No longer a family: Employee perceptions of organizational culture of a Russian English-medium instruction university

The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of a perceived organizational culture on organizational identification and commitment of employees of a Russian university that is transforming to become an English-medium instruction (EMI) university.

Data were collected between February and March 2018, via an online survey that was disseminated among 115 new employees; 90 were completed and used for analyses. The survey included three scales.

Employees of the EMI university perceived its culture as market, which is not a common characteristic of universities that usually have a clan culture. The study has also demonstrated a discrepancy between the perceived (market) and the preferred (clan) organizational culture. The study has also showed that a clan, and not a market, culture strengthens employee organizational commitment and identification.

Most research has examined EMI universities from the perspectives of teaching and learning. This study contributes to the limited conceptual and theoretical base around these universities by examining their processes from a perspective of management. This paper suggests that the adoption of English as a medium of instruction requires organizational change that leads to change in organizational culture.