How does Attraction-Selection-Attrition (ASA) theory help explain the emergence and reinforcement of organizational culture?

• A. Culture is formed solely by formal policies and cannot be self-selected.
• B. People self-select into organizations whose culture fits them.
• C. Culture is driven only by external economic conditions.
• D. Attrition has no effect on reinforcing culture.

Answer: (B)

Attraction-Selection-Attrition shows that culture grows through who is drawn to, hired by, and stays in an organization. People tend to be attracted to places whose values and norms align with their own, so they apply and want to join. The organization then selects candidates who fit its culture, consciously or unconsciously favoring those who share the same beliefs, behaviors, and ways of working. Those who don’t fit are more likely to leave or be forced out. This trio creates a self-reinforcing loop: as aligned individuals stay, the shared values and practices become more pronounced, and that stronger culture, in turn, attracts more like-minded people and pushes out the rest. Over time, this process explains why organizational culture becomes and remains cohesive, with norms, rituals, and ways of thinking becoming steadily more entrenched, even beyond formal policies.