Post by Jane K. Stimmler, contributing Women On Business writer

Each organization has its own personality and reputation, which usually starts at the top and permeates down, and heavily influences how individuals view others and behave towards their co-workers. For example, some companies are more political than others, and even departments or divisions within a company can sometimes be identified as having a more “game-playing” reputation. Each organization has an unstated protocol on how decisions are made, and has its own rules on things like who mingles with whom, how high a profile to maintain, and how meetings are run.  In research studies, women frequently express their unhappiness with their organizational cultures for numerous reasons – ethics, values, politics, flexibility to name a few.  Do you know the culture of your company?

What is Your Company’s Cultural Profile?

Rate your company on a scale of 1 to 5 on each of the following to understand its cultural profile. For example, is your company’s culture based on Teamwork, a 5 or 4, or on Internal Competitions, a  2 or 1 – or is it neutral, a 3? Circle the ones that match your company. Once you know your culture, you can choose to play within its rules – or, try to effect change within it.

My Company’s Culture Has…

Internal Competitions          Teamwork/Mutual Support    
          1                2                3                4                5
If your company is highly competitive, your tactics may need to be more aggressive.

Top Down Mandates            Open Communication    
          1                2                3                4                5  
If mandates come directly from the top, you will need to focus your efforts on the people at the top to move an idea forward.

Lack of Alignment at Top     Alignment of Goals/Vision from Top  
          1                2                3                4                5     
If there is a lack of vision from the top, set an example in your group of why collaboration is effective by creating a highly focused, fully aligned team.

Collaboration Not a Priority   Collaboration as a Focus
           1                2                3                4                5
If collaboration is not currently an organizational priority, you can still work collaboratively in meetings you attend and demonstrate its effectiveness through your own personal actions.

Finds Excuses for Failure     Accountability for Results
           1                2                3                4                5
If people around you are looking to place blame, be aware of it and make sure you don’t fall into that trap yourself.
–From Breaking Into the Boys’ Club 2009

You should now have a pretty good idea of your culture. If you find your philosophy is at odds with the organization, you may need to make some decisions. Have you worked hard on project teams only to be frustrated when all the recommendations are nixed at the top? Have you found that co-workers who consistently blame others – you included – have gotten praise and promotions, while you have not? Are you frequently confused by conflicting signals about what the priorities are and what is valued? If you determine your style is not appreciated, you have some choices. You can:

• Stick with your own approach, hoping the organization changes or those around you develop an appreciation of your style
or
• Seek a new opportunity with an organization that more closely matches your style

Be realistic. Cultures are very ingrained – and you will most likely not be the hero who affects a drastic transformation. Unless you are at the very top of the organization with a legion of loyal supporters, you will probably not be able to effect a massive change in the company culture or values. If you and the culture are at odds, it may be time to admit it’s a bad fit and move on.

Are you at odds with your culture?