Work Culture

1. Work Culture

2. What is work culture? • A company's culture is its personality and tells the employees how to do their work. It takes its signals from leaders and underlies motivation, morale, creativity, and marketplace success. Transition Services Preparation & Training

3. The personality of a company • Work culture is the distinctive personality of the organization that determines how members act, how energetically they contribute to teamwork, problem solving, innovation, customer service, productivity, and quality. • It is the culture that makes it safe (or not safe) for a person, division or the whole company to raise issues and solve problems, to act on new opportunities, or to move in new, creative directions. • A company's culture is often at the root of difficult people-related problems such as motivation, morale, absenteeism, communications, teamwork, retention, injuries, and insurance claims. Transition Services Preparation & Training

4. Behavior depends upon culture • Like ethnic cultures, work culture tells the employees how to behave, what to do, and what not to do. It is the context that gives meaning to what people do. • If you want to understand why people act in a certain way at work, examine their work culture. Transition Services Preparation & Training

5. Observing the culture • By observing the way people act in the work environment, one can easily tell how the culture is constructed • If people are open, motivated and engaged, you know that is the nature of the company's culture. • In contrast if people are defensive, irresponsible, and passive, you also understand the company's culture. Transition Services Preparation & Training

6. What is a healthy work culture? • More involvement in decisions that affect each worker • A feeling of safety—more openness and trust. • Better communication and more information. • Better teamwork and more cooperation. • More focus on getting work done and less on who is doing it, or making comparisons. • Clearer tasks, responsibilities, and boundaries, so employee can be personally responsible • Looking forward to coming to work. Transition Services Preparation & Training

7. Introductions to a new work culture • Through part-time or other work experiences we have before joining a company, we have a rough idea of work expectations and culture (also through the interview process, observing co-workers interacting, etc) • Once we are hired, it doesn't take more than a few days, or a few weeks at most, for us to know what to do, and what not to do, and the type of interactions that are accepted within that culture. Transition Services Preparation & Training

8. Looking to the boss • People watch their supervisors for cues about how to behave. Leaders who are open and engaged will encourage this from their workers. • Each worksite establishes unwritten expectations. Despite written policies this is why some companies have employees who are engaged, responsible, pleasant, and highly productive. Conversely, other companies have employees who are closed, unengaged, irresponsible, unpleasant, and unproductive. • The signals about these expectations come largely from the company’s culture, which is established by the company’s leadership—the boss sets the tone! Transition Services Preparation & Training

9. Disability and work culture • Work cultures that openly communicate about daily problems are more likely to find positive ways to solve accommodation issues. • Co-workers and supervisors that feel valued are more likely to value others, including those with disabilities. • So—finding a supportive work culture is very important to our students’ success! Transition Services Preparation & Training

10. References • Pape, Harry. Transforming the work culture. Retrieved November 29, 2005. http://www.cisgroup.com/CWS_Transforming_Work_Culture.htm • Phogan, Barry. What is company culture? Retrieved November 29, 2005. http://www.companyculture.com/basics/whatis.htm Transition Services Preparation & Training