The success of an organization is greatly impacted by its organizational culture. Whether the organization excels because its culture is strict or loose it is important that members of the organization are able to identify with the organizational culture. Organizations should keep this in mind when they take on new people because it is important that new employees understand why an organization acts in a certain way and the reasons as to why they are expected to act in a certain way. For example, I had a friend that started to work as a server for a restaurant in Raleigh. She is what I would deem a "nice girl" and it turned out that the place she became employed was sort of a rough place. After several situations in her first week she decided her personality and the culture at the restaurant she was working at did not match and she quit. In the end she wasted her time and the restaurant wasted its time training somebody that left before she could really help them out. This situation could have been avoided had the organization been better at explaining its way of doing things and its expectations.
The role of organizational culture can be a powerful one that attracts both money and talent. Take Google for example. This article outlines some major players that have moved from one of Google's chief competitors, Microsoft, to work at Google. Perhaps they were drawn in by the Googleplex and the fact that Google employees can bring their dogs to work. Or it could have been the three free gourmet meals served to employees every day. Whatever it is Google has figured out a way to make its culture work to its advantage over its competitors.
Once an employee is part of an organization, the culture of that organization is related by storytelling and mentoring. The paper by Swap goes into great detail discussing these methods. An employee's mentor can have a profound effect on how that employee will start his/her career. An effective mentor will explain to the employee what is expected of them and how the organization functions, get the employee the crucial embedded skills. Having a mentor gives the employee a chance to learn the ropes quickly and correctly. I was hired to my first job when I was 15 years old. I worked at a pizza place and the job lessons I learned there will be present with me for the rest of my life. I had a great trainer and the owners of the store were passionate about what they did and that transferred to me. Old employees that had moved on to college or other bigger and better things would stop by all the time and would relate old stories, instilling a since of pride in me about my work. Eventually the store was sold and the new owners brought in a different culture, hiring different types of people that did not share the same values the old employees had. Quickly all the old employees left to different jobs and the store was changed forever. Until the classes we had on organizational culture I never realized the effect the change in culture had on my old job. It will be something to keep in mind for the future when I get a real job and am trying to be successful.
A note on the Information Case I turned in relating to Organizational Culture. A copy of it can be found here. You asked a question in my paper about how college basketball has played a role in the development of the NBA/WNBA. In regard to the Charlotte Bobcats the college basketball scene has definitely played a big role in its formation. Since its creation in 2004 the Bobcats have had a history of drafting players that had success in the NBA. Their first pick ever was for Emeka Okafor, a standout from the University of Connecticut. The next two years the Bobcats drafted a total of three former UNC players drawing on the states affinity for the Tar Heels. They also drafted another college standout in Adam Morrison. It seems likely that the Bobcats were trying to take advantage of the national prominence of college players to build up their own fan base. This is smart because they were taking a piece of success from one organization and trying to translate that success to their organization. A recent move by the NBA changed the draft rules to allow only players which have had a year of college or are 19 years old. This move allows really great players who would have made the direct leap to the NBA to build up their reputation in college. By the time they get the NBA they are already well known and fans are excited to see them play.
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