These days the words corporate culture are being thrown around a lot. If you work in the corporate world you’ve probably heard it before, and guess what? You’ve got one. Even if you don’t realize it every organization has a unique culture. Right now you may be thinking, what is mine? How do I find out? This is why we have made a guide that will inform you on steps that you can take to become versed in the corporate culture of your company.
Many organizations provide employees with documents that lay out the principles and philosophies of their organization. If your company does provide these types of materials then you should take full advantage of you access to them, as they can give you insight into the history and culture of the company. However if your organization does not provide such materials or you want to draw your own conclusions, keep reading our guide on how to understand your corporate culture.
What is My Corporate Culture?
Below are steps that you can take to understand the culture within the organization that you lead or are apart of. We have listed questions for you to ask and observations for you to make that will give you a clear understanding of your corporate culture. Don’t forget to take notes. On our article and when you implement these strategies on your organization!
It Always Comes Down to a Question
When trying to discover your corporate culture, its best to start simply. Let’s begin with the 5 W’s! Who is your organization? Try to think of one sentence that will describe your group.
- What values does your organization uphold?
- Why did organization begin, and what purpose do they serve?
- When did your organization begin? Is the culture within your organization based on a modern perspective, or built upon values of another generation?
- Where is your organization located? Does the geographical location of your group influence the ideologies or mission of your company?
Answering these questions will give you a starting point that you can build off of in order to begin to understand the principles and values that make up your corporate culture, as well as the origins of your corporate culture. Due to the fact that every corporate culture is unique, there are no right or wrong answers. To achieve the most comprehensive results be honest with the experiences that you have had with your organization.
In Conclusion
Understanding your corporate culture can give you knowledge that will allow you to be able to explain your organization to others, better acclimate yourself to your work environment, and even change the environment that you work in for the better. Before you begin to plan for ways to better your organization, get a fully developed understanding for the history and present state of the culture within your organization. For more information on corporate culture, check out our blog on how to achieve autonomy within your organization!
