ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE ASSESSMENT USING THE COMPETING VALUES FRAMEWORK (CVF) IN PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES IN SAUDI ARABIA: A CASE STUDY OF TABUK UNIVERSITY

Abstract

Today the organizational culture (OC) is treated as the main driver in making decisions in organizations and as a critical determiner of their effectiveness. Due to the lack of studies in the field of OC assessment in Middle Eastern countries and particularly in Saudi Arabia, this study aimed to portray the dominant culture type (Clan, Adhocracy, Hierarchy and Market) in Tabuk University. It also set out to determine the culture type that dominates according to the dimensions of Organizational Culture (Dominant Characteristics, Organizational Leadership, Management Organizational Glue, Strategic Emphases and Criteria for Success) by using an organizational culture assessment instrument (OCAI) based on the Competing Values Framework (CVF). The target population was the Tabuk University workforce (N= 1999). A sample was drawn from the population (N= 322) composed of two categories, academic staff and employees. The study findings indicate that the dominant culture type in Tabuk University is clan culture. However, three other types of culture characteristics are represented in some dimensions (Dominant Characteristics, Organizational Leadership and Management of Employees) besides the clan characteristics. The results indicate that there are statistically significant differences in culture strength according to some respondents' demographic characteristics.