Corporate Culture

They say 'Face is the index of the mind.' Likewise, 'Corporate culture is the index of a company'. Every organization has a strong culture associated with itself in terms of protocols of dressing, demeanor in office, work timings, compensation and benefits, vision, core values and many more such parameters.

Level 1: What is Corporate Culture?

It is important for employees to be aware of the corporate culture of their organization as otherwise it could hamper the growth prospects of the employee within the organization. Consider the example of an employee coming late to office. Some organizations do not permit this and the conduct of the employee may be viewed seriously and it may even affect the employee's overall performance rating.

One might ask whether it is equally critical for prospective jobseekers to know the corporate culture of a potential employer. The answer is a big YES! This could give immense mileage to the possibility of selection. To cite the same example, if a candidate arrives late to an interview oblivious of the fact that the prospective employer is very particular about timeliness, the candidate may not even be considered

Therefore, it is very important to be aware of the corporate culture of the company that you are associated with or are looking forward to get associated with.

Level 2: Understanding Corporate Culture

Following are some ways to go about understanding the corporate culture of an organization:

• Read the career section/ corporate culture section of the organizations' website.
• Read the corporate culture section in annual reports.
• Visit the organization and watch the way the employees interact with each other.
• Visit the organization and feel how the company interacts with visitors.

All the above methods will allow you to get a glimpse of some of the organizations' core values, such as behavior, customer service, timeliness of help and many factors, which are vital to the organizations' culture. The more aware one is about the corporate culture of a particular organization, the more is the possibility to strike the right chord with that organization, be it a job, a sales deal or a partnership.