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The three circle model can be applied to different research approaches and models of organizational culture.
This model represents the interaction between the managerial 
The diagram presents a partial overlapping between the three circles. One must keep in mind, the relations among the circles are dynamic and their borders depend on the situation being studied. The model is not an area model and doesn't intend to describe certain numeric relations. Its objective is to describe the terms in a schematic manner.
The first circle describes the managerial culture, which is often perceived as the organizational culture.
The common part of circles 1 and 2, designates areas of congruity and acceptance, or "devotion" in management parlance. The second circle also provides room for "countercultures" and for workers' subversion of managerial culture.
The third circle represents the surrounding local culture, whose
culture
Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these grou ...
, the workplace culture and the surrounding culture.
Managerial culture is the values
In ethics and social sciences, value denotes the degree of importance of something or action, with the aim of determining which actions are best to do or what way is best to live (normative ethics in ethics), or to describe the significance of dif ...
of the management, and its norm
Naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) and technologically enhanced naturally occurring radioactive materials (TENORM) consist of materials, usually industrial wastes or by-products enriched with radioactive elements found in the envir ...
s, practices and artifacts Artifact, or artefact, may refer to:
Science and technology
*Artifact (error), misleading or confusing alteration in data or observation, commonly in experimental science, resulting from flaws in technique or equipment
** Compression artifact, a l ...
. The workplace culture is the work and behavior norms as perceived by the workers point of view. The surrounding culture stands for the local norms and practices which characterize a national culture/ religious culture etc.Organizational culture, Aviad Raz, The Open University of Israel 2004
The diagram presents a partial overlapping between the three circles. One must keep in mind, the relations among the circles are dynamic and their borders depend on the situation being studied. The model is not an area model and doesn't intend to describe certain numeric relations. Its objective is to describe the terms in a schematic manner.
The first circle describes the managerial culture, which is often perceived as the organizational culture.
The common part of circles 1 and 2, designates areas of congruity and acceptance, or "devotion" in management parlance. The second circle also provides room for "countercultures" and for workers' subversion of managerial culture.
The third circle represents the surrounding local culture, whose values
In ethics and social sciences, value denotes the degree of importance of something or action, with the aim of determining which actions are best to do or what way is best to live (normative ethics in ethics), or to describe the significance of dif ...
, norms, and socialization
In sociology, socialization or socialisation (see spelling differences) is the process of internalizing the norms and ideologies of society. Socialization encompasses both learning and teaching and is thus "the means by which social and cult ...
can influence both acceptance and resistance to the managerial culture.Emotions at work, Aviad E. Raz , Harvard University Press 2002
The three circles model is connected to some known theories in organizational sociology
Organizational behavior (OB) or organisational behaviour is the: "study of human behavior in organizational settings, the interface between human behavior and the organization, and the organization itself".Moorhead, G., & Griffin, R. W. (1995) ...
:
*The contingency theory
A contingency theory is an organizational theory that claims that there is no best way to organize a corporation, to lead a company, or to make decisions. Instead, the optimal course of action is contingent (dependent) upon the internal and exte ...
claims that organizations develop in various institutional and cultural environments, and are influenced by them. Therefore, organizations will aspire to maximize the fit to their environment, as a mean to increase efficiency.
*The cultural contingency theory
Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups.Ty ...
(Lincoln & Kallenberg, 1990), expects that over time, the norms and values of the organization will become compatible with the norms and values of the surrounding culture.
See also
*Fail fast (business)
Fail fast, also sometimes termed fail fast, fail often or fail cheap, is a business management concept and theory of organizational psychology that argues businesses should encourage employees to use a trial-and-error process to quickly determin ...
*Venn diagram
A Venn diagram is a widely used diagram style that shows the logical relation between sets, popularized by John Venn (1834–1923) in the 1880s. The diagrams are used to teach elementary set theory, and to illustrate simple set relationships ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Three circles model, The Organizational theory