(Note: items in bold red text below are downloadable tools)
Every organization has political and cultural systems that come with their own history, traditions, and rules of behavior. It is easy to step into a hole or trigger a landmine quite innocently. Put another way, Managers who are new to an organization or to their role can find themselves challenging deeply rooted customs, practices, attitudes, or even people without knowing it.
This is particularly true if a manager’s Key Few Objectives require being a champion of change. Whether you are facing a longstanding company policy or an unwritten practice, astute managers learn to identify potential hot-button issues ahead of time in order to:
- Predict likely reactions among different constituencies in the organization.
- Make judgments about which battles are worth fighting.
Keep an Eye Out for Potential Pitfalls
Just like an anthropologist visiting an unfamiliar society, managers need “local” guides to interpret the culture and advise them about how different messages and actions are likely to be heard and understood. Possible guides include your supervisor, your immediate team, Human Resources staff, an executive coach, and other key stakeholders. These people are all potential resources you can access at different points to learn about the political and cultural systems in your organization.
What to Do to Learn the Culture
Identify 2-4 people you can talk to in order to get up to speed on cultural and political issues you may not be aware of. Arrange some opportunities to talk to them about these issues. Informal discussions are often the best forum. Use the Organizational Politics & Culture Research Checklist as a guide.
Learning the Culture: Following Up
- Make a list of potential hot-button issues to keep in mind as you tackle your Key Few Objectives.
- When drafting action items targeting your Key Few Objectives, factor in what you have learned about the current political and cultural environment.
What’s Next?
Now that you have a better understanding of your organization’s politics and culture, apply those insights to help strengthen your stakeholder relationships and build your team’s competencies.
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Good management is the art of making problems so interesting and their solutions so constructive that everyone wants to get to work and deal with them.Paul Hawken
Rocket Manager’s content is based on our work with successful leaders at organizations such as these:
