organisational culture

substantially (Yauch & Steudel, 2003).

The qualitative and quantitative approaches adopted by researchers to explore organisational theory

are not mutually exclusive. Moreover, both methodologies differ in ‘form, focus, and emphases’. As it

has been identified by various researchers that qualitative research methodology represents ‘mixture of

the rational, serendipitous, and intuitive’. In such a case the data analysis totally relies on personal

experiences and understanding of the researchers. Moreover, the qualitative research work focuses on

“unfolding of social processes as compared to focusing on social structure” as focused by quantitative

researchers (Van Maanen, 1979). In addition, the qualitative and quantitative data can be

differentiated based on the method of data collection. The quantitative method of research is based on

numeric data, whereas, the qualitative data research is based on weights assigned to various traits of

organisational culture. The quantitative data can be collected through surveys, whereas, the qualitative



data can be collected through interviews, expert opinion or focus group (Hofstede, et al., 1990). Yauch

(2003) while referring to Morgan and Smircich (1980), notes that qualitative and quantitative methods

represent two different schools of thought on cultural measurement. Furthermore, Van Maanen (1979)

stated that the selection of research methodology will entirely depend on the researcher’s assumptions

and phenomena that are to be studied.

Greene, Caracelli, and Graham (1989) While discussing reasons for mix method cultural research as

referred by Yauch (2003) had identified three basic benefits for mixed method cultural research. Firstly

“Triangulation” can help to get better validity of captured data. Secondly, “complementarily”,

explanation of analysis results and thirdly “development” for further data collection guidance.

Yauch (2003) referring to Jick (1979) and Stake (2000), opines that mixed method research by using

qualitative and quantitative methods is adopted to achieve a multi-dimensional explanation of the

phenomena under study. Moreover, the mixed method research can give “unique variance” that might

not be possible through single method research (Sekaran, 1992).

Lim (1995) referring to Schein (1990) has proposed conceptualizations of organisational culture based

on two dimensions, for instance, ‘process oriented’ , ‘classification approaches’ and ‘process oriented’

approach. Sackman (1991) has suggested that qualitative approaches are handicapped as they requires

large number of studies to arrive on conclusions, which is more time and money consuming, therefore,

classification approach is more useful. Quantitative approach as compared to the qualitative approach

has a number of methods to measure organisational culture where a large set of data can be analysed at

a very low cost (Sackmann, 1991).

A survey provides a quantitative description of the sample being studied, through the data collection

process of posing questions (Hasson, Keeney, & McKenna, 2000). Jick (1979) stated that through the

quantitative data collected through the use of a questionnaire, the researcher will be able to generalise

the findings from the sample of responses to the population. According to Remenyi (1996) surveys offer

an opportunity to collect large quantities of data, which therefore can be used for statistical analysis

that is representative of the whole population. Calleja (2009) have the same opinion with the Remenyi

(1996) and adds that survey researchers sample a large number of respondents, as well as measures



variables, tests multiple hypotheses, and deduces information regarding the respondent’s attitudes,

behaviour and characteristics.

Collis and Hussey (2003) suggested that research methods refer to a range of tools by which the data is

collected, analysed and the data collection process explained. Based on the project scope as stated in

Section 1.3 in Chapter 1 and the proposition, a surveys approach was the most suitable method for this

project proposition so that large amounts of data could be collected in order to conduct statistical

procedures effectively (Remenyi, 1996). The survey method of data collection tests a sample of people

that are drawn from the population in order to make deductions about that population (Collis & Hussey,

2003). The survey was administered through the use of questionnaires over one month on site at the

DM main branch. The use of the surveys ensured that the questions were all the same and the contents

of the questionnaires were understood by all respondents present at the data collection sessions (Collis

& Hussey, 2003). The Data will be collected from DM’s four different departments, for example, CPD and

PFD are supporting departments and the DSD and GPD are execution departments. The Denison

Organisational Culture Model survey (DOCM) will be used to collect and analyse the data. There is

minimal chance of qualitative methods to be included in the analysis, which aims to find out if there

were any factors and issues that the literature does not address.

3.6.2 Sample

In order to achieve best results, the authors will desire to sample 100 % of the population of an

organisation at all tiers. However, this is not practicable due to paucity of time and resources. Therefore,

the compromise has to be made by trading off sample size of time. According to Black and Champion

(1976), the survey sample is a portion taken from a population, which represents trends found in a

population. Our research data will be collected based on close-ended questions survey (Denison, 1984).

As Roscoe (1975) stated that the sample sizes larger than 30 and less than 500 are appropriate for most

research”. Therefore, the research target to survey minimum 30 employees will help to formulate a

meaningful picture of DM organisational culture and subsequent conclusions. The DOCM survey will be

further discussed in the coming section 3.9.9 Furthermore, In order to ascertain the correct view of the

departments’ organisational culture, the collection of data is to be done from a sample of employees in

the target’s departments. Moreover, it would be difficult to obtain data from different departments

especially the financial data due to the sensitivity of information and financial performance disclosure



issues. Therefore, certain assumptions and limitations have been established for this research, as stated

earlier in section 1.5 and 1.6 of this report. This study assumes that the data reflect the view of the

whole organisational culture of the target’s departments. The literature review has pointed out that all

of the past research carried out to date is also to be treated as a sample, which suggests that this is an

acceptable method (Sekaran, 1992). In addition, for the collected data to be utilisable from an analysis

point of view, it should have the characteristics, for instance, type of projects, contract sum, date for

completion of projects and contract arrangements. The following figure represents the DM

Organisational Chart (Please refer to Appendix A for Full DM Organisational Chart). As it can be seen, the

four target departments spreads over three difference sector with DM structure. The significance of

such segregation will be highlighted in the next chapter o this report.

Figure 1: Dubai Municipality Organisational Chart



3.6.3 Analysis

The data in this research has been analysed by using a sample set of statistical methods, which may

include coefficient alpha, mean, standard deviation and linear regression. Having established the

statistics, the data will be compared and contrasted to show the results of the most suitable

organisational culture profile for DM in order to enhance its performance. In doing this, the data will be

sorted in a table presenting the characteristics discussed in section 3.6.2. Furthermore, once all the data

are transformed on the Excel spreadsheet, it will be organised so that it could be analysed and would be

a better representation of different types of Denison profile and project performance.

The quantitative data were analysed using Excel spreadsheets. Firstly, the information from all the

surveys was analysed statistically using descriptive analysis (Calleja, 2009). Descriptive statistics are used

to summarise a set of scores that are obtained from respondents and in order to illustrate basic patterns

in data (Harris, 1998). According to Harris (1998), the benefits of performing a descriptive analysis is

keeping the researchers focused on the data and enabling the researchers to understand the

distribution of each variable across the survey respondents. Descriptive statistics were used to

summarise the respondents' profile in terms of age, education level, year with DM and function. In

addition, it has been used to test the reliability of the data obtained from the DOCM.

In addition, simple tables and graphs were used to summarise, illustrate and understand the data in

order to make the results easy to illustrate as well as enabling the authors to get a basic idea of the

characteristics of the data (Sekaran, 1992). Furthermore, Sekaran (1992) suggested that the calculation

of the mean and standard deviations of the data can be used to develop descriptive analysis. He defines

the mean as the average that offers a general picture of the data without overwhelming the research

outcomes. Whereas, the standard deviation was used to measure the dispersion of the data, which

describes how the data are clustered around the mean.

The reliability and validity of research results are very important aspects to be considered when

evaluating a research instrument (Collis & Hussey, 2003). They are the statistical criteria used to assess

whether the research provides a good measure (Harris, 1998). He further defines reliability as the

degree to which an instrument’s measures are free from error, therefore yielding consistent results.

Research findings are reliable if they can be repeated (Collis & Hussey, 2003). There are three



fundamental methods that are accepted for estimating the reliability of responses of a measurement

scale: test-retest, split-halves method and internal consistency method (Collis & Hussey, 2003). The

reliability of the questionnaire used in this research was assessed through the use of Cronbach’s Alpha

or coefficient alpha. Cortina (1993) stated that the Cronbach’s Alpha measures the internal consistency

of the instrument, which refers to the degree to which the measuring instrument items are homogenous

and reflect identical underlying constructs. The Cronbach Alpha, once calculated, it will produce a value

that varies between 1 (representing perfect internal reliability) and 0 (representing no internal

consistency), with the values above 0.60 denotes a good level of internal reliability (Cortina, 1993).

Validity is the extent to which research findings accurately represent what is really happening in a

situation that is being researched, and therefore a test is valid if it measures what the researcher claims

it does (Collis & Hussey, 2003). Many studies conducted argue that it is possible for a research

instrument to have high reliability and low validity (Calleja, 2009), (Cortina, 1993) and (Collis & Hussey,

2003). There are a number of ways in which validity of a measurement can be assessed, with the

foremost ways being face validity and construct validity (Harris, 1998). The face validity of a measuring

instrument refers to the subjective agreement that the instrument logically appears to reflect accurately

what it purports to measure (Sekaran, 1992). On the other hand, construct validity confirms how well

the results obtained from the use of the measuring instrument fit the theory around which the test is

designed (Sekaran, 1992: 173).

However, the validity analysis will not be conducted for this research as one of the authors was always

present to assist respondents in completing the questionnaire as accurately as possible. The fact that

the research instrument used in this research had low validity is not necessarily problematic because, as

explained by Collis and Hussey (2003) in which they suggested that a research proposition focus on the

precision of measure and the ability to repeat the measure reliably and therefore there is always the

possibility that the instrument will have low validity. The results of the statistical analyses will be

discussed in detail in section 4 of this report.



3.7 Ethical Consideration

The ethical considerations for this research include:

The information provided by the organisations was kept strictly confidential and was not made

available to anyone other than the authors.

The author understood the importance of respecting the data collected from the organisations, and

endeavoured to protect the essence of the data, ensuring that no misrepresentation of data was

committed.

The organisations that contributed to the completion of this research will receive a copy of the

report.

3.8 Proposition Questions

The project report will investigate four proposition questions as Table 3 outlines.

Table 3: Relationship between organisational culture and success factors in Dubai Municipality

OC vs OE OC C vs OE OC

Is relatively high/low

combined levels of the four traits relate to

high/low-level performance?

Do any of the four traits considerably contribute

to success rate than others?

Is there any significant relationship between

success rate and the any profile of four traits

based on the Horizontal & vertical split of the Denison OC Model?

What is the ideal organisational

culture profile to enhance the DM

projects performance?

PQ1 PQ2 PQ3 PQ4



3.9 Denison Model

3.9.1 Overview

Denison and Neale (1994) suggest that in most cases methodology used for collection of data for

qualitative data analysis is based on; interviews, focus groups and seminars. The Data collected in any

form focuses on four main questions besides covering various aspects of performance criteria.

Denison (1984) proposed a multi dimensional cultural research model. Denison considered four key

traits of organisational performance that have influence on each other, which are the involvement,

consistency, adaptability, and mission (Denison, 1990b). The Denison Model (see Figure 2 below) similar

to the other models of organisational performance and effectiveness not only focuses on the

measurement of the independent performance traits, but also at the same time record ‘tensions /

contradictions’ that appears in the organisational measurement traits.

Figure 2: Denison Organisational Culture Model adopted from (Denison and Neale, 1996)



The Denison Model analyses the tension between stability and flexibility and at the same time internal

and external focus is also addressed. Each aspect of organisational culture considered in the Denison

model will be briefly discussed as follows:

3.9.2 Involvement

The literature suggests that high level of involvement within organisations is one of the factors that

contribute to organisational success. It creates a sense of ownership and belonging to the organisation,

which may transform into organisational commitment. As a result, it motivates the employees to take

action on their own as deemed necessary in the greater interest of the organisation (Coffey, 2005). ‘My

unit my home’ is a famous slogan by the military units in an attempt to display and enhance the sense of

ownership within the unit. This feeling generates a sense of pride in having relation with the unit / outfit

and makes them ready to undertake daring combat actions. In return, all members of the unit ensure

that their deeds result in the betterment of the unit. Moreover, Coffey (2009) elaborates that

involvement represents employee orientation, empowerment and capability development. In

organisations, where employees are involved in organisational affairs their effectiveness is far superior

as compared to other organisations. The notion of involvement has been further subdivided into three

traits, as follows:

Empowerment - Individuals have the authority, initiative, and ability to manage their own work. This creates a sense of ownership and responsibility to the organization.

Team Orientation - Value is placed on working cooperatively toward common goals for which all employees feel mutually accountable. The organization relies on team effort to get work done.

Capability Development - The organization continually invests in the development of employee’s skills in order to stay competitive and meet on-going business needs.

The trait of empowerment has been considered to ascertain the role of members in an organisation,

where they can have authority to manage and take initiative to do their work. Team orientation has a

vital role to play in the success of an organisation. All members join their capabilities towards

attainment of team goals and work in harmony with each other. Capability development is to analyse

organisational ability to develop its workforce to meet future challenges. This has a direct relationship

with external focus as an organisation will increase its workforce’s skill set in response to meet new

demands of the market.



3.9.3 Consistency

Denison (1996) while referring Scaffold (1988) notes that effective organisations are well integrated.

Coffey (Coffey, 2005) notes that notion of consistency and involvement are similar in nature as a

integrated and consistent organisation will be able to handle issues relating to democratic process based

decision making. Denison (1990) notes that the consistency theory is based on ‘conformity, consensus

and consistency’ this counters low participation and involvement by members of an organisation.

Furthermore, effective organisations keep its members on board while devising strategies for future

operations. These organisations implement strategies that have been evolved by the involvement of its

members. Organisations that are consistent in their operations endeavour to promote a common

understanding within an organisation to promote ‘governance’ based on consensus. The members of

these organisations out of their involvement and devotion to their organisation develop a set of ‘Do and

‘don’t’ that steers the organisation in the right direction. This promotes stability and integration

(Denison, 1990b). The three traits of consistency are ‘

Core Values - Members of the organization share a set of values which create a sense of identity and a clear set of expectations. Agreement - Members of the organization are able to reach agreement on critical issues. This includes both the underlying level of agreement and the ability to reconcile differences when they occur.

Coordination and Integration - Different functions and units of the organization are able to work together well to achieve common goals. Organizational boundaries do not interfere with getting work done.

Core values represent the values that have been adopted by the members of an organisation and create

a common sense of identity. The trait of agreement and coordination and integration reflects the ability

of employees of an organisation to solve their internal issues with consensus and work in harmony with

each other for the achievement of organisational goals.

3.9.4 Adaptability

Coffey (Coffey, 2005) while referring Starbuck (1971), notes that organisations that want to remain

viable and competitive have to continuously transform their business process to accommodate ever

changing requirements of the market and competitors. A common saying in Urdu language also



supports the concept of adaptability that “those trees that get more fruit tend to bend to adjust weight”.

It is evident from the example that trees are adapting to changing environments by bending to

accommodate the weight of fruit. ‘Organisations that do not change and evolve to meet the external

environments become history’. Coffey (Coffey, 2005) notes three distinct aspects of organisational

adaptability. In his opinion a successful organisation should be able to understand the demands of its

customers (internal / external), competitors and market. The adaptability quadrant is divided into three

aspects, which are:

Creating Change - The organization is able to create adaptive ways to meet changing needs. It is able to read the business environment, react quickly to current trends, and anticipate future changes.

Customer Focus - The organization understands and reacts to their customers and anticipates their future needs. It reflects the degree to which the organization is driven by a concern to satisfy their customers.

Organizational Learning - The organization receives, translates, and interprets signals from the environment into opportunities for encouraging innovation, gaining knowledge, and developing capabilities.

Creating change reflects an organisational ability to identify changing demands of its external

environments that include internal and external customers, market, technological trends and

competitors. Thereafter, implement change management process to achieve external and internal

demands. Customer focus reflects an organisational ability to identify the demands of its customers and

incorporate them into their business plan. Organisational learning reflects an organisation’s ability to

learn from its experiences and improve its function / capabilities with help of these learning’s.

3.9.5 Mission

Organisations, which have been effective and successful, have clearly identified their aim, objectives and

goals that are necessary to be achieved for attainment of their mission. A strategic direction is very

important for an organisation as it sets a path for all efforts that have to be undertaken by the

organisation and its members (Denison, 1990b). The mission is a combination of tactical and strategic

directions. Strategic direction indicates futuristic plans of an organisation where as tactical plans are

drawn to deal with issues of a minor nature, while staying within strategic boundaries. Furthermore,

Denison (1995) opines that the mission directs an organisation to reshape its culture to meet future



requirements. Leadership has a key role in transforming an organisation as the mission defined by

leadership sets goal and objective for an organisation. The correct mission definition will set achievable

goals. Thus, enhances effectiveness of an organisation. The mission is further separated into three

different viewpoints, which are:

Strategic Direction and Intent - Clear strategic intentions convey the organization’s purpose and make it clear how everyone can contribute and “make their mark” on the industry.

Goals and Objectives - A clear set of goals and objectives can be linked to the mission, vision, and strategy, and provide everyone with a clear direction in their work.

Vision - The organization has a shared view of a desired future state. It embodies the core values and captures the hearts and minds of the organization’s people, while providing guidance and direction.

The strategic direction and organisational intent represent the big picture that the organisation has to

follow in order to achieve its goal and objectives. It steers the organisation in the right direction and set

unidirectional destination for members of the organisation. Goals and objectives are set to achieve the

overall mission of an organisation.

3.9.6 Internal / External Focus

The profile splits horizontally to distinguish between an external focus (top half) and an internal focus

(bottom half). The involvement and consistency address the internal dynamics of an organization, but

do not address the interaction of the organization with the external environment (Denison & Neale,

1994). The adaptability and mission, in contrast, make their focus the relationship between the

organization and the external environment (Denison, 1990).

3.9.7 Stability / Flexibility

The profile splits vertically to distinguish between a flexible organization (left half) and a stable

organization (right half). The involvement and adaptability emphasize an organization's capacity for

flexibility and change. In contrast, consistency and mission emphasize the organization's capacity for

stability and direction. A system oriented toward adaptability and involvement will introduce more

variety, more input, and more possible solutions to a given situation than a system oriented toward a



high level of consistency and a strong sense of mission (Denison & Neale, 1994). In contrast, a bias

towards consistency and mission is more likely to reduce the variety and place a higher emphasis on

control and stability (Denison, 1990).

3.9.8 Contradiction

Denison and Neale (1994) stated that each of the four traits in the model have a positive impact on

performance, some of the traits, at least on the surface, may appear to contradict others (Denison and

Neale, 1996). For example, highly consistent cultures may become inbred, and may be the most difficult

to change. In contrast, highly adaptive cultures may have difficulty in achieving the highest rates of

efficiency or shared sense of purpose often found in cultures that are well integrated. In a similar sense,

the traits of mission and involvement may also seem contradictory. For example, the direction

established by an organisational mission may limit the involvement of some of the organization's

members (Denison & Neale, 1994). As many organizations have discovered, simply declaring a new

organizational mission does not necessarily imply the support and commitment of the organization's

members, in contrast, high involvement among an organization's members does not necessarily imply a

clear sense of direction and purpose (Denison & Neale, 1994).

3.9.9 Questionnaire

In order to achieve the best results, the authors aimed to sample 100 % population of an organisation at

all tiers, however, this is not possible due to paucity of time and resources. Therefore one has to

compromise by trading off sample size. According to Black and Champion (1976), the survey sample is a

portion taken from a population, which represents trends found in a population. Our research data will

be collected based on a close-ended questionnaire survey. As Roscoe (1975) states “sample sizes larger

than 30 and less than 500 are appropriate for most research”. Therefore, our target to survey minimum

30 employees will help to formulate a meaningful picture of DM organisational culture and subsequent

conclusions. Research will be based on quantitative data collected through Denison organisational

cultural survey. The questionnaire consists of four parts and a total of 60 close ended questions that

demand response regarding various facets of organisational culture and performance. Though, at times

close-ended questionnaire tend to be biased. However, in this situation employees are asked to grade

from 1-6). Cohen (1989) defines a questionnaire as “a self-report instrument used for gathering

information about variables of interest to an investigation”. Each question has six different options;



where 1 is lowest and 6 highest. These responses will be logged into a computer to see cultural spread.

The four departments of DM will be surveyed to ascertain its culture and its relationship with

organisational performance. The financial performance of DM will be analysed by comparing its budget

and actual cost of projects. This will help to ascertain the performance of various departments.

3.10 Summary

This chapter has detailed the research methodology and outlined the importance of the research

proposition, the influence of the researchers. Furthermore, it has examined comprehensively the

process of data collection, characteristic of the sample and the analytical tool that applied in order to

enable the authors to analysis the outcomes of the DOCM survey. It also has clearly and concisely

described the dimensions of the DOCM.



4 Chapter –Discussion & Results

4.1 Chapter introduction

The purpose of this section is to discuss the DM organisational culture data collected using the DOCM.

This includes a sample characteristic such as gender, age, education level and years in the organisation.

In addition, this chapter will discuss the DM organisational culture profile for it different department as

well as comparing culture with performance.

4.2 Statistical Descriptive Analysis

4.2.1 Research Population

The research described in this report was carried out in four departments within DM, which has a total

of 33 departments. The main target groups within the research population were senior executives,

middle managers and contract managers, technical staff and admin staff who are direct employees of

DM. The target groups have been educated to senior certificate, bachelor or / and master’s degree

levels or above. Based on the analysis of the returned questionnaires (100 out of 150 distributed

questionnaires – 67% return rate) was used as the basis for data collection for this proposition. Around

78% of the respondents had the desired managerial level and educational profile in order to eliminate

possible ‘noise’ factors that could affect the accuracy of this proposition. In addition, the sample has

different ethical and geographical background, which mainly includes Middle Eastern, European, Asian

and American.



4.2.2 Gender Profile

Figure 3: DM Gender Profile

The above Figure above represents the percentage of males and females within the surveyed

departments. It is important to provide an insight of the above ratio in order to show its effect on the

organisational culture profile of the above department. Furthermore, 58% of the sample is females

which are likely to perceive organisational culture and performance differently than their male

counterpart (Hardin & Greer, 2009). The technical departments such as GPD and DSD have relatively

balanced gender staff mix, whereas, 60% of the CPD and PFD staff members are females.

10 9 12 11

42

15 16 13 14

58

0

20

40

60

CPD PFD GPD DSD TOTAL

PER

CEN

ATG

E

DEPARTMENTS

MALE FEMALE



4.2.3 Age Profile

Figure 4: DM Age Profile

Figure 4 shows the sample age groups. As it can be seen, 65% of the sample is under the age of 40 years.

This is likely to influence the organisational culture and create a shift towards a more open and

transparent culture. In addition, 38% of the sample is under the age of 29 years. This suggests the

generation of a new culture within the overall DM current culture, which may affect the organisation

overall performance.

38

27

22

13

0

10

20

30

40

20-29 YRS 30-39 YRS 40-49 YRS 50+ YRS

PER

CEN

TAG

E

AGE GROUP



4.2.4 Education Level Profile

The following figure (refer figure 5 below) shows the educational level for target departments within DM.

78% of the surveyed population possesses a higher education degree. Furthermore, 47% of respondents

have a graduate degree compared to 25% post graduate degree. Only 28% of respondents have senior

or diploma certificate. The organisational culture results may be relatively affected by the education

level of the respondents in the different departments’ (Dension & Neale 1996).

Figure 5: DM Educational Level Profile

3

12

4

9

28

17

9 11

10

47

5 4

10

6

25

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

CPD PFD GPD DSD TOTAL

PER

CEN

TAG

E

DEPARTMENTS

HIGH SCH. / DIPLOMA GRADUATE PSOT GRADUATE



4.2.5 Years with Organisation Profile

Figure 6 shows the sample year of services in DM. The respondents’ years of services with DM are

important in order to create, adapt and maintain the culture of DM (Fey & Denison, 2003). The data

show that three quarters of the respondents served at least 6-10 years in DM. This may suggest that DM

has strong cultural of norms and artefacts developed and maintained by this group. However, there is

potential of weak culture transfer to the new employees, which make up a quarter of the respondent

due to the absence of induction progress for new joiners (Syed Omar Shanifuddin & Rowland, 2004). In

addition, 16% of the respondents serving more the 15 years with DM and 34% between 11-15 years.

This data also suggest a shift towards a new organisational culture rather than holding back to the

original culture created and maintained by the first generation employees of DM. Another important

aspect that could be the knowledge transfer within DM is likely to be affected due to 50% of its staff

serving less than 10 years. As a result, new culture could be formed.

Figure 6: Population Year of Service in DM



4.2.6 Sample Function Profile

The below figure (refer figure 7 below) demonstrates the functional category of respondents. As it can

be seen, the majority of the respondents fall under the technical category such as engineering and

quantity surveying. This may influence the results of the DOCM survey as this category tend to have low

understanding of the organisation culture and are likely to work in solo (Anderson, Spataro, & Flynn,

2008). Igo and Skitmore (2006) found that technical staff has employee focused culture, which indicates

a misalignment between what employees thought was needed and what was perceived to exist. This

finding is considered to identify the detrimental effect of task-oriented culture, and the supporting role

of employee focused cultures, in achieving construction project quality outcomes. In addition, many

studies suggest the engineering profession is more likely to be introverted compared to other

professions (Tieger & Barron-Tieger, 1997). Therefore, it is likely for two cultures to exist in one

department due to the high ratio of technical staff compare to other categories such and admin and

senior management. The effect of subculture within one department will be further discussed in the

later section of this report.

Figure 7: Population Function in DM



4.3 Data Reliability

Table 4 presents the results for DOCM survey data reliability. It also includes the means, standard

deviations, and internal consistency estimates for the culture items and indexes examined using in this

study.

Table 4: DM Denison organisational Culture Survey Data Validity

As shown in Table 4, coefficient alphas for the four dimensions, this ranges from 0.70 to 0.94 indicating

an acceptable level of internal consistency (Cortina, 1993). Nonetheless, this negatively-worded indices

(highlighted) from the above table are still retained in the rest of the analysis because the alpha

coefficient for the dimension itself still reaches an acceptable level of 0.70 and above (Cortina, 1993).



4.4 DM Organisational Culture Profiles

4.4.1 General Projects Departments

The figure below (refer figure 8 below) represents the DOC profile for the GPD. As it can be seen, the

department is in the third quartile in the 12 indices. Furthermore, the GPD has strongest results in

organisational learning, goals and objectives, vision, core values and empowerment. This could be a

result of the construction boom in Dubai from 2006 to 2008, which put a pressure in the GPD to deliver

high profile projects (Krane, 2009). The indices core values, empowerment and goals and objectives had

the highest averages (4.04, 3.90 & 3.89 respectively). Whereas, customer focus, coordination and

integration and agreement had the lowest average score (3.33, 3.42 & 3.52 respectively).

Figure 8: DM – General Project Department DOC Profile

The internal focus score (7.38) is slightly higher than the external focus (7.37). This could be a result of

the fact GPD projects are driven by internal demand rather than a request from its external stakeholders

such as Dubai police.



The GPD tends to be less flexible in that sense, where the score was 7.46 for stability and 7.29 for

flexibility. In addition, while research shows that the four traits in the model each has a positive impact

on performance, some of the traits, at least on the surface, may appear to contradict others (Denison &

Neale, 1994). For Example, GPD consistency quartile score (3.66) was higher that the adaptability

quartile (3.57), which strongly agree the GPD culture being consistent and stable. However, this is likely

to impact the department's ability to meet the changing surrounding environment of its stakeholders

and market conditions. On the other hand, the contradiction between mission and involvement is

another area, which the GPD seem to have low involvement for its employees and decisions are made at

the top (Hofstede, 1980). As a result, GPD tend to satisfy internal customer / stakeholders rather than

meet the demands of its external stakeholders. These results are supported by Hofstede (1980) in which

he suggested that unequal distribution of power, which is likely to lead subordinate to satisfy the higher

management in order to avoid discomfort at the workplace.

4.4.2 Drainage & Sewage Departments

The DSD has the strongest DOCM profile (refer to figure 9 next page). The Team orientation, goals and

objectives and vision score the highest mean in the 12 traits for the DSD department (4.17, 4.15 & 4.14

respectively). The lowest three traits for DSD were agreement, coordination and integration and

customer focus (3.72, 3.79 & 3.82 respectively). Furthermore, the DSD was more externally focused

(8.08) rather than the internal (7.89). It also had higher scores for flexibility (7.99) compared to stability

(7.98). The above mentioned results suggest that DSD tends to meet and satisfy its external stakeholders

rather than its internal stakeholders, who are the other internal departments within DM. These results

to a certain extent are true as most of DSD customers are the local people and businesses in Dubai in

which some has high profile figures that the DSD department is likely to avoid to discomfort (Hofstede,

1980).



Figure 9: DM – Drainage & Sewage Department DOC Profile

In addition, it seems that the trend of satisfying its external stakeholders agrees with the flex/stable

concept in the DSD profile. For example, the mean for adaptability (3.98) and mission (4.10) are higher

than internal consistency (3.88) and involvement (4.01). On the other hand, there are several

contradictions with the DSD profile. For instance, the mission trait mean score (4.10) is greater than the

involvement trait (4.01), which suggest that the decision making process lies with the senior

management and is not shared with the subordinate employees. This is normal practice within

government organisations where the decisions are likely to be imposed on rather than shared with

employees (Lam, 2007). Furthermore, the adaptability score (3.98) is also greater than the consistency

(3.88), which may suggest inefficiency within DSD and is likely to affect their project performance.



4.4.3 Contracts & Purchasing Departments

The Contracts and Purchasing Department (CPD) has the second highest score in the four target groups.

The three traits with the highest mean scores were empowerment, core values and organisational

learning (4.00, 3.94 & 3.99 respectively) (refer figure 10 below).

Figure 10: DM – Contract & Purchasing Department DOCM Profile

Furthermore, the CPD was more towards an internal focus and stability (7.50 & 7.49) rather than

external focus and flexibility (7.43 & 7.44). This could be due to the role of CPD with the organisational

chart of DM in which CPD primary role to serve the other department such as GPD and DSD in term of

contracts and procurement support. In addition, these results also support the contradiction tension

explained by Denison (Denison, 1990). For example, the mean score for the mission (3.82) was high in

comparison to the involvement (3.83). Furthermore, the CPD consistency quartile mean score (3.67) was

greater than the adaptability quartile mean score (3.61), which agree with the DOCM for CPD being

stable. As a result, CPD may lack the necessary adaptability in order to meet the external market and

stakeholders’ requirements, which may have an impact on the executing department performance, for

instance, DSD and GDP.



4.4.4 Projects Finance Departments

The Project Finance Department (PFD) had the lowest scores for the DOCM compare to other

departments, where the mean for the four traits range from 3.21 to 3.33 (refer figure 11 below). The

highest mean scores for top three traits were vision, team orientation and organisational learning (3.40,

3.41 & 3.43 respectively). The lowest mean score for the bottom three traits were agreement, strategic

direction and intent and coordination and integration (3.08, 3.18 & 3.18respectively).

Figure 11: DM – Project Finance Department DOC Profile

Moreover, the PFD had higher internal focus and stability scores (7.50 & 7.49) in contrast to the external

focus and flexibility (7.43 & 7.44). Similar to the CPD circumstances, the PFD was focused on its internal

stakeholders and internal pressure rather than growing more flexibility to meet the changing financial

requirement in Dubai during the boom time. The internal focus on the internal stakeholders may impact

the project performance and indirectly the executing departments. In addition, the consistency score

(3.67) was greater than the adaptability score (3.61), which is justifiable due to the nature of the

accounting environment of high efficiency and repetitive tasks. On the other hand, mission and

involvement scores were equal.



4.5 Project Performance

4.5.1 Brief

This section of the report will provide details on DSD and GPD project performance in terms of time and

budget. In general, the “DS” and “IR” project code reference to DSD project. On other hand, “PJ” project

code references to GPD projects. The DSD has 5 projects, whereas the GPD has 14 projects. The

researcher neutralised the variations, extension of time and other claims from the performance data in

order to accurately assess the department's performance.

4.5.2 Time Performance

The below figure (refer figure 12 below) shows DM project performance in terms of a number of

projects completed on time. It is clearly evident that more the 85% of DM projects completed behind

schedule. There are number of reasons for such a result, for example, change order during construction

period and lack of stakeholders’ management. In addition, DSD relatively performed better than the

GPD in terms of timely project delivery. The GPD has 50% (7 out of 14) of its projects delivered

significantly behind time, whereas, DSD has relatively low delays on their projects (not exceeding 15% of

project duration).



Figure 12: DM Projects Time Performance

4.5.3 Budget Performance

Figure 13 below demonstrates DM final contract value compared to the approved contract value

performance. The GPD and the DSD generally completed their contracts on the approved budget.

However, there is quite a significant variation between the approved contract value and the final

contract value. This could be due to scope creep, projects delays and claims.

Figure 13: DM Projects Contract Value Performance



4.6 DM Departments Profiles Vs Performance

The above sections 4.4 and 4.5 described the DM departments’ organisational culture and project

performance in terms of time and budget. This section will discuss the relationship between the culture

and performance as suggested in section 3.8 of this report. This section will not discuss the PFD and CPD

as they are supporting departments rather than executing ones. However, it will discuss their influence

on the DSD and GPD performance.

The overall organisational culture for the four target departments was relatively strong. However, the

projects performances were relatively poor. The projects were delivered over time and budget. This is

not directly a product of weak or strong organisational culture rather than the differences in culture

between these four departments (Denison & Mishra, 1995). For example, the DOCM result for the DSD

suggests that the department is more externally focused and flexible to the market conditions and

stakeholder expectations. On the other hand, the support departments, CPD and PFD, were on the

opposite side seeking internal focus and stability. The contradiction of approach and direction between

the executing and support department is likely to impact upon the project’s performance and also the

bottom line of the overall organisation (Dension & Smerek, 2007).

Furthermore, the departments’ different missions are likely to affect the project performance (Yilmaz &

Ergun, 2008). For instance, one of the missions of the DSD department is to connect 90% of Dubai

communities to a drainage and sewage network. Whereas, one of the PFD’s missions was to reduce

expenditure by 5% each financial year. In addition, the CPD also had a similar mission to the PFD in

terms of reduce contract sum awarded and reduce overall expenditure. This clearly can be seen from

figure 13 were majority of the DSD and GPD contracts were finalised under budget. In addition, the

current DM organisational chart, refer to figure 1 and Appendix A, does not support smooth integration

and cohesive cultural development in which the different sectors have diverse strategic direction and

vision that is not likely to be similar to the other sectors (Kowalczyk & Pawlish, 2002). As a result, the

misalignment of business strategy may contribute to the development of different cultures within the

DM department, which impact on the performance of the departments. Furthermore, the organisational

culture contradictions between consistency / adaptability and mission / involvement within the four

departments suggested sort of rigidity that is likely not be in favour of good organisational performance.



4.7 The Ideal DOCM FOR DM Departments

The findings of the earlier sections strongly suggest the need to create a unified organisational culture in

order to enhance the DM performance. Many studies based on organisational culture suggest a strong

correlation between culture and effectiveness (Denison & Mishra, 1995). Furthermore, the need to

realign business strategy and restructure the organisational chart in order to gather similar departments

in terms business environment is likely to deliver better results (Yilmaz & Ergun, 2008).

Yilmaz and Ergun (Yilmaz & Ergun, 2008) stated that a balanced combination of mission, consistency,

involvement and adaptability is likely to produce better organisational performance in comparison to

imbalanced combination. In addition, the DOMCS for DM agree with the Yilmaz and Ergun that on the

importance of the mission traits in terms of promoting the general organisation performance, which is

clearly evident in the DM. For example, the different missions for the departments and sectors may

contribute to low or high performance. In addition, while imbalanced combinations of certain pairs of

cultural traits exert the expected negative effects on performance indicators, others seem to have

positive effects.

4.8 Summary

This chapter has detailed the specific data and results obtained from the application of the Denison

Organisational Culture Model Survey (DOCMS) and have then described the findings from these results

relevant to the research proposition questions. It also has provided a comparison between the result of

DM organisational culture and the project performance related to the concerned departments. In

addition, the report described the relation between culture and performance within the DM

environment.



5 Chapter – Conclusion & Recommendations

5.1 Conclusion

This report aim to investigate the organisational culture and performance of DM. Dubai is one of the

fastest growing cities and has multi-culture population. DM plays a key role in the development of the

city, which raises a question how DM can deliver such successful projects and manage the fast growth of

Dubai. The report test the proposition of how strong DM culture and how it affects the DM’s projects

performance.

A great number of literature suggested that a strong correlation between culture and performance

exists. This has been historically proven as the performance of Japanese companies forced the

researchers to explore and implement the unknown Ginni of organisational culture in America and get

benefit from its vistas. This was the reason that studies relating to organisational culture, performance

enhancement and measurement were carried out at a much greater speed than were done in the past.

Moreover, the division between climate and culture has created two distinct schools of thought that

strongly advocate their own opinion. However, recently a number of researchers have also supported

mixed types of organisational performance and effectiveness measurement that incorporates culture

and climate both. This will give a holistic picture of what truly happens in an organisational workplace.

The climate may be representing the feelings of members within an organisation, in contrast, the culture

covers the complete picture of the organisation’s workplace. Thus a combination of culture and climate

can yield greater benefits. However, this research was conducted based on single DOCM that relied on a

survey of organisational culture through the questionnaire based survey.

The research data was based on quantitative analysis, which utilized the Denison Model (Denison and

Neale 1994) in order to develop the four departments’ organisational culture profiles. The research

findings were significant, which found that the majority of the sample were females, possessed at least

graduate certificate and aged between 20-35 years. Furthermore, the four surveyed departments had

relatively strong culture, however, majority of DM projects were delivered behind schedule and over

allocated budget. In addition, it was found that the mission traits were the most significant in the four

development traits and also suggested a conflict in the performance of all four departments.



From the research analysis both the propositions were validated. It is proved that DM has a culture that

has its influence on DM’s performance and being a superior culture it has left positive effects on the

performance of its members. This is the reason that despite not performing well on certain projects DM

has still achieved good overall organisational cultures.

5.2 Recommendations

Based on the discussion and the findings of this report, the following recommendations can be made for

DM’s consideration:

Develop a master stakeholders’ management plan that addresses internal and external

stakeholders. The organisational culture and performance results clearly identify the lack of such

plan, which is likely to impact the performance of departments. Absence of such a plan will

hinder DM’s ability to undertake projects that have multiple stakeholders with diverse interests.

Create a unified organizational culture for departments with similar working environments in

order to avoid conflicts of interest and mission.

Conduct workshops such as RACI, team building and ladder of interference, which address the

different cultures within DM. Moreover, advise departments on ways to work around the

diversity of organisational culture so that the overall objective of the whole DM is achieved.

Initiate organisational chart re-restructuring in order to make better use of internal resources

and expertise. Moreover, align sectors and departments objectives with overall DM objectives.

This initiative is likely to reduce overlapping processes and eliminate conflict missions and

interests.


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APPENDIX A

DUBAI MUNICIPALITY ORGANISATIONAL CHART





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