Leading Change
...a rather formal and hierarchical one, with each department nearly insulated from the others in their culture. The segregation of each department in the daily activities allows each one to take on its own character, which develops into the assumptions, beliefs, and behavioral expectations that McShane & Von Glinow (2005) discuss in their definition of Organizational Culture.
This is best seen in the difference between sections one and two of the simulation. Section one deals with the Sales Department, known to have a relatively informal culture, as well as being supportive of those individuals that promote their ideas. They work in a relationship-focused business segment where they must prove the company's focus on the customers' needs. Because of the need for them to build relationships in order to succeed in meeting their sales goals, they tend to work at building relationships that serve their own needs while serving the needs of others. Since "the customer is king" with this group and since everyone would prefer to do business with a friend (Gitomer, 2006, inside cover), the focus for all of their activities remains on the needs of the customer, and everything they do must serve to develop their relationship with that customer. This is described in the simple term presented by Maio (1995) in the form of "WIFM," or "what's in it for me?" Each action considered by members of the Sales department must answer the customer's question of "what's in it for me?" This continues outside of their customer interaction and manifests itself in their informal out-of-office meetings, which help them develop their relationships within the department and with networking contacts, which help these relationship-driven individuals to constantly answer this question as it is presented by those with whom they interact. They also respect the opinions of corporate icons in...
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