I was asked – how do you define a culture? Here are some thoughts.
- Pushy, harsh and authoritarian vs. open, inclusive, warm and congenial
- Top down vs. Bottom up
- Formal vs. Informal
- Very political with traps and pitfalls for people to fall into if they are not nimble and able to wheel-and-deal and hold their own in a brawl vs. straight-up and honest environment that allows and encourages people to speak up and participate with little fear
- Rule and ritual bound vs. free-wheeling and innovative
- Cold and indifferent vs. warm and welcoming
- Brisk and dynamic vs. lethargic and lackluster
- Opportunistic vs. bureaucratic
- Exploitative, all take and no give vs. open and participative
- Caring and genuinely interested in people as people vs. people as cogs
- Objective driven vs. financially driven
- Mission driven vs. financially driven (or lacking any awareness of mission)
- Emphasis on community vs. indifferent and unconcerned to the community
- Employer of choice vs. “just another place to work”
These are just some examples. The question is - once you have described your culture, how do you determine who best fits in that culture?
Once again, the answer is in very in-depth interviewing and/or the use of solid validated instruments like the Hogan Motives, Values, and Preferences Inventory.