First off, you may be thinking: What in the name is organizational culture, and how do I learn more about it?
Well, in that case, you have come to the right place. First off, organizational culture is defined by the underlying beliefs, characteristics, social interactions and motivators that work together to compose the environment of the company at work and in its services and products offered. Organizational culture is vital to the composition of the company, and defines the type of employee that the organization will search for. Organizational culture and individual needs and traits should align, and if not, tension and employee dissatisfaction can result.
Organizational culture can come in all shapes and sizes. One can detect the type of culture through physical means, like written pamphlets or motivational posters throughout the office; likewise, a new employee can become accustomed the culture through verbal and other non-written cues, such as work habits or commonly said phrases.
The concept may seem abstract, but given more comparison to real-life examples, you will begin to notice the different cultures in the organizations that you interact with every day. One example that is relatively well-known is Southwest Airlines. Within the airline industry, companies are often criticized for poor service, but Southwest sets the standard for great customer service, and that derives from their organizational culture characteristics. Their mission is “to the highest quality of Customer Service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and Company Spirit.” The company believes that creating happy and excited employees leads to fantastic customer service. Visit their website for further reading into their goals as an organization! The video below also discusses how the company has built its culture over the years.
Organizational culture is not just important because of its implications about a company that you may be a consumer of, but also because it can impact your satisfaction at work. Being a reciprocate of the behavior at your company and inclining with the culture is necessary to find happiness and satisfaction in your work. Organizational culture fit is often overlooked in the job-search process with the pressures of finding work at the forefront; remember however, that the job-search is inconsequential if you do not enjoy the job you end up in!
If you are unsure about your organizational culture fit, or need help determining what type of employee would fit in at your dream company, then once again, you have come to the right place. Using the Birkman Method, and with the help of our consultants, organizational culture fit can be easy to understand and exciting to learn about. Book an appointment today!