Organisational Culture: Establishing what makes an Organisation Attractive

By Quentin Jones, Director, Human Synergistics

Page 3 of 7

What is the Culture experienced by Engineers?

Staff who nominated themselves in the category Engineering and Architecture experience a more Task orientated culture than found in the overall Australian and New Zealand dataset. Of particular concern are significantly higher scores on the Aggressive/Defensive styles coupled with Avoidance. These styles are highly negatively correlated with staff satisfaction, intention to stay and organisational employment recommendation. Interestingly, engineering cultures appear to also have more Achievement motivation than the Australian average. This could be account for by the a strong focus on rational problem solving, goal setting and project management.

Significantly lacking is a strong People orientation. A deficit in strong norms of Humanistic-Encouraging, Affiliative and Self-Actualizing would predict little support for personal growth, coaching and mentoring, team work, and respect for diversity.

Case study: Resource Sector

A recent survey in the Resource Sector identified more extreme trends towards Aggressive/Defensive and Passive/Defensive styles and diminished Constructive behaviours. Predictably, the CEO reported grave concerns about the attraction and retention of young engineers. That organisation has now invested heavily in shifting its culture by addressing leadership style and other cultural drivers.

Of particular concern in both these profiles is the dominance of the Oppositional style. The Oppositional Style is most strongly correlated with staff turnover. Oppositional cultures drive members to always be on the offensive, consider "attack is the best form of defensive", and to be critical and cynical. Besides creating staff turnover, such norms suppress creativity, innovation, good problem solving and developmental environment.

Next: Page 4: How does Culture Impact Organisational Outcomes?