Ever take a personality assessment? No doubt you have. They’re offered by coaches, trainers, HR departments and career centers. My all-time favorite is the DiSC, due to it’s simplicity, usefulness and ease of application. It helps put language and structure to the insights people may already have about themselves and others.
Most people feel like their results are “right on” — no matter how often they’ve taken an assessment over the years. It usually provides validation. People love learning more about themselves, their preferences, frustrations and strengths. The information helps them make career choices and understand their co-workers, life partners and even their children better.
Companies Have Personalities Too
Did you know that organizations have personalities too? I imagine you’ve suspected as such. Most likely you’ve heard the term “Company Culture” as a way to describe “the way we do things around here.”
Why does this matter? Because, similar to a personality assessment, the more you know about the organization, their values and the way they make decisions, the better off you’ll be. You’ll be more likely to…
- know whether you “fit” when you sign on with an organization
- understand the leadership style of those you’ll be working for
- be able to navigate the way they manage conflicts
- benefit from the way they do teamwork
- know what’s rewarded and how you’ll be recognized
- be congruent in the way you lead employees
- and, most importantly, support the promise the organization makes to their customers
The Four Types of Company Culture
So how do you know what the “type” is for your organization? For a deep dive into the “personality” of your company, you must read William E. Schneider’s book, Lead Right For Your Company’s Type: How to Connect Your Culture with Your Customer Promise.
According to Schneider, “…the promise an enterprise makes to its customers determines its type, which includes how you interact with customers and behaviors exhibited when delivering on the customer promise.”
There are four types of culture:
- Predictable and Dependable Enterprise
- Enrichment Enterprise
- Customization Enterprise
- Best-In-Class Enterprise
Over the next few weeks, I will cover each type of culture, starting today with the Predictable and Dependable Enterprise.
But First, a Story About an Interview
I once arrived for a job interview scheduled for right after lunchtime. Going up in the elevator with me was a gentleman outfitted in a suit. It was only he and I in the elevator, so I tried to strike up a conversation. He was having none of it. His responses were very short and abrupt, so I cut out the chit-chat.
When we arrived at our floor and got out, I coincidentally followed him into the office where the interview was to be held. The organization administered state employee benefit programs. After a few minutes, they called me in for the interview. I’ll bet you can guess who was sitting behind the desk. Yes, Mr. Personality.
I looked around the office and briefly commented on his pictures and artifacts, trying to ease the tension and create some rapport. But, no-go.
He briskly issued the instructions on how the interview would proceed and said there were to be five questions (and five questions only!) which I was to answer. No smiles. No icebreaker conversation. There was a process and by golly, we were going to follow it!
I answered the questions and that was that. On the way down in the elevator I thought to myself, “This is not somewhere I want to work.”
Aside from the man who interviewed me, what I learned about the organization — human resources and employee benefits in a government organization — it was clear the culture was a predictable and dependable enterprise — one where, according to Schneider, “…the system needs to be in control, not the people.”
The interview was conducted according to a process and most likely was designed to do an “apples to apples” comparison, so they stuck with only five questions. Any kind of rapport building conversation might have skewed the grading process and introduced bias towards one candidate or another.
It was understandable they would interview the same way they conducted business — objective, impersonal and fact-based.
How to Spot a Predictable and Dependable Enterprise
Schneider continues, “The predictable and dependable enterprise promises customers reliability, safety, security or sometimes, commodities…Approximately 60 percent of the one hundred largest companies in America are predictable and dependable enterprises…they have to do with life and death, potable water, electricity, telecommunications, infrastructure, construction, mining, oil and gas, basic goods or commodities…”
These are organizations that make decisions based on facts and data, like transportation (see the photo above), banks, police and fire departments, credit card companies, Amazon, etc. They are all very systems-driven.
I suspect that these organizations attract employees who value a business-like environment where facts and data matter more than personal enrichment. Having been a Paralegal in the United States Air Force, I was familiar with that kind of culture. And given the importance of the mission, — one of life and death/law and order — it’s understandable they’d rely on a very objective basis for making decisions.
But Here’s the Point
It’s wise to know the culture of an organization before you “pledge your troth,” so to speak. You want to make sure that your personal style is a match — that you are in synch with the way they make decisions, serve customers, develop employees and lead teams. Can you support the mission? Will you feel like a fish out of water?
Also, the more you know about company culture types, the better of a leader you’ll be — better able to tell if your organization/enterprise is operating in service to the promise you make to your customers. Reading the entire book, Lead Right For Your Company’s Type by William E. Schneider will give you tremendous insights into how to align your organization to be congruent with its true type and traits.