Yesterday I was asked about how, after having worked at one corporation a long time, I now go into a new client and make a relatively quick assessment of the organizational culture and political dynamics.
What a fantastic question!
I’ve written about a variety of both bad business personalities and accomplished leaders, but I’ve never documented (even for myself) a mental checklist of things to observe when entering a new organizational culture.
We started compiling the questions right then (writing ideas on a paper napkin) and continued growing the list back at the office.
18 Organizational Culture Cues
Here are eighteen organizational culture cues I look for when trying to make a quick assessment about opportunities for best managing a project and establishing strong strategic relationships.
- How long do you have to wait in the lobby for someone to ask if they can help you?
- Does the organization run on-time?
- How do people introduce themselves? What information is deemed pertinent enough to include when they tell you about themselves?
- What type of diversity is evident, whether it’s people, environments, opinions, clothing styles, etc.?
- What are people wearing?
- What types of “manners” do employees show to “outsiders”? (And that’s not just to people outside the company; it could be people outside their department or work group but still inside the organization.)
- Who talks first in multi-person meetings?
- How do people treat each other? Is respect demonstrated among co-workers?
- Is there a sense of emotional and interpersonal openness inside the organization? Are the physical surroundings more or less open than the people?
- Do people demonstrate an understanding of the broader business or are they only given insight into their own little part of the operation? Do they have information they need from across the business?
- Who appears to talk honestly - and who doesn’t?
- What decision making style is evident? Do multiple people seem to share perspectives and participate or does decision making seem pretty centralized?
- Are people fearful – of bosses, competitors, expectations, failure, or something else?
- How do the senior leaders behave? How differently do they treat each other vs. everyone else?
- How does everyone else behave in return with senior leaders?
- What is the small talk like before, during, and after meetings?
- Who are the apparent cultural outliers, and what sets them apart from the rest of the organization?
- How much bad talking of others goes on when someone leaves the room or isn’t present?
What would you add to this list of organizational culture cues?
That’s my starting list of questions for seeking out organizational culture cues. What things do you look for when you’re dropped into a new organization? – Mike Brown
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