Organizational Culture in the Study of Higher Education

Several authors have recently popularized organizational culture—the values, beliefs, and ideologies of an organization. While perhaps difficult to define and measure, organizational culture is useful in the study of higher education. This paper defines the concept, explores why it is relevant to higher education, and then describes possible approaches and techniques for uncovering organizational culture on a college or university campus. Examples of organizational culture at work demonstrate its value. This paper encourages other researchers to apply the concepts of organizational culture in their study of higher education.