Does Leadership Influence Organisational Culture: A Case Study.

Murphy, Siobhán (2006) Does Leadership Influence Organisational Culture: A Case Study. Masters thesis, Dublin, National College of Ireland.

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Abstract

This thesis is entitled "Does Leadership Influence Organisational Culture: A Case Study". The main objective of this dissertation it to attempt to prove the hypotheses referred to in the title - does leadership influence organisational culture?

The research takes the approach of a case study, based on the organisation in which the researcher is employed. The organisation in question is a family owned retail business with eleven department stores throughout Ireland which has been trading for over one hundred years.

The researcher chose this area of study as she believes culture plays a huge part in the running of the organisation; both positive and negative. However the literature and existing research does not give a clear understanding about how a leader can alter the culture, or indeed if this is even possible. As a result, the researcher attempted to establish whether a leader can influence culture.

The methodology used to achieve the objective was a combination of examining the secondary data available on both leadership and culture, then researching the leadership and culture in the organisation. The main research methodology chosen was a case study approach and the process was qualitative and the logic was inductive.

The main findings from the secondary data were many and varied however there was no conclusive proof in the literature as to whether leadership can influence culture.

The research from the primary data centred on identifying the culture and the leadership in the participating stores. A stratified research strategy was adopted testing the three main employment categories in the stores - Senior Management, Middle Management and Staff. The participants were able to provide the researcher with detailed information on the leaders in the store.

The literature was unable to establish whether a leader can influence culture; however it is this researcher's belief, on completion of the primary research, that a leader can have an impact on the culture of an organisation. It must be noted though that this was a study conducted on three leaders in one organisation and therefore for the hypothesis to be proved or disproved conclusively further research, on a larger scale, must be conducted.

Item Type:	Thesis (Masters)
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HM Sociology > Leadership H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > HD28 Management. Industrial Management > Human Resource Management > Leadership H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > HD28 Management. Industrial Management > Organisational Behaviour > Organisational Culture
Divisions:	School of Business > Master of Arts in Human Resource Management
Depositing User:	SINEAD CORCORAN
Date Deposited:	26 Aug 2010 14:36
Last Modified:	15 Jan 2015 08:33
URI:	https://norma.ncirl.ie/id/eprint/428

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