It’s the hierarchy, stupid: Varying perceptions of organizational culture between demographic groups

Abstract

The assumption of a uniform perception of organizational culture among all individuals within an organization is highly questionable. Rather, it is likely that various demographic groups perceive cultural elements differently owing to their diverse backgrounds and experiences. This study utilized an extensive dataset from Germany, encompassing 241,648 participants from 832 companies across diverse industries, to investigate where such perceptual differences are most pronounced: between men and women, across different age cohorts, or between managerial and non-managerial roles. The dimensions under scrutiny included transformational leadership, team cohesion, fairness, compensation, and the employers’ caring attitude. Significant disparities were observed between individuals occupying distinct hierarchical positions, with lesser differentials noted between individuals from varying age groups and genders. Moreover, the study explored interactions between these demographic characteristics to ascertain their significance. Significant effects were evident for certain cultural elements in relation to the interaction between gender and position, as well as age and position. These findings yield practical recommendations for effectively managing individuals from diverse demographic groups within organizations.