Page 74 - Fundamentals of Management Myths Debunked (2017)_Flat

CHAPTER 2 • The Management Environment 73
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Management Skill Builder undErstandIng CulturE

An organization’s culture is a system of shared meaning. When you understand your organization’s culture,
you know, for example, whether it encourages teamwork, rewards innovation, or stifles initiative. When
interviewing for a job, the more accurate you are at assessing the culture, the more likely you are to find a
good person-organization fit. And once inside an organization, understanding the culture allows you to know
what behaviors are likely to be rewarded and which are likely to be punished. 40

PERsonaL InvEnToRy assEssmEnT P I A PERSONAL
INVENTORY
ASSESSMENT
Company Culture assessment
Want to know what a company’s culture is like? This PIA will show you what’s involved with
assessing a company’s culture.

skill Basics gree of openness between offices, and office furnishings
and arrangements.
Organizational cultures differ. So do individuals. The better
you’re able to match your personal preferences to an organi- • Make note about those with whom you met. Whom did you
zation’s culture, the more likely you are to find satisfaction in meet? How did they expect to be addressed?
your work, the less likely you are to leave, and the greater the
probability that you’ll receive positive performance evaluations. • How would you characterize the style of the people you
The ability to read an organization’s culture can be a met? Are they formal? Casual? Serious? Jovial? Open?
valuable skill. For instance, if you’re looking for a job, you’ll Reticent about providing information?
want to choose an employer whose culture is compatible with • Look at the organization’s human resources manual. Are
your values and in which you’ll feel comfortable. If you can there formal rules and regulations printed there? If so, how
accurately assess a potential employer’s culture before you detailed are they? What do they cover?
make your job decision, you may be able to save yourself a
lot of grief and reduce the likelihood of making a poor choice. • Ask questions of the people with whom you meet. The
Similarly, you’ll undoubtedly have business transactions with most valid and reliable information tends to come from
numerous organizations during your professional career, such asking the same questions of many people (to see how
as selling a product or service, negotiating a contract, arranging closely their responses align). Questions that will give you
a joint work project, or merely seeking out who controls cer- insights into organizational processes and practices might
tain decisions in an organization. The ability to assess another include: What’s the background of the founders? What’s
organization’s culture can be a definite plus in successfully the background of current senior managers? What are
performing those pursuits. these managers’ functional specialties, and were they pro-
For the sake of simplicity, we’re going to look at this skill moted from within or hired from outside? How does the
from the perspective of a job applicant. We’ll assume you’re organization integrate new employees? Is there a formal
interviewing for a job, although these skills are generalizable to orientation program? Are there formal employee training
many situations. Here’s a list of things you can do to help learn programs and, if so, how are they structured? How does
about an organization’s culture: your boss define his or her job success? How would you
define fairness in terms of reward allocations? Can you
• Do background work. Get the names of former employees identify some people here who are on the “fast track”?
from friends or acquaintances, and talk with them. Also What do you think has put them on the fast track? Can you
talk with members of professional trade associations to identify someone in the organization who seems to be con-
which the organization’s employees belong and executive sidered a deviant, and how has the organization responded
recruiters who deal with the organization. Look for clues in to this person? Can you describe a decision that someone
stories told in annual reports and other organizational lit- made that was well received? Can you describe a decision
erature, and check out the organization’s Web sites for evi- that didn’t work out well, and what were the consequences
dence of high turnover or recent management shake-ups.
for that decision maker? Could you describe a crisis or
• Observe the physical surroundings. Pay attention to signs, critical event that has occurred recently in the organiza-
posters, pictures, photos, style of dress, length of hair, de- tion, and how did top management respond?