4.1: Canadian Corporate Culture
Making yourself comfortable in the workplace environment once you have a job will probably be the toughest adjustment you'll have to make in Canada.
Every job environment has a unique workplace culture. Different workers will take on different roles in that culture and you will have to spend some time figuring out how things are organized and who has power.
Chains of command in companies can be hierarchical (top to bottom) or they may be more democratically distributed. Every office has office politics, which is the way people influence decisions in a company from outside the designated chain of command. Sometimes it won’t be easy to determine who is in charge. Often key people like administrative assistants or human resources managers – or the supply room person - can hold real power in a company. It will be important for you to learn the points of control in your workplace and to use this information to achieve your career goals.
Following are some profiles of the corporate cultures of for-profit, non-profit and ‘hybrid’ sectors. It should be understood that these profiles are not intended to imply that all organizations fall within the strict scope of these characterizations. They are merely guides.
For Profit Business Sectors
The business sector is interested in ‘return on investment’ and ‘debt-equity ratios’. It is outcome oriented and values quick decision making. The money incentive at its core is the very thing that (usually) engineers efficiency – pleasing the customer is the quickest route to profits and all corporate effort is concentrated toward that end.
What this means to an employee is that the corporate pace is fast and workers are expected to be highly productive and contribute measurably to a company’s main focus: profits. Lack of productivity is penalized. An individual’s value is often measured by his contribution to the company. These cultures can be stressful for people whose orientations are not geared toward high production, high speed and high efficiency. They are good cultures for people who thrive on minute-by-minute challenges.
Non Profit / Charitable Sector
The nonprofit sector raises capital by soliciting charitable gifts, corporate sponsorships, foundation grants, and program funding from government sources. It is interested in constituency building, volunteer recruitment, and balanced budgets. Unlike for-profit businesses where all employees share the single motive of increasing profits, nonprofit organizations often have a variety of motives and points of view.
The most obvious difference between the for-profit and non-profit environments is the latter’s process orientation and its relatively slow decision–making procedures. Unlike the business world, the process of how decisions are made in nonprofits is often as important as the decision itself. Sometimes the process of making the decision is even more important than the decision because the process, in terms of internal politics, serves a distinct purpose within the organization’s dynamic. Seasoned non–profit executives understand the importance of process within this culture; where inclusion and participation are often valued more than outcome. The reason for this orientation is the existence of multiple, interdisciplinary constituent groups with multiple agendas. Non-profits tend to have a flattened chain-of-command and value opinions from all members.
The downside to this culture is its occasional tendency to concentrate efforts toward supporting its own bureaucracy over serving clients and causes. Funding concerns and the need to please sponsors and satellite groups can take precedence over tight programming. What this means to an employee is that the overall corporate pace tends to be slower; results are often less measurable and internal politics are very important. It is a good environment for people who are process oriented rather than outcome focused and who are tolerant of both ambiguity and, often, inefficiency. It is a difficult environment for people who wish to affect change quickly and are easily frustrated by internal roadblocks.
Other
The Hybrid Organization
In its June, 1999 issue, the Harvard Business Review praises a then-new business trend toward creating hybrid organizations; ones that possess both the efficiency of the for-profit sector and the moral imperative of the non-profit. Increasingly, one sees an interest within for-profit companies toward creating charitable foundations that receive percentages of profits accrued through for-profit efforts. Similarly, many non-profit organizations are implementing the internal business processes that have traditionally been the domain of for-profit companies. The latter views the client as customer rather than as the recipient of charitable support and, as such, takes pains to measure customer satisfaction. Programs are streamlined to meet end-user needs in the most efficient way possible.
NGOs
NGOs (non-governmental organizations) are not hybrids. Rather, they represent the moral middle ground between governmental and for-profit realms. As bureaucratized non-profit agencies, they are interested in the causes of social justice, education, the environment, and so forth, and are becoming increasingly instrumental in forging effective links between the governmental and corporate worlds. Today, they influence policies, deliver services, guide agendas and advance the initiatives that once belonged strictly to either-or-both the federal or corporate worlds.
The NGO workforce is generally made up of politically aware, well-educated workers who are interested in promoting a corporate ‘culture of responsibility’.
The Bohemian Organization
The Bohemian organization is an outgrowth of the youth culture that makes up many companies within the IT sector. The Bohemian organization values unconventionality, independent thinking, entrepreneurship, individuality, high production, cleverness, and fun. It is a cultural hybrid that combines the processes of the traditional profit-oriented company with the moral and ethical standards of the non-profit.
 Continue to: Factors that Define Organizational Culture >>
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