How to Fit Yourself into the Workplace Culture

By joeldgreat, 24th Dec 2010 | Follow this author | RSS Feed | Short URL http://nut.bz/axgbfk6a/
Posted in Wikinut>Business>Employment

Workplace cultures can vary widely, even within the same industry. A company’s culture can be formal and stiff, relaxed and casual, or something in between.

Fit in!!!

The three main types of corporate cultures are: entrepreneurial, small business, and corporate. An entrepreneurial culture emphasizes risk taking and working independently. Employees tend to wear many hats and are given a wide range of responsibilities. Entrepreneurial cultures often admire and reward a well presented (flashy and stylish) idea. You are selling your idea, and the sale takes some pizzazz. Entrepreneurial cultures often are competitive; they are frequently in quick, big-money fields and often pay on commission. The advantage of entrepreneurial cultures, of course, is that they often pay well. The disadvantage is their overly competitive and stressful atmosphere. Despite the name, small-business cultures are not always found in small companies.

While entrepreneurial cultures are competitive, small-business cultures are more relaxed and informal. They often nurture as many new ideas as any other type of workplace, but they don’t have such a competitive edge. The team culture is more of a cooperative, brainstorming, and think tank environment. If one person is successful, everyone shares the success. The advantage of this type of culture is that it fosters a pleasant working environment that promotes growth and cooperation. The disadvantage is that jobs in this environment often do not pay as much as in other cultures.

The third workplace culture is corporate. This culture relies on a reporting structure and hierarchy to accomplish defined goals. Many large companies adopt this style simply because they have a large number of people to deal with. One manager (or president or vice president) cannot talk to everyone in the company all the time about his or her ideas. Instead, there’s a functional reporting system. You might have a president who has seven vice presidents, who have seven directors, who have seven managers, one of whom has you and several coworkers in his or her reporting chain. For employees, the advantage in this type of culture is usually security—job security, the availability of additional training (often company-paid), and a good, long-term salary. The disadvantage is that employees do not have as much freedom as in other cultures and may have to spend more time writing reports and filling out forms than do those in other workplace cultures. In a highly corporate culture, job titles are clearly defined, there is a predefined path to follow for raises and promotions, and there is little opportunity for an employee to shine outside of his or her own defined job.

There is no perfect workplace culture. You need to find one that suits your needs. Do you want financial security and continued training? Then go for a large corporate environment. Are you willing to put in a lot of hours for quick money? Then pursue an entrepreneurial culture. Are you searching for a cooperative, stable working environment? Then a small company is probably right for you. You may think you would not fit into certain cultures, but try not to discount anything out of hand. Decide which you think will be the best fit and try it, but remain willing to try another culture if a great opportunity arises. In the first few chapters of this book, you were asked to answer a series of questions about your goals, likes, and dislikes. Based on these answers (and by combining them with the knowledge you have about yourself), you should have a pretty good idea about the type of culture in which you’ll prosper best.

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joeldgreat
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