Every company, big or small, has a culture of its own. Corporate cultures are deeply rooted and difficult to change. They also have a tremendous effect on almost all aspects of the business – from how business is conducted to how employees are treated. It’s very important that you, as the leader/manager, are not only aware of the corporate culture, but also have a fairly good understanding of it. You don’t necessarily have to be an expert on your company’s culture and its roots/history, or even buy into it completely, but you have to know enough to know how it affects you and your employees.
Take a look around and try to pinpoint some of the more obvious aspects of your company’s culture. How does it compare to other places where you worked? Are rules different for different people? We’re not necessarily talking about the kind of differences that may come with seniority, level of education, or position at the company. This is more about whether employees are being treated differently based on their gender or skin color, or simply because they’re singled out (in either a positive or negative way).
Once you’ve identified some of these main aspects of your company’s culture, consider a couple of things: (1) how do these compare with your own convictions? (2) how do these affect you and your employees? You may find that you’re not on board with every single idea, but that’s part of life. In life as in our careers, we assess the good and the bad, and decide what’s important to us and where we’re willing to compromise and/or sacrifice. An even more significant consideration are the effects corporate culture has on you and your employees. Does it support you and your employees’ success? Or does it hinder it? Is a capable and deserving employee being overlooked or held back because of race or gender?
These are difficult questions, but they must be considered. It’s your responsibility as the leader/manager to understand what’s going on around you, so that you may do your job effectively. Although identifying things that you find disagreeable or which you see as detrimental to your (or your employees’) success is crucial, you’re not expected to change corporate culture. At least not overnight. So while you may choose to work towards such change as a long-term goal, your immediate focus must be on getting creative and finding alternative ways of getting around obstacles. The better your understanding of your company’s culture, the better your chances of being successful in that environment, and therefore being able to support others more effectively.
