Saturday, September 10, 2005
Chapter 14 Notes
Organizational Culture
Organizational culture has been interesting to watch between my old company with about 600 employees and my current employer of 6,000. When I joined my old company, there were about 300 employees. The company was very nimble and responsive. During the waning days of the internet bubble, we grew close to 800 employees. The feel and characteristics of the company changed. It still moved quickly, but you could feel the bureaucracy grow through the company. At the new, larger employer I work for, they have gone through major changes, being spun off one of the major information service providers, but still have not shook their culture very far from them. Things move painfully slow internally. Upside is not trickled down to the lower levels of the organization and the emphasis feels like it is more on maintaining a position than trying to aggressively grow a business. The culture of this organization may not be able to meet the culture of the competitive landscape.
I am looking at this issue as an opportunity, either by being able to show that we as a company, should provide a better response, or by branching out on my own and providing the response. I just lack the financial resources to make it happen. I also thought it was interesting about what the book talked about how the ultimate source of a culture is with its founders. With mergers, acquisitions and spinoffs, there is no founder to this organization. Business in this day and age is kind of like trying to piece together hamburger with my current organization, the business has been sliced and diced so much, I don't think anyone would know.
Its also interesting seeing the culture in my customer. Two major aerospace companies that merged 10 years ago, one a major player in the western US, the other in the Easter US. Both have been integrated tightly in information systems, but the processes are deeply rooted in their founding companies. Both are trying to find common ground, but when the rubber meets the road, previous culture takes precedence.
I am also liking the socialization model in this chapter and have applied it to the admissions process. Pre-arrival is the introduction, application process, GMAT, etc. Encounter was our orientation and first couple of nights in class, Now the metamorphosis begins. We work to start to encounter assignments and tests and accept our place at Pepperdine. It will be interesting to see how the Productivity, Commitment and Turnover turn out.
Work spitritualization is something I will take to heart. I think having an manager that can motivate and provide meaning to work is important. Jobs become less trivial and there is more ownership . I liked in Steven Covey's book, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, how the one hotel he stayed at, he got superior service. That service was found from ownership of the mission at all levels. The company had a mission statement, the hotel had a mission statement and each function had a mission statement. Ownership in what you are working on provides a lot of pride and satisfaction, whether the job is complex or menial.
Organizational culture has been interesting to watch between my old company with about 600 employees and my current employer of 6,000. When I joined my old company, there were about 300 employees. The company was very nimble and responsive. During the waning days of the internet bubble, we grew close to 800 employees. The feel and characteristics of the company changed. It still moved quickly, but you could feel the bureaucracy grow through the company. At the new, larger employer I work for, they have gone through major changes, being spun off one of the major information service providers, but still have not shook their culture very far from them. Things move painfully slow internally. Upside is not trickled down to the lower levels of the organization and the emphasis feels like it is more on maintaining a position than trying to aggressively grow a business. The culture of this organization may not be able to meet the culture of the competitive landscape.
I am looking at this issue as an opportunity, either by being able to show that we as a company, should provide a better response, or by branching out on my own and providing the response. I just lack the financial resources to make it happen. I also thought it was interesting about what the book talked about how the ultimate source of a culture is with its founders. With mergers, acquisitions and spinoffs, there is no founder to this organization. Business in this day and age is kind of like trying to piece together hamburger with my current organization, the business has been sliced and diced so much, I don't think anyone would know.
Its also interesting seeing the culture in my customer. Two major aerospace companies that merged 10 years ago, one a major player in the western US, the other in the Easter US. Both have been integrated tightly in information systems, but the processes are deeply rooted in their founding companies. Both are trying to find common ground, but when the rubber meets the road, previous culture takes precedence.
I am also liking the socialization model in this chapter and have applied it to the admissions process. Pre-arrival is the introduction, application process, GMAT, etc. Encounter was our orientation and first couple of nights in class, Now the metamorphosis begins. We work to start to encounter assignments and tests and accept our place at Pepperdine. It will be interesting to see how the Productivity, Commitment and Turnover turn out.
Work spitritualization is something I will take to heart. I think having an manager that can motivate and provide meaning to work is important. Jobs become less trivial and there is more ownership . I liked in Steven Covey's book, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, how the one hotel he stayed at, he got superior service. That service was found from ownership of the mission at all levels. The company had a mission statement, the hotel had a mission statement and each function had a mission statement. Ownership in what you are working on provides a lot of pride and satisfaction, whether the job is complex or menial.
