Professional Savvy

Navigating Corporate Culture and Avoiding Career Breakdowns

Do you really know what kind of organizational culture will make you thrive and succeed? How well does your “ideal culture” match that of your current company?

It’s not enough to be doing the right kind of work (e.g., sales or finance) in the right sort of industry. Those two are absolutely necessary ~ like being on the right highway traveling in the right direction ~ but they’re not enough. You also need to be in the right lane on that highway or else you’ll be going too slow or too fast. In other words, you also need to be working in an organizational culture that fits you.

The culture of the organization which you work for is very important to your success, as is the culture of the industry as a whole. An Internet or high technology startup, for example, with its extraordinarily fast rate of change, would be terrific for someone who desires creative opportunities, variety, and prefers to work independently. It would be a bad fit for someone who is looking for job security, or who wishes to work for a well-known prestigious employer.

CultureMatch™ a self-assessment test that is part of the CareerLeader™ , can help you answer these questions. CultureMatch™ assesses where you fall along four critical elements of corporate culture, and to make any relevant observations of things you’ll need to keep in mind.

• Cooperation and Harmony
• Openness and Imagination
• Social Assertiveness
• Structure and Attention to Detail

Here’s My Personal CultureMatch™ Profile (Very Telling):

Social Assertiveness: High range
Your score on this scale is high. You have a definite orientation toward more outgoing, assertive and action-oriented organizational cultures. You¹ll prefer work cultures that provide busy interpersonal contact during the day and that reward people who take initiative, build extensive networks, and assert themselves in establishing new business opportunities. Work groups that are “outward looking” toward the customer, such as sales and business development, are likely to have cultures that are a good fit for you. You¹re going to be naturally attracted to organizations whose cultures reward self-confident, assertive risk-taking and that are aggressively oriented toward discovering and creating new market opportunities.

Social Assertiveness: what does it mean?
Some people are naturally more assertive, gregarious, and active. They enjoy large groups, and are often dominant figures in their social circles. In work settings they are unafraid to push their work agendas forward ~ both in seeking budget resources and results from the people working with them. By contrast, other people are more reserved and have a few close friends rather than larger social network of acquaintances and business contacts. They are less “forward” and may be uncomfortable with people who are more aggressive.

Similarly, some organizations are more densely populated by ~ and their cultures characterized by ~ more aggressive give-and-take in daily activity, and by a high level of activity overall. These are cultures where pushing is seen as a good thing, not in order to make someone else lose but to get things done. Meetings and talking things over are not viewed as a distraction from doing work; to a large extent they are the work, and are seen in this light. The sales and trading group of an investment bank would be likely to have this kind of culture.

Other work cultures are more reserved and independent. Work is done behind closed doors ~ or at least, with some privacy and allowance for focus and concentration (picture the actuarial group in an insurance underwriting firm). Boisterousness and aggressive behavior are definitely counter to the norm in these cultures. Social and business “networking” are seen as a chore to be avoided or minimized, rather than as a fundamental ~ and fun ~ part of work.

Social Assertiveness: what to look for in Organizational Cultures

• Do people at this organization frequently use sports metaphors (especially high-contact sport metaphors taken from football, hockey, etc.) in describing business situations?
• Does this organization have a reputation for being aggressive in its approach generally and for attracting individuals with an aggressive style?
• Does the office architecture allow for some form of privacy that will let you concentrate on your work?
• How much is success in this culture or role a function of the size (and composition) of your “network” of people?
• What is the ratio of work-done-with-others to work-done-alone?
• How much does “pushing” for things account for success in this culture?
• How much business entertaining goes on in this culture?
• How much time is spent analyzing and thinking vs. discussing and persuading?
• How much is success in this culture dependent on professional training and expertise?

Openness and Imagination: what does it mean?
Some people by nature are imaginative and curious, and always like to stay open to new ideas and ways of doing things in their approach to life. Other people are more pragmatic, practical, and “down to earth.”

Similarly, some organizational cultures place a premium on trying new approaches: “If it isn’t broken, break it and see if you can put it back together better than it was before.” These cultures are willing to risk mistakes in the service of possible innovations. They’re more intellectually venturesome but often don’t have as clear a plan to achieve their business goals.

Other cultures embody savvy, time-tested pragmatism: not making a mistake is more important than trying something new that might result in a small gain. Getting things done well, and demonstrating competency in fundamental skill areas ~ these are the keys to career success. These cultures are characterized by stability and consistency.

Openness and Imagination: High range
Your score on this scale is high. This indicates a preference for more open, creative and intellectually venturesome work cultures. You will be attracted to a culture that places premium on originality and idea-generation. You’re more comfortable than most business professionals with the unconventional and the unexpected, and cultures that are rich in these elements will be positive for you. You’ll find more conservative or “steady-state” cultures where the most important goal is just to keep things going well to be unrewarding. You enjoy working in the early phase of projects where creative thinking and imagination are called for. An ideal organizational culture would allow you to do a lot of this early phase creative work. You need a culture that respects free-thinking innovators

Openness and Imagination: what to look for in Organizational Cultures

• How much are new ideas and creativity in general valued and rewarded in this culture?
• Is the group you would join charged with keeping something running well that is already successful?
• Is there a lot of variety in the work you would be doing (and are there lots of new things happening)?
• On balance, does this organization have more to lose by trying something new that fails than it does to gain by trying something that might succeed?
• Does the organization include people who are clearly “free thinkers”, creative or unconventional in the way they talk, dress or express themselves?
• Do people generally tend to “speak up” with their ideas, regardless of their position in the organization?

Cooperation and Harmony: what does it mean?
Some people prefer environments where friendliness, trust, and mutual helpfulness are essential elements of the culture and interpersonal conflict and competition are minimal. These individuals often have a strong altruistic motivation ~ the social value of the product or service they’re providing is very important. Other people really enjoy competition (including competition within their own group) seeing it as a virtue, and take a somewhat more skeptical view of human nature and motives.

Similarly, some work cultures have a spirit that emphasizes cooperation, interpersonal sensitivity, assuming the best of people, and a have a certain level of altruism in the organization’s goals (even if the business is definitely private sector and for-profit). These cultures tend to be run by consensus (when possible) and to minimize conflict and internal competition. Other cultures establish norms valuing a competitive spirit (internally as well as against industry competitors) and encouraging healthy conflict. They encourage skeptical and critical examination of ideas as a normal part of the assessment of a business situation. People who thrive in this culture tend to be comfortable with conflict and are comfortable challenging co-workers when they think it will shed light on a business process ~ or will increase their advantage in a negotiation or debate

Cooperation and Harmony: Very high range
Your score on this scale is very high. This indicates a strong preference for organizational cultures that foster a friendly, cooperative and “warm” atmosphere. Work is a place where you make friends as well as business associates. You are very likely to have altruistic sensibilities personally and will feel more comfortable in a culture where this outlook is shared by a majority of your coworkers. You will prefer a culture that minimizes conflict and contentiousness and that encourages mutual respect and polite, mutually supportive, “collegial” relationships among people. Internally competitive, aggressive cultures will definitely not provide the environment you need to thrive and succeed.

Cooperation and Harmony: what to look for in Organizational Cultures

• How much do people in this culture know about each other at a personal level?
• How much does this culture embody “social Darwinism” (people who succeed do so for good reason, and winnowing out of the weaker players is a good thing)?
• How “warm” does the place feel overall? As you walk down the hall are people friendly and eager to greet you?
• Do people genuinely seem to care about each other (look not at how they treat you, but how they treat each other‹and especially at how they treat staff assistants and others below them in the hierarchy).
• How much of a role does aggressive internal competition play in who succeeds and who fails in this culture?

Structure and Attention to Detail: what does it mean?
Some people approach their work in a disciplined and careful manner, planning methodically and paying careful attention to details. Other people are less methodical and don’t take such an organized, and planful approach to their work ~ regardless of the ultimate quality of their work.

Similarly, some organizational cultures place a very high value on people taking a structured approach to work and on disciplined attention to detail. These cultures are marked by predictability in processes, systems and scheduling. They value the efforts of a perfectionist ~ not the “80-20″ rule. These cultures can be found in many industries but good examples are often found in science and engineering work or in certain areas of operations management (e.g. “just in time” inventory management and the scheduling of freight deliveries and airline flight patterns).

Other work cultures are less focused on attention on detail and structure. They may value spontaneity and interpersonal persuasion above the drive for precision. A culture that requires immediate action to be taken on limited information (the trading floor of a commodities exchange, for example) would also be at this end of the continuum, (as would a culture that relies on people to create their own structure and discipline ~ such as external sales). Groups that do a lot of their work on deadline, without all the “i’s” dotted and “t’s” crossed will have strong elements of this culture. The “creative” area of an advertising firm would be likely to have this kind of culture.

Structure and Attention to Detail: Low range
Your score on this scale is low range. This indicates that you have a preference for work cultures that are less structured and that don’t require a high level of precision and constant attention to details. You’ll prefer an environment where you’re expected to set your own goals and deadlines and have greater say in defining how you do your work (setting your own schedule, for example). You may be someone who depends on your intuition and spontaneity more than on meticulous planning and scheduling, and you’ll want to choose a work environment where this approach is respected and accepted. People-oriented cultures, immediate action/reaction cultures, and high-independence cultures ~ all of these are likely to make for a good fit for you.

Structure and Attention to Detail: what to look for in Organizational Cultures

• How much time would you have to “polish” your work in this culture, to get it just right?
• How important is “getting it just right” in this culture?
• How much work is done under tight (and unpredictable) deadline pressure?
• How much would you be able to set your own schedule, working at times and rates that suit you best?
• Do decisions often have to be made and actions taken with little time to process all the relevant information?
• How much does this organization seem to plan ahead, anticipating different scenarios and being ready for them?
• How neat and orderly is the work environment generally?

For more information go to Careerleader,web-based comprehensive career assessment tool based on over 20 years of scientific research. CareerLeader measures your interests, your abilities, and what you find most motivating in work