ENCM610: CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT

DETERMENATION OF ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE IN CONSTRUCTION

COMPANIES (STUDY CASE IN PT. RODA TEKNIK PURAJAYA)
Annisa Fitria Edriani (54674984)

INTRODUCTION
According to Schein (2004):
Culture can be defined as a pattern of shared basic assumptions that was learned by
a group as it solved its problem of external adaptation and internal integration, that
has 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.
(p.17)
An organisations culture determines how decisions are made, how resources are used and the
approach towards external environment (Harrison, 1972). Finding the right balance between
the two leads to satisfaction at work (Handy, 1977). A case study has been conducted by using
Handy (1977) questionnaire complied by Dr. Roger Harrison which identified four culture
known as power culture, role culture, task culture, and person culture. The result will indicate
the culture of an organization, both existing culture and the culture preferred by the members
of the organization.

DATA COLLECTION
A questionnaire survey has been conducted at PT. Roda Teknik Purajaya which is a local
contractor in Bengkulu, Indonesia. Thirty questionnaires had been given out to the workers of
the company from various departments and fifteen was used as the sample in this survey. The
company has 150 employees in total and is one of the largest contractors in Bengkulu. The
company is a road and construction contractor that was built at 1985 and the current CEO of
the company is the son of the original founder.

DATA ANALYSIS
The questionnaire result data is then processed to get average score of the organisation. The
data were processed according to Harrison and Stokes' guidance in their instrument Diagnosing
Organizational Culture (1992). The results of data analysis are shown in Table 1:
Table 1. The Organisations Average Score
Power Culture Role Culture Task Culture Person Culture
Preferred 49 38 23 40
Existing 26 24 48 52

DISCUSSION
The results show that the existing culture in PT. Roda Teknik Purajaya is the role culture with
a score of twenty-four and closely followed by power culture with score twenty-six. According
to Handy (1977) larger organisations tend to adapt the role culture and employees see this
culture as efficient but often authoritarian. Harrison and Stokes (1992) states that power and
role-oriented culture is more often found in Asian countries and less in English-speaking
countries. English-speaking countries tend to have less respect of power were as Asian societies
tend to have acceptance of higher positions and prerogatives. As the score of the role and power
culture is very close it can be assumed that culture of this organisation in a mixture of both.
While decisions are made mostly as rationally and orderly as possible, the influence of
hierocracy still exists (Harrison, 1972). The layout of the office also supports the result of the
survey.

Figure 1. Division of Geotechnics at PT. Roda Teknik Purajaya

Each function is seated together is one room with the manager seated close by. Figure 1 shows
the geotechnics division. When a project comes, the geotechnics manager will describe what
to do and the team will work according to the manager's instructions. They will do all the
geotechnical work at the office and focus only on geotechnics. The managers role is very vital
and subordinates interaction with other divisions is very rare even though they do the same
project. Interaction and coordination mostly occur at the manager level. Adaption of the role
culture in PT. Roda Teknik Purajaya can also be seen in the following features: each individual
has specific job description with minimal opportunity to explore other than their job
description, decisions are made by the person with the responsibility, and responsibility
position are clearly defined. Disadvantages of role culture are: subordinated are required to
obey the rules even if it is against their personal will, the disobedient of a superior or accepted
procedures is not tolerated in the organization, rigid and formal definition of job description
limits the opportunity of people to do things that they desire or interested and will eventually
make employees give up attempts to make improvements.

For the preferred culture result, the workers of PT. Roda Teknik Purajaya preferred to work in
a task culture. This is the opposite of the existing culture which is role and power culture.
People in the organisation preferred a culture where authority, roles, rules, and regulations are
more flexible (Harrison, 1972). This indicates that the organisation is often rigid in regulations
and decision making process. Task culture will provide more opportunities for individuals to
interact with other department members. Individuals will be grouped with various fields to
complete a specific task. When the work is completed, the group will be dissolved and a new
group will be formed to complete the next work. Thus, the individual can work with different
people and the working atmosphere is more dynamic.

CONCLUSION
This survey was conducted to compare the existing culture with the preferred culture at PT.
Roda Teknik Purajaya using the questionnaire of Handy (1972). Results showed that the
existing culture was role culture and the preferred culture was task culture. This study has
revealed valuable information that can be used to also see the level of satisfaction of the people
within the organisation. Understanding that culture can be very helpful for the company in
creating the best satisfaction for their employees. With high satisfaction from their work
environment, employees are entitled to work more productively. Finding the right balance
between the existing culture and the preferred culture will take some effort for the company.
The best interest in employees preference must be adapted without sacrificing the work rhythm
of the company. In conclusion, studying culture is important for organisations that want to give
the best to their employees in order to receive the best from them.
REFERENCES
Cacciattolo, K. (2014). Understanding Organisational Cultures. European Scientific Journal.
2 (special edition). 1. http://eujournal.org/index.php/esj/article/view/4782/4596
Handy, C. (1977). Understanding Organizations. Middlesex, England: Penguin Books Ltd
Harrison, R. (1972). Understanding your Organizations Character. Harvard Business Review.
50(3), 119
Harrison, R. & Herb, S. (1992). Diagnosing Organizational Culture. San Francisco, CA:
Jossey-Bass
Schein, E.H, (2004). Organizational Culture and Leadership. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass
Silva, M. & Gomes, C. (2015). Practices in Project Management According To Charles
Handys Organizational Culture Typologies. Procedia Computer Science. 55. 678
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2015.07.074