More Talk About Culture

My husband and I went to visit a friend this week at work. He is the head chemist in a laboratory and wanted to give us a tour, talk about his research and discuss the exciting things the organization has going on. He has been there for nearly two years and seems so happy and so comfortable, he fits into the culture.

How is it that a talented, smart individual fits in one place and not another? It really comes down to culture. This friend is very casual and while he works hard, he does so with a laid back attitude that would not work everywhere. You can understand a group or company’s culture through their expectations for employees, approach to serving customers and how they promote their way of doing business.

Culture shapes our attitude and identity and we can be a part of many different cultures. I have several groups of friends and there is a unique culture with all of them, my family has a culture, my neighborhood has a culture and there is of course a unique culture at work.

It is difficult in some cases to describe a company’s culture because we are so immersed in it but we can try by answering the following questions:

1. How would you define the culture of your organization?
2. Have you hired people based only on skill, not on fit, then wondered six months later why they weren’t working out?
3. Do you lead people based on your personal culture not the culture of the organization?
4. How do we take culture into account with our leadership styles?
5. How do we create a culture within our organization that keeps people engaged and excited about their work?

Answering these questions is vital to embracing, creating or changing organizational culture.