Be a culture vulture! A definitive guide to organisation culture-consciousness

A gander at culture

The way things are done in organisations, their objectives, their mission and values should be as important to you as your work there. It is, in fact, all they stand for and all they want to be seen as. Should you want to join an organisation, you might first like to see if you are compatible.

Remember, you should fit in and enjoy the process! It's the only way you'll rise in organisational hierarchies.

What every job-prospector needs to do is to scrape the surface veneer off the public image of a company and examine it from close quarters. If your values and aspirations gel with those of the company you'll be happy there, and importantly, they'll be happy with you!

The corporate environment is descriptive of how people who are working for a company feel about the way the things are done, which is the culture of their division or team. It is how the employees feel about the quality of work-life in an organisation. These are measurable, and often are through polls and surveys conducted by external bodies. It will tell you about how the employees feel about the company, their levels of satisfaction in their work and in the attitude of the management, and how much they feel the organisation feels for and cares about them

Do they fit you or do you fit them?

Discrimination free: Despite what the constitution says, every company has problems in hiring across the sexes and some even discriminate on nativity and, worse, religion. You may not be comfortable with this.

Empowerment: The management trusts the employees and empowers them to take decisions. The atmosphere is charged with positive vibes, and everybody is on a `high'

Money matters: People are happy with the levels of compensation and are optimistic about their increments and the appraisal system is seen to be equitable

Transparency and openness (Perestroika & Glasnost): Clear lines of communication between management and employees, good cross- communication between teams and divisions. Inclusion.

Intra-level brainstorming: Free and open discussion across hierarchies. Open management.

Growth potential: Training opportunities are available across the board, there are empathic mentors and coaches and the company is known for its career development.

Environment friendliness: The company is perceived from outside as a caring organisation, giving back to society its due. There should be a degree of social `feel-good' by employees when they move around outside the office.

The company you work for may have all, some or none of these, but as long as you are comfortable with the situation, you've found fitment, that's loads better than mere placement!

ABHIMANYU ACHARYA

abhi.hyd@cxknetworks.com