Workplace observation and analysis

Org Culture

Organizational Culture and Values

I am a member of an organization that facilitates cultural exchanges between American universities and international medical students interested in obtaining certification to study and participate in America's medical education and health care system. However, although my job description speaks of my status as a facilitator of cultural exchanges and a kind of translator of the bureaucratic language of educational institutions around the world, I am also part of a unique workplace or organizational culture myself.

In dress and language, diversity and tolerance is key to my workplace culture and my workplace's system of values. To deal with other certifications and governmental authorities over the phone, one must be tolerant of many cultural differences and imperfect English. The tolerance of diversity is also observable in that many ethnic backgrounds exist that within my workplace. Individuals do not assume, for example, that a fellow employee is American by birth, Christian, or uniform in his or her dietary or customary practices to a stereotyped rather than a true 'American.'

Yet despite this commonality of difference, there is still a strong sense of observable unity in the workplace culture in terms of the professional appearance of all the staff members. The staff appearance is very professional in the sense that all of us are expected to wear suits and ties, both men and women. Even when I spent most of the day sitting at a desk, hidden behind a cubicle wall and on the phone with someone who cannot see my face nor hear my voice, I am expected to look as well as sound like an articulate and educated professional, as is everyone in the office. Although dry cleaning bills can annoy, I believe the dress code the organizational policy and culture is fundamentally a sound one and contributes to a healthy organizational culture. When one feels one looks professional, one is more inclined to act professionally, and my pride in my appearance causes me to reach out socially to my fellow employees during occasional work slow downs, to come out from outside my cubicle in a way I would not, were I wearing merely jeans and a t-*****. This fostering of a professional and communal environment ensures that everyone works well together, even during the most stressful of times.

Yet although a healthy social network is encouraged amongst employees, personal Internet and phone activity must be kept to a minimum. One can browse the web and have personal calls, but within reason. Using the Internet appropriately and with discretion is especially important because so much of the online work deals with confidential information of customers. The company requires all employees to maintain a stringent level of confidentiality. Employees handle a large amount of private documentation and must uphold the law of confidentiality legally and ethically.

Despite the stress on confidentiality of client information, communication flow is still important to the organization's ability to get work done. / Thus confidentiality in the service of customers, not in the service of secrecy is the organizational mantra. Additionally, communication is not simply fostered in the organizational culture's common professional dress. Because communication skills are so integral to the organization's work, when dealing with other nations over the phone, creating better communication styles in its employees' dealings with one another has become an integral part of the organization's standard operating procedures and mission statement. There are regular updates regarding company policy for employees and weekly staff meetings to foster a healthy and open communication flow between staff and management. No one need ever feel out of the loop. The organizational flow thus is kept timely through the frequency of Internet and intranet communication, yet the organization never loses touch with the 'face-to-face' relationships within the office. Conflicts are taken care of through face-to-face facilitation as well, in a timely and personal manner.