Posted on November 30, 2011

According to the Who ‘s Who study (2 ^nd semester 2010 among 2067 personalities) two attitudes are necessary to the professional success in our country: Combativity and audacity . When they develop within the company, these two attitudes also lead to its success. Microsoft and Apple (through their leaders) are the most frequently cited success stories.

How do you know to what extent your company encourages voluntarism, risk-taking, innovation, intuition … or to what extent, on the contrary, it foments fear, discouragement, and gloom?

OCI ©, an inventory of organizational culture, developed by the University of Chicago, is the most widely used organizational diagnostic tool in the world. It provides an image of an organization’s operational culture in terms of behaviors that members feel they must develop to meet the explicit or implicit requirements of their organizations. By shaping how members approach and interact with each other, these “behavioral norms” determine the organization’s ability to solve problems, adapt to change, and work effectively.

These behavioral standards are represented on CIRCUMPLEX ©.

Passive / Defensive Style : Style that fosters people-oriented and safety-oriented behaviors.

(3 h) A Culture of Approval : Members of businesses with this culture feel compelled to get along with their colleagues, get their approvals and be appreciated by them. Everything is done to avoid conflicts, so relations are convivial. This type of professional environment may limit the effectiveness of the company because it minimizes constructive disagreements and the expression of ideas and opinions.

(4 hrs) Conventional Cultivation : Members of companies with this culture must conform to the mold, observe the regulations and make a good impression. Companies where such a culture is dominant are conservative, traditional and bureaucratic. Too much conventional culture can hamper efficiency because it destroys the spirit of innovation and prevents companies from adapting to changes in their environment.

(5 h) A culture of dependence : characterizes companies whose management is hierarchical and non-participatory. The centralization of decision-making power prompts members to do only what is asked of them and to seek the approval of all their decisions from their superiors. This lack of initiative, flexibility, spontaneity and timely decision making at the individual level leads to poor performance by these companies.

(6 h) A culture of avoidance : characterizes companies that do not applaud successes but nevertheless sanction mistakes. This system of negative recognition causes members to reject responsibilities on others and to avoid situations where they could be blamed for mistakes. The survival of this type of business is uncertain because its members are very reluctant to make decisions, actions or risks.

 Aggressive / Defensive Style : Style encouraging Task and Safety-oriented behaviors.

(7 h) An oppositional culture : The spirit of confrontation predominates and negativism is rewarded. Members of enterprises characterized by this culture gain prestige and influence by criticism from the suggestions of others. This causes them to make excessively cautious and therefore ineffective decisions. Although some questioning is functional, a strongly oppositional culture can lead to unnecessary conflicts and poor collective resolution of problems.

(8 h) A culture of power : characterizes non-participative enterprises that rely on the authority inherent in the function of members. They think they will be rewarded if they know how to seize the reins and control their subordinates (as well as meet the demands of their superiors). These power-based companies are less efficient than their members imagine; Indeed, subordinates resist this type of control by failing to provide all necessary information and limiting their contributions to the minimum acceptable level.

(9 am) A competitive culture : is a culture where victory is valued and where members are rewarded for surpassing their colleagues. In companies with such a culture, members are no more than winners or losers; In their opinion, to distinguish themselves, they must work against others, not with. An overly competitive culture may inhibit efficiency by reducing cooperation and imposing unrealistic performance standards (too high or too low).

(10 h) A perfectionist culture : characterizes the enterprises in which perfectionism, persistence and ardor are emphasized. Members feel they must avoid all the mistakes, be aware of the smallest details and work long hours to achieve very specific goals. Although, to some extent, such a culture can be useful, too much emphasis placed on perfectionism could push members to forget the goal, to get lost in the minutiae and to show excessive signs of tension.

Constructive Style: Style encouraging satisfaction-oriented behaviors.

(11 h) performance culture : Members of firms with this culture determines tough but attainable goals, establish action plans and are enthusiastic in pursuing them. These companies are effective; The problems are solved appropriately, customer service is well assured and the orientation of the members (not counting that of the companies themselves) is sound.

(12 h) self-realization culture Members of firms with this culture are encouraged to take pleasure in their work, to perfect and to embark on new and exciting activities. These often innovative companies offer high quality products and / or services while attracting and training exceptional employees. They value creativity, accomplishment of tasks and personal fulfillment. Quality takes precedence over quantity.

(1 h) Humanistic Culture: Members of companies with this culture must be cooperative, constructive and open in their dealings with colleagues. This culture promotes performance through active participation and development of members, resulting in the latter by a strong sense of satisfaction and dedication to their business.

(2 h) A culture of affiliation (co-operation): Members of enterprises with this culture must be friendly, open and sensitive to the satisfaction of their working group. This culture encourages business performance through honest communication, good cooperation and effective coordination of activities. Members are loyal to their working group and feel they are well integrated.

As can be imagined, companies that foster a constructive culture will find it easier to encourage these two ingredients of success: combativeness and audacity. Other cultures (passive defensive and aggressive defensive), because they maintain a feeling of insecurity, discourage initiative, risk taking, confidence in oneself … Be they constructive or defensive, behaviors are Encouraged by all the players in the company. Some companies therefore play – most often unwittingly and with zeal – against their camp.

The OIC can help them to succeed better by combining satisfaction and efficiency of the human systems that make up them.

 

* EXPERIENCE is not an agent of Human Synergistics. EXPERIENCE’s specific products and services that rely on Human Synergistics products are only EXPERIENCE .