Tales from the Corporate Frontlines: Shifting Culture and Climate in Todays Corporate World
This articles relates to the AlphaMeasure core competency Culture and Climate. AlphaMeasure defines climate as the effect an organization has on the employees, while culture refers more to the acceptable behaviors, attitudes, and habits of the organization as a whole. Knowing and understanding workplace culture and climate leads to a better understanding of what factors are influencing employees. In relation, the level of service your customers receive is almost always influenced by the culture and climate of your organization. This competency can be especially insightful if your organization is experiencing customer service related issues or problems working together internally.
A Tale from the Corporate Frontlines: An Employee's Perpective on Culture and Climate. This short story is part of AlphaMeasure's Tales from the Corporate Frontlines.
When large, multinational corporations acquire medium-sized, locally-oriented businesses, huge shifts in the culture and climate of the workplace can occur.
I experienced such a shift while working for a prosperous company with a rich local history and plenty of prestige in the community. When I started there, years ago, the culture was very friendly and laid back. This may have been due to the fact that although an eastern company, it was owned and directed by a larger west coast entity.
The culture and climate was relaxed and friendly. Occupants of executive row could be seen mingling with "regular employees" at company functions, which were many- the bill nearly always footed by the company. They recognized employees and their families by name, and were regularly spotted in offices, hallways, and the cafeteria, catching up with fellow workers, and enjoying themselves. Morale was high, along with productivity and profitability. It reminded me of working for a family business, even though 500+ people worked in the building.
Then came the sale. At the first of many employee meetings, the details of the huge corporate transaction, of the kind so common these days, were outlined. This new parent company turned out to have a climate and culture exactly the opposite from what we were used to for years.
Change didn't occur overnight, but gradually the shift began. Then it washed over our little company like a tidal wave. Executive row was walled in like a fortress, and its occupants stayed inside. We were barraged by memos, new rules, more rules, dress codes, building regs, vacation regs, holiday changes, work process changes, changes for the sake of making changes (or so it seemed to the employees), layoffs, restructurings- the climate became tense and chaotic. Morale suffered, as well as productivity.
Eventually, things worked out. Communication between various levels of management improved, understandings were reached, and the company survived and thrived again. But I always wondered---couldn't someone have done something to make the shift easier and smoother? With sales, mergers, and acquisitions so common these days, there has got to be a better way. It seemed to me that if a little consideration had been given to the radical climate and culture changes involved, the company could have handled the transition more smoothly, to the benefit of everyone involved.
This article may be reprinted provided it is published in its entirety, includes the author bio information, and all links remain active.
2004 - AlphaMeasure, Inc. - All Rights Reserved
Josh Greenberg is President of AlphaMeasure, Inc. located in Boulder, Colorado. AlphaMeasure provides organizations of all sizes a powerful web based method for measuring employee satisfaction, determining employee engagement, and increasing employee retention.
The AlphaMeasure Employee Survey System is fully-customizable and allows you to target the organizational topics and challenges facing your staff today. Designed by HR professionals from the ground up, the AlphaMeasure Employee Satisfaction Survey System provides an affordable, feature rich solution for deploying fully-customized employee satisfaction or employee engagement surveys.
For additional employee surveying resources go to AlphaMeasure Employee Survey System.
Latest News
![]() Spiegel Online | More stringent ethics rules get tryout at GOP convention USA Today - Mike Castle, R-Del., who has sponsored several ethics bills in recent years, says he looks forward to seeing how the new rules work at his party's ... 'Adjustments' get around most new ethics restrictions Ethics reform meets convention lobbyists New ethics rules won't spoil Democratic convention parties |
![]() Los Angeles Times | McCain's VP Pick Palin Facing Ethics Investigation Washington Post, United States - John McCain's running mate today, is now the focus of her own state ethics investigation as part of the so-called "Troopergate" scandal, ... Palin Ethics Investigation Palin On Ethics Investigation About that Palin ethics investigation. |
Ethics board slams ex-House leader Lance Cargill NewsOK.com, OK - By John Greiner The state Ethics Commission publicly reprimanded former Republican House Speaker Lance Cargill on Friday for diverting campaign ... Knesset Speaker to launch new, more stringent ethics code Ethics panel reprimands ex-speaker Ethics group reprimands Cargill, GOP committees |
Times Online | NC Republicans laud Palin on ethics Winston-Salem Journal, NC - Republicans running for office in North Carolina this year are emphasizing the theme of corruption, frequently invoking the ethics and lobbying scandals ... Video: McCain's Running Mate Is Historic, Hardly Known McCain seen taking big gamble in choice of Palin From the archive: Palin takes on oil industry, fellow Republicans |
New Questions In Ethics Probe Hartford Courant, United States - The whispers have been out there for months about Hartford city Councilwoman Veronica Airey-Wilson becoming entangled in the corruption investigation into ... |
Ethics debate Norristown Times Herald, PA - And politics, just as much as good government, appears to be the motivating factor in this new interest in dusting off a Code of Ethics that was first ... |
Governor's tax break documents disclosed San Jose Mercury News, USA - Jim Gibbons, facing a complaint that he abused his position to get a tax break on land he owns in eastern Nevada, told a state Ethics Commission ... |
![]() DailyNewsOnline | Defiance to ethics, integrity slowed down caused sluggish reforms ... DailyNewsOnline, United Republic of Tanzania - He says that public servants need to develop and apply an accountability frame work by continuously monitoring and enforcing ethics in the public service of ... |
Perspective: More thoughts on government ethics Allston-Brighton TAB, MA - By Staff reports Some time ago, I wrote about the good work the State Ethics Commission does in ferreting out wrongdoing in local government and in trying ... |
Ethics Complaint Filed Against State Agency Lawyer Hartford Courant, United States - Duggan worked for Plofsky as a lawyer for the State Ethics Commission in 2004. Now she is a $105000-a-year attorney with management responsibilities at the ... |
Resources
-
Sorry Currently Unavailable


