Existing and preferred organizational culture in public organizations: The case of an electricity power plant in Algeria

Abstract This research compares employee perceptions of the existing and preferred organizational culture in an Algerian electricity power plant, which is a publicly owned and operated entity. A mixed-method approach is employed by interviewing six key managers and surveying all 256 employees of the organization. Harrison and Stokes’ Arabic version questionnaire was used to collect data on organizational culture. The means and t-test results reveal significant differences between the existing and the preferred culture types. Employees decreasingly ranked existing types as Power, Role, Achievement, and Support cultures, and they decreasingly ranked preferred types as Achievement, Support, Role, and Power cultures. These rankings reveal a clash between the existing and the preferred cultures. While the Power and Role cultures were rated as stronger than preferred, the Achievement and Support cultures were weaker than desired. These findings and their implications for Arab public management are discussed.