ASPECTS OF CULTURAL DIFFERENCES IN SELECTED PRIVATE AND PUBLIC SECTOR ORGANIZATIONS IN SINGAPORE

Abstract

This study focuses on aspects of organizational culture prevailing in both selected private and public sector organizations in Singapore. A secondary but nonetheless crucial objective is to focus on the degree of job satisfaction and organizational commitment in these two sectors. It is proposed that a linear relationship, where organizational culture leads to job satisfaction, which subsequently leads to organizational commitment, exists and has implications for management policies, practices and strategies. The dimensions or scales used to study the organizational culture are "supportive environment", "risk tolerance", "conflict tolerance", "reward for performance", "company identification", and "structure". Based on these dimensions, the "strength" of an organizational culture is inferred. A questionnaire which pooled statements from various sources was designed for this study and no attempt was made to employ an established instrument. In the survey, a sample of 326 respondents represented the two sectors. The findings from the study show that certain dimensions are widely shared and intense in the private sector. These scales are supportive environment, reward for performance, structure and risk tolerance. However, the scales company identification and conflict tolerance are perceived not to exist by a large number of the respondents. Conversely, in the public sector, apart from structure and risk tolerance, the other scales are perceived to be non existent. The reasons for these findings are forwarded in the study. Subsequently, it can be inferred that the private sector has the "stronger" culture compared to the public sector. It was also found that the degree of organizational commitment is higher in the private sector, vis-a-vis the public sector. The degree of job satisfaction is however not significantly different from one another.