Organizational Culture

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term relationships instead of short term profits.

A few weeks into my job I had heard whispers of a story that I found hard to believe. The CEO had a few weeks earlier had an altercation with an employee that got fiery where he attempted to punch the employee, instead missing and hitting a wall. It took me 2 months and multiple other observations to realize that the CEO was volatile and the story was true. The message of the story was key, be careful what you say and share as if he disagrees with you, the only person to loose would be you. This story was probably added onto as time went by, but the future actions of the CEO (though never so drastic) fueled the fire making it seem plausible. It created an image of him as a manager that expected results but one where your position was uncertain if he did not like you. Fear due to physical or emotional intimidation is an unacceptable action in a workplace and one that should be addressed immediately.

After reading about the competing values framework outlined by Kim Cameron I think the organization could gain by moving from an extreme, negative version of the Hierarchy and Market culture towards a more Adhocracy culture. Employees craved a culture of innovation and agility and a value driven culture would help propel workers to focus on delivering their best work. Employees along with owners and management could work towards building on the foundation of the parent company ‘Lovemark’ mission. This can be done through information sessions, no-repercussion brainstorming sessions or monthly emails with a focus on employees who created something with the Lovemark in mind. Building a strong culture, one that connects the workforce and provides direction and clarity from the first day is important.

I would not recommend IAL Saatchi as a place to work. Company culture drives a workforce and it is essential for one to be created otherwise employees will create it themselves. This in my experience has not been done successful as everybody has different methods, understandings and opinions on the importance of culture in a company and how it can help develop better outcomes. A positive culture with individual ownership has been proven to increase output. Donald P. Moynihan and Sanjay K. Pandey in their research show that output and retention of a workforce are all improved when there is a strong positive company culture.