Culture has many different manifestations depending on many features. At the same time, the conversation about culture is not so often raised in relation to public places, such as a bank, a grocery store, and a restaurant. These public institutions have their own level and cultural requirements that distinguish them from each other. Thus, this scientific paper sets itself the task of analyzing the available cultural features of a bank, a grocery store, and a restaurant to determine the distinctive features of these public places. Moreover, the work will provide a comparison of these institutions in the context of three levels of culture.
Therefore, the first public institution that was investigated in the framework of this study was a local bank. The first thing a person pays attention to and can feel when entering this place is quiet, organized, and has an increased level of seriousness. The latter aspect primarily distinguishes the bank from other public institutions. All the staff has a business style as a dress code, so everyone is either in suits or in shirts, skirts, and trousers. Each client is treated with respect and tolerance here since banking operations should be carried out as responsibly and thoughtfully as possible. Therefore, a bank differs from a grocery store in that the necessary specialist is ready to contact people there immediately when they need help navigating the bank or a shop.
The next place that was analyzed was a grocery store. This institution was very different from the bank, primarily in its organization and physical layout. However, the treatment of the customers had no particular difference. If everything in the bank is arranged as conveniently as possible for the client in terms of comfort, then the store focuses more on the convenience of finding this or that thing. At the same time, the grocery store is quite noisy due to a large number of people. Moreover, the informal nature of the institution also contributes to this, since in a bank, for example, the level of responsibility and formality does not allow people to behave frivolously. Among the employees, the uniform as such is appropriate, while everyone in the company wears certain clothes, such as vests.
The last public institution was a restaurant, which also has its own characteristics. In general, everything depends on the theme of the restaurant, that is, the level of culture, uniform, and quality of work. Thus, restaurants have a sufficiently reserved culture and, at the same time, an intelligent component that is felt immediately. Moreover, the approach to customer treatment is very similar to bank employees, while waiters are allowed a little more freedom in communicating with people. This is due to the fact that all people prefer to dress up on the restaurant premises. It is also worth noting that this public institution conceived has a well-thought-out and refined interior, which determines the observance of a slightly solemn and official dress code for the employees.
Thus, having received the necessary information, it is worth considering the differences between public institutions in more detail. A model of three levels of cultures can help in this case (Schein, 2016). Hence, the first point implies consideration of artifacts, which represent the visual component of any public institution. This is the external aspects such as the dress code which is different in all three establishments. The second, but no less critical, is espoused values, which consider how the cultural component is formed and analyzed in the institution. Due to the fact that all three institutions have their own organizational system, their culture is also very different. Moreover, this item is the most significant, as it is responsible for the visual part. Further, at first glance, an understanding is formed in the bank that restraint and seriousness should be observed in this place. When going to the grocery store, individuals are more relaxed due to the informality of the institution.
The last aspect that is included in the three levels of culture is shared tacit assumptions. This concept forms the values and culture of the institution but differs in that it forms various kinds of assumptions that require confirmation or refutation. For example, in a restaurant, it is impossible to express one’s feelings and emotions loudly, as in a bank, which is confirmed by the experiment. Thus, shared tacit assumptions have unique features for each public place under study, as they are indigenous beliefs and values that are noticeable only after staying in these places (Duerr et al., 2018). This is especially evident when comparing a bank and a restaurant, where in the first, the main goal is to maintain order and adhere to the rules, while in the second, one of the values is to provide the client with a good time. At the same time, such an essential task as ensuring proper customer service is in the first place both in the bank and in the grocery store and restaurant.
Henceforth, culture can be very flexible and varies depending on external and internal conditions. At the same time, it has certain postulates that must be fulfilled regardless of other characteristics. For example, in such public places as a bank, restaurant, or grocery store, the same rules are established regarding the achievement of the primary goal of customer satisfaction. At the same time, the culture in these institutions is entirely different and is reflected in the dress code, the attitude of customers, and the general atmosphere of the place.
Reference
Duerr, S., Holotiuk, F., Wagner, H. T., Beimborn, D., & Weitzel, T. (2018). What is digital organizational culture? Insights from exploratory case studies. Proceedings of the 51st Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences.
Schein, E.H. (2016). Organizational culture and leadership, 5th edition. Wiley.