Culture of Commotion

Bright, colorful and fun!

Addressing the various ways culture is represented  


Let’s look at the workplace culture more in-depth, using a simple example of the popular and various coffee cultures.

Walk into any Starbucks, Pete’s, or local coffee shop and you’ll immediately get a sense of the culture and values of the organization. Everything conveys a message from the appearance, layout, artifacts, atmosphere, and interactions, representing a set of beliefs and a forming community that shares those values.  Looking further at these aspects you can see what the company really values. 

   1.       Physical Structure and layout

A niche spot for the more eccentric or selected few
that identify with "The Bulldog"

               

Notice appearances. It creates an emotion. It’s inviting or selective. It is identifiable to the beliefs and lifestyles it attracts. Perhaps it says it’s hip, sophisticated, grungy, earthy, exciting, pricey, or cheap.The size of the building creates a desired atmosphere. It can be spacious and inviting, small and cozy, or a kiosk in a parking lot to serve your urgent needs to get you on the road again.

Observe the layout and what it motivates employees and customers to do. How the employees and the customers interact...and even how the employees interact with themselves.

A fluid layout that moves customers through the shop. Allowing customer to grab their drink, past the entertainment, seat themselves, or continue outside to the patio seating.

Imitamate working conditions, open space, visability of
actions promotes social interaction, quick communication,
 and honesty of work

2.       Artifacts

Feels cozy and just like home

Take a look at how artifacts such as décor, furniture, and decorations enhance the values and atmosphere of the shop. 

Small tables draw people closer, pianos share the love for music, organic coffee bags as decor promote sustainability, modern chairs convey sense of high-class standards, local paintings show support for the arts, etc.  

Using artifacts to state
company values 

3.       Attire and self-presentation

Notice the message attire sends. It can convey quality, professionalism, individualism, and more. Customers may
evaluate the product based on employee's appearance and disposition (along with the other mentioned concepts).
They can also self-identify with the self-expressionism or with the brand that the employee's attire consistently represents.  Some coffee shops are known for their attire, from Starbuck's green aprons to Dutch Brothers beautiful, young baristas in trendy clothes. One is more standard and modern, the other is more young and hip.

4.       Communication Patterns

Complicated coffee jargon
 condensed in short-hand 

Take note of the process of communication. The jargon used between the cashier and customer 

(“Venti, Americano with an extra shot and 2 pumps of vanilla”). The baristas actively asking the next person in their line. The cashier writing the order in short-hand on the cup, passing it off to the barista. The baristas moving about, letting each other know what is being made, what is needed, and altering caution in passing (“I have the venti macchiato,” “I need non-fat milk after you, Briana,” “right behind you” “hot container, watch-out.”). The completed product is called out or delivered to the consumer with a final smile and fare-well wish.

Adding a little extra something to
communicate customer consideration
and care

Communication in various forms and LOTS of it. Non-verbal communication like the always friendly smile from cashiers  greeting  customers. A flare of art in the crème of a drink making the customer feel special and privileged. Written communication on boards, signs, and menus in logically placed locations. There’s a process and structure that works, with a flare of personality. It’s open, fast, simple, proactive, efficient, and positive.

Written communication can be fun and creative or
 formal and simple.

Friendly service and
easy to approach

5.       Atmosphere

The way all the above is communicated sets a certain tone and creates a certain atmosphere.
It promotes certain behaviors, interactions, and activities. Atmospheres can be calm and tranquil, bustling with lots of commotion, or jiving with live music. Coffee joints become a workspace, an escape, a quick treat, a first date, a social hot-spot, the usual hangout, a music scene, etc.

Each expresses themselves, their beliefs, and their values differently. They take part in different norms. This creates the popular and varying coffee culture.

Translation to Corporations

How does this translate to corporations with less customer interaction? Well, look at the physical layout. What type of interactions and behaviors does it promote?

Look at the artifacts in the environment of the workplace (décor, furniture, etc.). What  messages, emotions, and values is it conveying?

Technological communication channels

Look at the attire requirements and level of expressionism within the office. What are you trying to convey through the appearance of your employees? How do co-workers, customers, and executives interrupt this?

Look at the tone of communication and the efficiency of how messages are spread, understood, and accessed. Remember to consider verbal, non-verbal, and written forms. What impact does this have on your employees? Are there bottle necks? Inefficiencies? Negative tones?

Finally, look at the atmosphere of the organization. What is the tone, the feel, the energy? Do the employees agree with your assessment?

*sourced from dilbert.com

Homework

1. The next time you walk into Starbucks, see if you can identify their values through the five concepts listed above.  (Follow the link to find their values)

2. Analyze your own company and see if the company values are acurately being represented by the five concepts stated above. If not....well, review my previous blog post: "Creating Culture". 

Creating Culture

 

How structure and communication influence company culture.

Successful company cultures

Developing excellent culture takes time. It takes a set of values and leadership team to implement them. Zappos is a prime example. They live by their 10 commandments and have the leadership that supports it. As a summarized list, excellent culture is derived from: 

                -Focusing on customer service

                -Letting the employees be heard (from ideas to questions to comments)

                -Empowering employee communication (upward, downward, and laterally)

                -Adding a little fun

                -Empower growth and learning 

                    (form language lessons, in-building libraries, to training seminars)

                -Creating a “family and friends” environment

                -Fostering a positive environment

                -Embracing change 

                     (accepting and promoting change, while still reflective of the pace of its industry)

                -Bringing passions to work (passions for athletics, animals, running, and more)

                -Staying Humble 

“It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes men as angels.” *Sourced  from brainyquote.com*

Necessities of Culture

The above are dervied components of sucessful cultures, but there it takes more than just values to make a culture. 

1. Live by your company values

“practice what you preach”

2. Have the leadership

It starts at the top. The rest play the game Follow-the-leader. (This will be touched on 

more a little later) 

                

                3. Support with structure and communication

*sourced from http://dilbert.com/

Leadership and company's values provide the base of company culture, but the company structure and communication methods have a strong influence on create and uphold company values, but the company structure and communication methods have a strong influence on the maintenance of company culture.         

Structure and the Environment

Organizational communication speaks of businesses as a “system”. Various theories relate this system to biology (general systems theory), an interaction it’s components and it’s environment (open system), goal process (cybernetic systems theory) or organizational chaos (new science system theory).

Looking at a business as an open system, we can analyze a business structure and its relations to the business culture. First, let’s look at an open system.  An Open system looks at the systems components (hierarchical ordering, interdependence, permeability), system processes (inputs and outputs, feedback), system properties (holism, equifinality, negative entropy, requisite variety), as well as the environment.

Now think about how the components of an organizational structure can impact corporate culture. Centralized vs. decentralized (hierarchical ordering). Silos vs. cross-functionalism (interdependence). Security, office technology, and flow of information (permeability). Just-in-time vs.  six sigma quality vs. EDLP (every day low price) (process inputs/outputs). Key performance indicators (KPIs) vs 360-degree evaluations (feedback). Cubicles vs. open spaces (internal environment). Reaction to industry influences, competition, and PR (external environment). These are just a few.

Some cultavate creativity, information sharing, socialness, empowerment. Other promote stress, individualism, superiority, and lack of collaboration. 

They all have an effect on how employees interact, what they perceive is important, how they are motivated, and how they value themselves and their peers. It’s this perception and behavior that affects culture.  

Reading between the lines

Along with structure, communication cultivates the culture of an organization. How individuals within the organization communicate to each other and how upper management communicates to all, has a strong influence. Let’s look at two examples.  

1.               From: Communication Department

To: All employees

“Message from the CEO:  Thursday at noon, all employees are mandated to be present for an All Hands Meeting.” 

(Formal, authoritative, neutral/negative tone)

2.               From: Communication Department

To: All Employees

“To All Employees: Thursday at noon will be our quarterly All Hands Meeting. Come with your questions, accomplishments, and comments. The CEO will be speaking and is looking forward to your presence.”  

(Less formal, informative, positive, ritualistic, collaborative)

The style of the message will result in a similar type of culture. The first will foster rigid, authoritative, formal, negatively motivating culture. The second, a less formal, positive, and collaborative culture. This is true of corporate messages, as well as supervisor-to-employee messages.

1.               Supervisor: “Robert, Get me that report by Friday. Don’t waste time.”

2.               Supervisor: “Robert, Send me the report by Friday. Time is of the essences as we push to get this project out by the end of the quarter.”

Both convey a sense of urgency, but things like tone and formality have an impact on the employees, which in-turn will affect their interactions within the corporation, and in-turn the culture.

Communication via actions

Some things don’t need to be said. A simple act can have as strong of an impact as a written or verbal massage. Take for instance the Google Founders, who have been known to hop around Google’s campus on pogo sticks. It sends the message that having a little fun is OK.  In contrast, look at HP’s former CEO who resigned from his position after sexual harassment controversy. This sends mixed signals. Actions like these make employees question the trust in their leadership, the company, and their future. The culture begins to reflect this distrust and uncertainty.

In a nutshell

If the values are in-place, leadership has something to follow. If the leadership team follows and supports the values, the employees understand their expected behavior. If the corporate structure and communication supports the desired behaviors, then the desired culture will foster. They are all interdependent. If they don’t work together, something fails, and a company’s culture becomes more like the Dilbert comic below. Have the values, have the leadership, have the structure, and have the communication methods to uphold the culture you desire. Don't be a Dilbert comic. 

*sourced from http://dilbert.com/

Work-Life-Balance

Addressing the social and emotional needs of employees to achieve balance and productivity

No Longer clogs

Around the turn of the 1970’s, a move ensued from the Taylor and Floyd’s theory of organizational management. It moved from the view that employees are expendable clogs meant to do the labor work now employed off-shores to little Malaysian children (another issue for a later date).

REMINDER: We are human. There is a correlation to productivity and employees, but if only one factor is looked at (productivity), the other suffers. Thus, there is a need to focus on human emotions and social needs. A human Resource approach is invaluable in businesses today. A focus on Work-Life-Balance.

 

Culture and trends

For America in particular, our culture’s time oriented and work focus makes work and life separation hard. This will be an every present problem in our American society. Dilbert pokes fun at our cultural dilemma of managing our health and life as businesses continue to tamper find a work-life-balance.

    * Sourced: http://search.dilbert.com

Achieving social needs

                 Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and the two factor theory demonstrates the need to look beyond the basic and economic human needs. Maslow hierarchy states three higher level needs beyond that which salary could provide—belonging, esteem, and self-actualization.  The two factor hygiene theory also looks beyond the economics factors to the motivation factors which link to job satisfaction.  Smart Human Resource departments consider the motivations and needs of through-out the lifecycle of the employee’s employment, from proper selection process, matched job, employee benefits, and growth opportunities. Leading companies have noted the following actions to address employee’s social and emotional needs.

                Job design –designing the a set of tasks and responsibilities that leverage an employee’s talents and opportunity for growth, and also provide the employee feeling of belonging, self-confidence, and empowerment (Maslow’s hierarchy of needs)

                Amenities and benefits–providing day-care, laundry services, gyms, pets, etc. …bringing the employees life to work, to make the work environment more pleasurable.

                Telecommuting & Flexible scheduling —providing flexibility for life and work in an ever tech-heavy, globally connected world.

Concerns for productivity

Restating the previous, there is a critical balance between life and productivity. If only the human emotions and needs are looked at then productivity can suffer. Ways to maintain productivity can be seen in Elton Mayo’s experiments and the Hawthorne studies.

-Hold employees accountable

If they know there work matters and will be reviewed, they will feel the pressure to deliver. (BEWARE of micro managing. This is counteractive).

            -Provide a social aspect

Humans are social beings. Having breaks and finding social circles, keep employees from burning out and develop a sense of belonging.

            -Management style

Employee satisfaction and work-life-balance is not only dependent on HR. Supervisors play a critical role in employee’s satisfaction and can provide the most assistance to achieving work-life-balance and productivity.

Doing it Right  

                Marrying productivity and human needs can create the work –life-balance that employees desire.  The Glassdoor ranked the top 25 companies that achieve this work-life-balance. They see high employee retention and satisfaction.  

                The equation to a work-life-balance isn’t as easy as 2+2. And with the more employees and global growth, it becomes increasingly complex. Constantly looking to find ways to balance human needs with productivity will help our society and our businesses reach the balance they need.

*Sourced: http://search.dilbert.com

NOTICE:

Memorandum 

To:  The reader

From:  The author

Date:  mm/dd/yyyy

Subject: Author's notice

Hello and welcome to the first post of the critical analysis and application of organizational communication. Beware of slight sarcasm and humor. The proceeding posts are written by a sharp witted student at Oregon State University.

She's a Keizerite completing her final year of higher education and preparing to put her management and entrepreneurship degree to use.....by starting a blog. Make note of her background that influences her perceptions. 

Developed from a stereotypical family dynamic--father, mother (still together), older brother (who always started the fights), and herself (the perfect child). 

She is internationally cultured: having studied in Spain, been on several Mission Trips to Mexico, and experienced the uniqueness of Ireland, Italy, and France. 

Finally, she is biased towards anything related to soccer, art, food or music. 

Through various postings for a communication course, she will breakdown the communication associated with organizations and the practical application of their theories. 

Comment and contribute valuable feedback. Follow the blog (it's the new thing to do) and let the improvements of understanding organizational communication begin.