Cultural Influences in Management

John Smith

Section 8

Culture in my Future Paper

        Culture is a part of every society. It ranges all the way from what a group of people wear to how they talk to what you can and cannot do at certain times. Culture reaches deeper than those surface things though. Culture is so multifaceted that it even goes so far as to be a part of business. In business, it is equally as important; it can be the difference between a successful company or one that goes belly up in the first few months. Culture is something important to watch and learn about in order to gain future success.

        Culture is a term that refers to the way individuals in an organization uniquely and collectively think, feel, and act. This is a very broad arching statement that means in real terms that culture is the way that has been outlined, either explicitly or by example, for the employees of an organization to go about their business. Examples of this are things like the design of the physical space, reward systems, norms, stories and legends, leaders actions, and how a company recruits or promotes. These things draw hugely into a companies success because when the culture of a company resonates amongst the employees, it can lead to outstanding efficiency and productivity. In contrast, if the employees don't aline with the culture of the organization, there are frequently conflicts that detract from productivity.

        This is something that I look to carry into my working experience as I move forward into a career. The first way that I'll use culture to help me in my career is that when I am picking my first job out of college, I'll make sure that my views align as close to as perfectly as I can. By doing this, it will first make sure that I am going to get along with the people I work with for the most part. If I am acting and talking in the same way as my co-workers, chances are that I will get along with them too. Also, it will mean that I am going to work harder for my company because I am going to feel passionately about my company because I care about what they stand for and how they treat me.

        The next step for using culture in my work experience is if I were to ever get to management, specifically upper management. If this were to happen, my first action would be to evaluate our culture, and how our employees are fitting the culture. I would do this by looking at how our upper management is conveying our values, as well as things that benefit the employees such as our reward system. Two of the biggest problems I have seen in business these days are the executives of a company not leading by example and instead are just out for huge bonus in order to live a more lavish lifestyle and employees lacking a solid incentive system, which leads to dwindling morale and poor work.