| The subject of this dissertation is the study of organizational culture of the Makkah municipality in the context of the Saudi Society. Organizational culture focuses on the shared beliefs, values, and expectations which guide the behavior of members of an organization. These beliefs, values, and expectations form the culture of that organization, and thus impact on most aspects of organizational life (e.g., communication, decision-making, etc.).The societal culture exerts both obvious and subtle effects on any organization residing and functioning within it. Therefore, an understanding of the Saudi societal culture is a prerequisite for being able to understand any organization within Saudi Arabia, and is essential to achieving insights into the culture of the Makkah municipality. Chapters 3 through 7 contain information regarding some of the more important aspects of the Saudi society.Chapters 8 through 10 narrow the focus of the study to a concentration on the organizational culture of the Makkah municipality. A multifaceted approach was deemed necessary to permit the study of the Municipality's organizational culture holistically, allowing for the description and analysis of as many aspects of this culture as possible. Harrison's questionnaire for determining what type of culture exists in an organization (power, role, achievement, or support) was employed, and analysis of the data it produced confirmed that the dominant culture at the Municipality is the power culture. The authoritarian management style--with authority and decision-making concentrated in the hands of the mayor--that was revealed by the majority of responses to the questionnaire served to confirm this conclusion. Further analysis of the formal and informal structure of the Municipality revealed it to be hierarchically organized, with much importance given to one's position and the authority, status, and prestige associated with that position.Evidence that the Municipality is a microcosm of the larger Saudi society was seen in many aspects of Municipality life, including the nepotism and exchanging of courtesies, the presence of influential interest groups, the problems experienced by street-level bureaucrats, the persuasiveness of Islam and its rituals in daily life, and the fatalistic attitudes of the employees. Chapter 11 summarizes the conclusions derived through use of the multifaceted approach. |
