KNOWING YOUR ORGANIZATION’S CORPORATE CULTURE
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A powerful ingredient in decision-making is your organization’s corporate culture. This affects the issues and options available to you when making a decision. Learn what is acceptable to your organization and what is always ruled out.
Analyzing Different Corporate Styles
Decisions are affected by, and impact on, the surrounding organization. If your corporate culture is authoritarian and conformist, you are probably bound by bureaucracy, and your ability to make dynamic decisions will be restricted. In contrast, an innovative and progressive company will expect you to be more adventurous, taking decisions on your own initiative. With companies that alternate between being risk-averse and ambitious, try to sense the prevailing climate and act accordingly.
Overcoming Resistance
The artful decision-maker learns to manipulate the system when necessary. For example, the risk-taking organization’s bold decisions may have to be curbed if they outrun the available resources, and the risk-averse company may sometimes need to be coaxed into taking unprecedented action in order to stay ahead of the competition.
In either case, try to identify the levers of power and influence and form firm alliances with those individuals who are best placed to overcome the various obstacles you may encounter.
What Culture Dominates Your Organization?
To assess whether your organization tends to be a risk-averse or adventurous or a mixture of the two – overcautious some of the time and overconfident the rest, read through the statements in the columns below and see which of the best fit the company culture.
RISK-AVERSE |
ADVENTUROUS |
| New ideas are often dismissed. | New and creative ideas are welcomed |
| The organization is not always driven by external needs. | The organization focuses mainly on the needs of the customer. |
| The emphasis within the organization is on dealing with problems. | The corporate emphasis is on taking advantage of new opportunities. |
| Stability and experience are the most valued attributes of the organization. | Motivation and innovation are among the most valued characteristics. |
| The good of the company is put before the success of the individual. | Corporate and individual aims are largely aligned. |
| Command and control appear to be the dominant processes. | All staff are allowed autonomy and are able to show their initiative. |
| It is almost impossible to change the corporate mind-set. | Minds and policies are frequently changed, according to circumstances. |
| If you agree with most of the definitions above, your company is definitely averse to taking risks. Decisions involving new ideas and technology are not welcomed readily. | If you agree with most of the definitions above, your company is forward-thinking, not afraid of change, and happy tom takes bold decisions that create success. |
Tips
Challenge the company culture in the cause of good decision-making
Make sure that you are known for coming up with good, creative, innovative ideas.
Marry intellect with intuition in decision-making.
Be aware of the politics behind decision-making.
Always weigh the impact of decisions on all your colleagues.
