A graduate guide to work culture

Michael Ling

October 2010

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Agenda

Organizational culture

What is culture

An example

Behavioural Consequences

Unhelpful Behaviours

Implications

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Organizational culture is critical to how we manage upward and downward

Organizational Culture comprises the underlying beliefs and

assumptions about what the organisation is.

These beliefs are created as a result of successful responses

to past crises and problems over time.

Need an appreciation of the culture before we can manage

people in a meaningful manner.

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What is culture

Culture is always success based:-

– Institutionalised learning of “what works” in stressful situations

Culture change requires very significant energy

– Cultural beliefs develop huge inertia. There is great vested

interest in denying evidence that undermines these beliefs

Culture develops predominantly during periods of

crises

– Crises are required to motivate the abandonment of ineffectual

beliefs and the learning of new, effective responses

The external environment always develops more

quickly than an organisation’s culture responds

– Whilst originally success based, any cultural belief can become

more or less helpful over time given the changing context of the

external environment

"IBM's extraordinary success

in the '60s and '70s was built

on one of the most dynamic

sales cultures in the world,"

“The thing I have learned at

IBM is that culture is

everything”

"They were very good, very

relentless, very focused. And

very individualistic."

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An example of culture

Should not borrow money

Managers (Officers) are “superior” to Staff (Troops) but should socialise together

Discipline must be maintained (fear of anarchy and chaos)

Trappings are important rewards for rank

Size of budget, department, grade and job title all reflect an individuals worth

Allocation of resources should not be questioned because it is optimised by central

planning

Organisation structure and procedures are sacrosanct, they enable this huge

machine to operate

Most people are small cogs in the big machine - you can only understand the whole

from the top

Decisions are made by your boss. Must please your boss (and senior mgt in

general) to be individually secure

To be successful and get promoted your boss must be “winning”

The buck stops with the front line (managers are not accountable)

Do not take risks with the core products

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Behavioural Consequences Scenario 1

Some of the conflicting cultural beliefs drive some of the observable

schizophrenic management behaviours

Behaviours:-

Rude and aggressive to subordinates

Sycophantic with bosses

Cautious and defensive with peers

Your boss must be “winning”

Managers are superior

Must please boss

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Behavioural Consequences Scenario 2

Other beliefs diminish the aspiration for more cross-functional working

Little cross-

departmental

working

Structure is sacrosanct

Must please boss(es)

to be secure

To get on must work

for “winning” boss

Efficient managers are

rude and aggressive

Punished if fail to achieve

personal objectives

Success comes from doing

individual tasks better

Distrustful of

everyone outside of

immediate clan

Ganging-up

and bullying

Work is best undertaken

within department

boundaries

Risk but no potential

benefit in cross-

departmental working

Must demonstrate

that I’m tough

Conclusions

Resultant Behaviours

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Unhelpful Behaviours

Culture is a strong driving force behind many of the commonly displayed,

unhelpful behaviours

– Hierarchical and un-empowered with little self responsibility

– Little commercial savvy

– Conformance to expectations, little innovation

– Commitment to inputs and process but little ownership for outputs

– Lots of futile, non-value-add, secondary activity

– Distrustful of everyone outside of immediate clan

– Little cross-department collaboration

– Blame each other (and especially bosses) for problems

– Lots of politicking

– Ganging-up and bullying

– Overly serious and excessively hard working

– Superficial arrogance covering deep seated insecurity

– Negative about future (it’s threatening rather than exciting)

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Implications

Know the culture

– Observation

– Engaging with others

– Learn from mistakes

Know the positive values

– Self confident, successful teams

– Trust and collaboration, (internally and with external parties)

– Commitment to and responsibility for achievements

– Enthusiasm, passion and energy

– More self-determinism

– Empowered decision making and risk taking

– Failures exploited as valuable learning opportunities

– Mutual appreciation, respect and support