Organizational Culture

How Organizations Process Information

The Westrum Model is defined in “A Typology of Organisational Cultures” (doi: 10.1136/qshc.2003.009522; PDF). This topology shows how communication and interaction varies in different types of organizations.

Pathological

Power-oriented

• Low cooperation
• Messengers shot
• Responsibilities shirked
• Bridging discouraged
• Failure leads to scapegoating
• Novelty crushed

Bureaucratic

Rule-oriented

• Modest cooperation
• Messengers neglected
• Narrow responsibilities
• Bridging tolerated
• Failure leads to justice
• Novelty leads to problems

Generative

Performance-oriented

• High cooperation
• Messengers trained
• Risks are shared
• Bridging encouraged
• Failure leads to inquiry
• Novelty implemented