Below is a segment from my former University of Phoenix blog. I have since rolled the blog into my main blog for posterity.
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Describe your organizational culture. How did it begin and how is it learned? What are the pros and cons?
At the office, we used to have a very dot-com networked culture. We had Nerf darts flying throughout the office, a foosball table, free sodas of every variety, daily group trips to lunch, etc. We worked a lot, but we played much harder. Over the course of the next few years, we went through several organizational changes. People were laid-off, workloads doubled, friends departed to better opportunities.
Now, we sadly have a fragmented culture. I do not believe that anyone likes the way things are, but I don't think anyone realizes that they can easily change things for the better in terms of organization identification or productivity (morale). Culture at our company is learned through other co-workers. New people who came in full of energy now appear as lethargic and calm as everyone else.
If you were starting a company from scratch, what culture would you choose? Why?
I was fortunate to have an experience in Undergrad where I was able to start an organization from the ground. We had an amazing communal culture. My team worked nights, weekends, holidays, school days, all on a volunteer basis. (I only wanted them working school nights after homework was done!) I never had dinner alone those last two years. There was always someone from my group who could eat with me, and I'd take that time to discuss upcoming projects and assignments. Downsides included, just like the lecture mentioned, a lack of personal time. In most cases, since we were all friends, we didn't mind that we were talking shop.
If I had a choice, I would definitely create this type of environment again, however. My work experience has taught me the importance of professionalism, so I feel that I could maintain a communal culture while keeping people at work when they should be at home with their families.
In your company, what Human Resources policies and procedures would you incorporate? Why?
I would be sure in my new company that HR policy would be established to protect all employees from abuse or harassment, provide them with good, solid benefits, and most importantly, list what is expected of all employees. We currently lack an employee handbook or anything describing the nuances of an employee at my company. No one knows quite what our dress policy is, whether we have an inter-office dating policy, etc. I would want my people safe (first and foremost), happy (with benefits, vacation, etc.), and loyal (retention programs, bonuses, etc.)
Which comes first, culture or policy?
I don't think that H.R. can set the pace of organizational culture through policy and procedures. Official forms and standards can not have the ability to affect personality. Personality sets the tone for culture, which turns right back into productivity. Culture can be formed without documentation (as was the case with our office). Then, the fun begins, trying to document and potentially restrict behaviors that have been all but considered standard.
Posted by admin at July 12, 2003 12:20 PM