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What is "Culture" and Why Should You Care?
Managers just hate to talk about "organizational culture" because it's so poorly defined - it's usally a buzzword introduced by a consultant, and it can mean anything he wants it to mean.
But if you'll think back to jobs that you really enjoyed - where people supported each other and the atmosphere was friendly and charged with energy you'll get a working definition of culture:
"Culture is the way we've agreed to treat each other."
That simple definition has all the important parts of culture:
- It's a shared decision among all the group members.
- It has to do with respect, support, and other person-to-person qualities.
- It won't work if it's not a voluntary agreement.
Good Cultures
But everyone can recognize a well-functioning organization. Workers are lively and creative, disagreements are settled quickly and without heat, and everyone feels that the whole group is aligned toward the same goal. Employees want to work in such an environment, and turnover is usually very low. In a supportive culture, employees feel free to take risks and are willing to engage all their creativity and energy in a common goal. They support each other during difficult times, and celebrate successes together.
Toxic Cultures
Contrast this with a toxic culture, in which people work out of fear, and are grudging with their effort and their creativity. In toxic cultures employees look out for themselves at the expense of their colleagues and disagreements are often bitter. In a toxic culture, your productivity can be reduced almost to nothing, and most employees are just looking for a way to get out.
Is There Any Way to Change Your Culture?
There's good news and bad news on this question. The good news is that cultural change is very possible, and even straightforward, and we've known the mechanisms for decades. The bad news is that everyone in the organization has to agree and participate in the change process, and the change has to start at the very top of the organization. So if the toxins in your company are coming from the CEO and his staff, all you can do as an individual is to try to maintain a supportive micro-culture within your team or project.
Is it Time to Escape?
If you're in a toxic culture, you've got two options: to learn to cope with it or to get out. Doing nothing is a recipe for disillusionment and burnout - and you'll still be stuck. As a coach, I can help you learn techniques for existing as a sane person in an insane culture; it's not easy, but it's possible. And if you decide to leave, I can help you plan your escape and find a job in a kinder, gentler place that provides a more supportive culture.