A Day at Works

As we generally more concern about salary, benefits and position; we generally taken for granted about culture of the new company we applied for. We tend to forget that productivity, the key of career and salary increase, is a result of job satisfaction. We tend to run for higher pay-check and position without even glimpse on respect, “accountable flexibility”, atmosphere, support/ friendship, and challenge. Worse scenario is when we enter a new company with pay-check increase, but actually the position is a temp, or without understanding that the belief and value of ourselves is incompatible to what company value and belief in.

How actually corporate culture affects its employee?
The essence of culture is what company belief and value –in. These 2 will reflected to more tangible aspect of culture, namely expressed value and artifacts. Example of expressed value is “HP Way”, an employee guidance for working at Hewlett Packard. Example of artifacts is office layout, and dress code –remember how IBM called Big Blue, since the employee always wear blue suit which reflects it’s belief in professionalism, and hard work (value of IBM).

What will effect employees most, is artifacts such as:
· Working hour. Is it tight to schedule just like an army, of flexible just like an artist?
· Dress code. Do company has uniform or casual, which suggest creativity and personal responsibility?
· The office space / layout. Private space or open space which suggest openness, interaction, and teamwork.
· Extra office events for socialization. Is it strictly business or also invites personal interaction?
· Working atmosphere. Is it teamwork or individual and hostile environment?
All of these surely influence your heart and head, which in turn determine your performance, expectation and job satisfaction.

How we can detect corporate culture (belief & value, expressed value and artifacts)?
The truth is that you will never really know the corporate culture until you have worked at the company for a number of months, but you can get close to it through research and observation. Research, before you are interviewed and observe during your interview.
During interview, observe how employees interacts, how they are dressed, also observe their level of courtesy and professionalism. Furthermore you can ask questions to gain information:
· How are decisions made – and how are those decisions communicated to the staff?
· What role does the person who gets this position play in decision-making?
· Does the organization emphasize working in teams?
· What are the organization’s priorities for the next few years?
· Are there established career paths for employees in this position?

If you get a chance to meet with other employees, you can ask one or more of these questions to try and get a handle on an organization’s corporate culture:
· What 10 words would you use to describe your company?
· What’s it really like to work here? Do you like it here?
· Around here what’s is really important?
· How are employees valued around here?
· What skills and characteristics does the company value?
· Do you feel as though you know what is expected of you?
· How do people from different departments interact?
· Are there opportunities for further training and education?
· How do people get promoted around here?
· Around here what behaviors get rewarded?
· Do you feel as though you know what’s going on?
· How effectively does the company communicate to its employees?

F.W. Taylor’s scientific management (1911) is a rigorous analysis of input, output & cost aim to improve productivity by harmonize management & labor. He concerned about company’s health showed by productivity, and harmony showed by distribution of income. Although his aim is workers’ goodness, but his mechanical approach of company and worker made him see there is only ‘one best method’. It makes him enemy of the workers.

Taylor’s division of work is principal of scientific management, which leads to ergonomics, specialization and efficiency, but also leads to monotonous work & workers’ dissatisfaction since workers unable to see the end product & directly associated himself to the creation. Taylor’s one best method is a quest for Frank & Lilian Gilbert’ time & motion study. They introduce Work Cycle, Work Simplification & Systematization, and Process Flow Chart.

Elton Mayo through Hawthorne investigation found that productivity is a social phenomenon, not only technical / methodology problem. Fellowship of management & worker, cooperation & teamwork, self respect, sense of belonging, task identification & recognition are important to workers’ productivity. Further, Hawthorne study leads to the emergence of Participative Management & Leadership promoted by Robert Owen (called as 1st Enlighted Manager) & Mary Follet.

She found that Laissez-faire & Directive Management bring less productivity compared to Participative Management. Participative approach which essentially democratic, success simply because it provide what is needed in productive social environment and worker’s personality.