Looking for a job? Harvard's organizational guru, JohnKotter, tells
how to evaluate corporate character before getting duped by a fat salary
and plush office.
PT: Just what do you mean by corporate culture? And is it easily
recognized?
JK: I think about corporate culture in terms of shared values and
behavior norms. Shared values are basic preferences about good and bad
that most people in a group share in common. They can be invisible. You
have to infer what they are or try to seek them out by talking with
people.
On a different, but related level, are behavior norms. They are
visible patterns of behavior that are self-reinforcing. They're "the way
we do things around here" that most people buy into. They are
self-sustaining because whenever anyone bucks the norm, people whether
they realize it or not--nudge them back toward the norm.
PT: Could you give some examples of each?
JK: A shared value may be a deep concern for customers and serving
their needs. A related behavior norm might be jumping three feet in the
air to act on every customer complaint that's called in.
You know it's a behavior norm when a new employee receives his
first customer complaint, doesn't jump to act on it, and is taken aside
by the other managers. They tell the newcomer, "That's not how we do
things here." This is how norms perpetuate.
PT: What elements of a corporate culture create a positive work
environment?
JK: Performance-enhancing cultures--that is, cultures that perform
well economically--also seem to create positive working environments. In
a performance-enhancing culture, the core value is not me, me, me. The
sole purpose of the corporation is not for me to get a career advancement
or for me to get more money.
The purpose of a performance-enhancing culture is to serve
customers, employees, stockholders, and the community.
These cultures are decentralized and empowering. Responsibility is
pushed down the ladder; leadership and initiative are expected from
below.
Employees and management feel good because people are valued, and
responsibility and authority are not hoarded in the hands of a few
people.
PT: Do you think there are cultures that can threaten your mental
and physical health?
JK: Sure. There are places where management's implicit belief is
that a little terror keeps people working hard. The key shared belief is
that scaring people unexpectedly every so often is a good way to
operate.
I think these cultures leave us very, very anxious, and it becomes
pervasive. Even in your sleep, you're worried: My God, did I do something
wrong today? Will I find a pipe bomb in my office tomorrow--not
literally, but careerwise.
PT: Can you be oblivious to bad corporate culture?
JK: Well, other cultures are psychologically destructive in more
subtle ways. One example is a company where all the jobs are confining.
It might be very paternalistic and benign. Nobody is terrorizing you, but
there's no space or expectation to grow.
Over time you discover you aren't developing the skills and
perspectives that you need to fulfill your career goals. For many people,
that leads to depression. It's very sad to reach 45 and discover that
you're never going to get to where you thought you were because you've
been kept in a box.
There's another culture, even more insidious maybe, where
implicitly you're taught not to worry about customers, employees, and
stockholders, but to worry about yourself and how to claw ahead. And
you're taught that he or she who gets up the ladder first is the
greatest, even if that involves kicking people in the stomach on your way
up.
PT: What does this person feel like at 40 or 50 years old?
JK: A spouse or a grandchild tells him, "Sweetheart or grandpa,
you're kind of a creep." You look in the mirror and decide that is indeed
what has happened. You've become a creep because that's what the
culture's taught you: To succeed around here you've got to become a
creep.
There was no contract up front that said, "By the way, to make it
around here, you're going to have to set aside a lot of what mom and dad
taught you and what society says is good." You just kind of get sucked
into it because it is the culture and that's what's rewarded.
I suspect that is profoundly depressing.
PT: What's the best way to prevent this from happening?
JK: Well, before you join a company or get too locked in, take a
long, hard look at the company, the people, and the way they operate. Ask
yourself, do I really want to live in this community and do I really want
to become like these people? Because that's what's going to happen if
it's a strong culture and you stay long enough.
If the answer is no, then don't get sucked in by 10 or 20 percent
more pay, by a title that looks flattering, or an office that looks nice.
All of those things in the long term will look small compared to the
downside.
PT: In a job interview, what can you do to ensure you're entering a
performance-enhancing work dynamic?
JK: If the interviewer treats you like a slug and seems to treat
himself or herself as the king, that certainly tells you
something.
You can ask whether management has some shared philosophy on how to
run the business. If so, what is it?
Tags:
career advancement,
core value,
corporate culture,
cultures,
elements,
guru,
Harvard,
managerial style,
newcomer,
norm,
organizational behavior,
positive environment,
sole purpose,
work,
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