In our company everyone...a few words about organizational culture and why it is worth knowing before you decide on a career change.

I remember during my studies when I was doing an internship at one of the global corporations. Although it was quite a few years ago, my impression from the first day remains with me to this day.

Monday - the first day of my internship: my duties were roughly outlined, I met my new colleagues in the department, and I got down to work. Suddenly, the door opens, and the company's CEO walks into our room. To my great surprise, all the department employees stand up, showing, as I understand, immense respect for the present authority. I joined them, but to tell the truth, I was so shocked by this scene that I couldn't suppress my laughter. It reminded me of the old school days when we - the children and youth would stand up every time a teacher or "professor" entered. I had hoped those days were long gone, and in the workplace (especially in a modern, international company), such  signs of "subservience" would not occur. I was very wrong. I completed the internship, but I did not apply to that company later because I knew that I would not find myself there in the long run. I did not identify in this organization the fundamental value I uphold, which is equal treatment and respect for co-workers.

I know many candidates, or individual clients, who were dissatisfied with their career change due to the organization's culture. Thus, I encourage reflection on which organizational culture suits us and makes us feel good at work. If we have a problem with its definition, it's worth thinking differently: which behaviors/values not demonstrated by the organization would I miss the most? The lack of which values would prevent me from successfully accomplishing my tasks? In my case, one of these values is equal treatment.

In another organization during my subsequent professional practice, the team's tolerance was at a very high level. Unfortunately, the problem was that the tolerance mainly concerned the very expressive behaviors of the president. Tolerance is also a value I uphold, but to a certain extent (because, at what point does tolerance turn into cowardice - i.e., a lack of response to destructive behaviors?).

I have cited here two rather extreme examples, which, fortunately, are not the norm. It's worth analyzing how organizational culture affects the quality of our professional life and life in general, as we spend a large part of our lives at work. It happens that candidates I recruit ask the question "what's it like to work there?". In short, they ask about the organizational culture - work atmosphere, company values. Still, these questions are rare. In collaboration with a client, I try to gather as much information as possible about the organizational culture to pass this information on to the candidates. Work is a bit like a marital relationship - if there is a conflict of values, love alone is not enough to make the relationship long-lasting and satisfying for both sides.

Wings Spread/Wings Clipped

There are organizations with a typically competitive orientation - such a culture can often be observed in FMCG companies - decisions are made quickly, there are many challenges and changes at work, employees often compete with each other, in most cases, it's called healthy competition, but exceptions occur. Many people are simply motivated by competition to work - their natural talent is "achieving" (check Gallup Strengthsfinder). Such individuals in an environment that is less focused on competition and more on cooperation simply do not feel their best or simply get bored.

Not Entirely Global - Organizational Culture and Country of Origin…

The country from which a company originates can greatly influence its organizational culture - let's not be deceived by global trends - usually, one can observe the dominance of one style. American companies are known for their pragmatism, quick decision-making. German companies for their precision, adherence to rules (not too much flexibility), Scandinavian companies for collective decision-making, care for employees, and sometimes slower action, French companies for long meetings and presentations, often also for postponing potential plans, changing initial decisions, Japanese companies for building competence through years of experience - the older you are, the higher position you take… these are broad generalizations, but such tendencies can be observed. For a deeper understanding of the topic, it's worth getting acquainted with the research of Professor Geert Hofstede (dimensions of national cultures: https://geert-hofstede.com/national-culture.html).

How do I know what organizational culture the company I'm applying to represents?

There are several ways:

The so-called "informal interview" i.e., a conversation with someone working in that company. The company's website. Asking questions during the recruitment process. I recommend asking more detailed questions than "is it nice to work there?". "Nice" can mean different things to different people. Sometimes people "gossip about companies" flattening the message by saying it's very bad to work somewhere. They do not define exactly what "bad" really means. For one person, "bad" might mean that the boss is demanding or that work is done on challenging projects. For another person, the same work environment may be very stimulating. On the other hand, "bad" might be a work environment where projects and matters progress slowly, many or all team members are involved in decision-making processes - for such a person, it might mean stagnation, boredom, and a lack of decisiveness from key leaders.

How to get a sense of the prevailing organizational culture? What questions should you ask during an "informal interview"?

Below, I propose a few example questions that can help you get a sense of the prevailing organizational culture:

• Why do you like working in this company?
• How does the organization support your professional development?
• Are employees encouraged to take risks?
• What happens if an employee makes a mistake?
• If you could change one thing about the company, what would it be?
• What causes conflicts in the company, and how are they resolved?
• When and how do employees give and receive feedback?
• Who in the organization truly has an influence on the course of events and seeing things through to the end?
• How do managers/leaders support and motivate their teams?
• How do managers/leaders build their authority among the team?
• What personality traits flourish in this corporate environment?
• Are the company values described on the website consistent with reality? If not, how do they differ?
• What types of employee behaviors are rewarded and which are criticized?
• What are the most common reasons for firing employees? Summary – what impact does this have on me?

There's no such thing as unequivocally bad or unequivocally good organizational culture. If you ask me, "is it nice to work there?" I'll answer, "it depends on what you're looking for." It's important that you analyze what work environment suits you best and which organizational behaviors you simply cannot tolerate.

Organizational culture is everything. You won't work well where you don't fit. HR representatives know this well, which is why they make sure to check during recruitment interviews whether a potential candidate will fit into their organizational culture.