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A Soft Organizational Culture and its Impact on Performance Management - the Case of a Unique Consultancy

Kettemer, Lukas LU and Schramme, Niklas LU (2017) BUSN49 20171
Department of Business Administration
Abstract
We conducted a qualitative study in the consultancy SoftConsulting and took an interpretative and critical perspective to analyze our findings. The main purpose of this thesis is to develop a more nuanced understanding of consultancies in terms of organizational culture and of consultants’ identity and motivation. Further, to find out how organizational culture and performance management systems interrelate. We provide a case study of a big consultancy firm. Our empirical data was collected through interviews with HR personnel and consultants and interpreted with an hermeneutical approach. The culture at SoftConsulting seems to be noticeably different from the traditional view on consultancies, distinctly softer. This becomes apparent in a... (More)
We conducted a qualitative study in the consultancy SoftConsulting and took an interpretative and critical perspective to analyze our findings. The main purpose of this thesis is to develop a more nuanced understanding of consultancies in terms of organizational culture and of consultants’ identity and motivation. Further, to find out how organizational culture and performance management systems interrelate. We provide a case study of a big consultancy firm. Our empirical data was collected through interviews with HR personnel and consultants and interpreted with an hermeneutical approach. The culture at SoftConsulting seems to be noticeably different from the traditional view on consultancies, distinctly softer. This becomes apparent in a positive, helpful atmosphere without competition as well as in the self-perception and motivation of consultants. The consultant's identity is rather based on being decent persons than on being a superior elite. The motivation of consultants is based on internal values and social factors rather than on external incentives. The performance management, managerial practices such as feedback and the attitudes of senior management contrast this soft culture and rather fit to the classic tough understanding of consultancies. We name this phenomenon, when organizational systems and practices clash with the organizational culture lived and proclaimed by employees „cultural antagonism“. (Less)
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author
Kettemer, Lukas LU and Schramme, Niklas LU
supervisor
organization
course
BUSN49 20171
year
type
H1 - Master's Degree (One Year)
subject
keywords
Organizational Culture, Consultancies, Consultants, Performance Management, Identity, Employee Motivation, Interactive Motivation, Work-life-balance, Modern Working Life, Cultural Antagonism
language
English
id
8913227
date added to LUP
2017-06-12 12:09:23
date last changed
2017-06-12 12:09:23
@misc{8913227,
  abstract     = {{We conducted a qualitative study in the consultancy SoftConsulting and took an interpretative and critical perspective to analyze our findings. The main purpose of this thesis is to develop a more nuanced understanding of consultancies in terms of organizational culture and of consultants’ identity and motivation. Further, to find out how organizational culture and performance management systems interrelate. We provide a case study of a big consultancy firm. Our empirical data was collected through interviews with HR personnel and consultants and interpreted with an hermeneutical approach. The culture at SoftConsulting seems to be noticeably different from the traditional view on consultancies, distinctly softer. This becomes apparent in a positive, helpful atmosphere without competition as well as in the self-perception and motivation of consultants. The consultant's identity is rather based on being decent persons than on being a superior elite. The motivation of consultants is based on internal values and social factors rather than on external incentives. The performance management, managerial practices such as feedback and the attitudes of senior management contrast this soft culture and rather fit to the classic tough understanding of consultancies. We name this phenomenon, when organizational systems and practices clash with the organizational culture lived and proclaimed by employees „cultural antagonism“.}},
  author       = {{Kettemer, Lukas and Schramme, Niklas}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{A Soft Organizational Culture and its Impact on Performance Management - the Case of a Unique Consultancy}},
  year         = {{2017}},
}