Ghetto and organizational culture: Example of Syrian ghettos in İstanbul

In this study, the "post-war ghetto" notion associated with the Syrians under Temporary Protection living in Turkey, is examined via findings gathered through face-to-face interviews in the selected districts of İstanbul. This study examines the districts of Fatih, Sultangazi and Sultanbeyli, where most of the Syrians under Temporary Protection in İstanbul are living, to identify whether (i) ghettoization notion occurs, (ii) ghettos carry the basic characteristics of organizational culture, and (iii) if so to analyze their organizational cultures taking Parsons AGIL Model (1937), Peters and Waterman's Excellence Model (1995) and Hofstede Model (1980; 1991; 2011) into consideration. Analysis results show that ghettoization occurred in some neighborhoods of Fatih and Sultangazi districts, while it did not occur in Sultanbeyli district. It has been noted that the organizations in the related neighborhoods of Fatih and Sultangazi districts continue to carry Syrian culture and show similarities among themselves. In Sultanbeyli district, it was found that, unlike other districts, Syrians in ghettos did not only maintain their own culture, but also began to adopt Turkish culture. On the one hand, the culture of Syrian organizations in Fatih and Sultangazi districts is similar in line with the Parsons AGIL model (1937) and Peters and Waterman Excellence Model (1995), whereas Sultanbeyli district differs from these two districts. On the other hand, according to the Hofstede model these three districts show similarities under all classifications of the model.