The organisational culture of an Indonesian higher education institution : a qualitatitive case study : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Educational Administration at Massey University

Abstract

The main objective of this research aims to describe and analyse the current characteristics of organisational culture at the Nusantara College, one of the higher education institutions for Indonesian civil service. The research employed a qualitative case study as its method using three data collection techniques, namely, semi-structured interviews, participant observations and document analysis. This research applied an analytical framework from previous studies in analysing organisational culture in which the analysis focused on the tangible aspects of culture: artefacts, behavioural and verbal manifestations, and intangible aspects of cultural beliefs and values. The findings from this study demonstrated the distinct cultural characteristics of the college culture and discovered main cultural concepts that are generated from the artefacts, behaviour and verbal manifestations, and cultural beliefs and values. Further analysis on the relationships among these cultural concepts revealed that the current organisational culture of the college was characterised as having three cultures that are operating simultaneously. The first was the familial culture that signified the familial values and practices among the members of the college. The culture was demonstrated in the behaviour of treating the colleagues as extended family members where they helped and assisted each other in carrying out their tasks. The second was the scholarly culture, which perpetuated academic values and practices among the members. The idea of pursuing knowledge through research and teaching, facilitating students' learning, and practising honesty, objectivity and integrity were reflected in the academic events and activities of the college. The third was the bureaucratic culture that manifested in the structural values and practices among the members. The culture was represented in the practice of top-down decision-making processes, centralised career promotion, and giving much power and authority for senior managers. The findings of the research also revealed that these three cultures were the result of the interaction with the college's broader cultural setting. It was observed that the familial culture was the influence of the collectivist culture of Indonesian society. The scholarly culture stemmed from the role of the college as an academic institution, whereas the bureaucratic culture was the impact from the working culture of the government institutions. With the three cultures operating at the same time, it was noted that the college members faced working dilemma and conflicts in their operations. The scholarly values and practices, for instance, sometimes contradicted the bureaucratic culture. To overcome the problems, this study suggested the college leaders to provide a clear priority on which culture the members should operate. As the college's vision was to provide high quality teaching, learning and research, it was suggested that the college should prioritise coordinated actions to strengthen scholarly culture among the members.