Examining Experiences and Views on Developing Organizational Culture in the University

Abstract

The aim of the study is to examine the experiences and opinions of teacher candidates regarding the development of organizational culture at the university. Qualitative research method, phenomenological design, content analysis technique were used in the study. The data in the study were obtained from 24 participants through semistructured interview form. In order to reflect the perspectives of teacher candidates on the phenomenon of organizational culture, first of all, “organizational culture tree phenomenon” was created. 17 phenomenon expressions were revealed based on the positive and negative experiences of university students. The most frequently used phenomena were determined as “value”, “belief”, “interaction”, “activity”. Then, the opinions of the participants were subjected to content analysis. Matching was carried out with 3 sub-themes and 17 categorical coding. According to the participants, “university faculty-student, university administrative staff-student, student-student interactions” and “university attaching importance to national values and protecting its history” were frequently expressed in the development of organizational culture at the university. It was mostly stated in the study by the participants that “the university’s core values and beliefs should be made clear” in order to ensure the effectiveness of the organizational culture. It was stated that increasing and spreading various intermediaries such as “trips”, “conferences, panels, and shows”, “symbolic tools” would contribute to the university in order to increase the organizational culture in the university. At the end of the study, different suggestions were given regarding the development of organizational culture in the university, both by using the university’s facilities and through social media, despite the university’s complex structure.