External/Internal Culture

Work culture is extremely hard to define; it’s nearly impossible to know without experiencing it first-hand. Even then, your experience in a culture changes depending on what assumptions you have going in, and your own unique experience in that work context.

I think it’s easier to identify things internally that may be impacting an organization’s culture; it’s even harder to understand how external perception may be perpetuating that culture. Culture is influenced by external forces/perception  (Bolman 2008).

For example, something I’ve said about my current employer to prospective candidates is, “It’s just as good as they say it is.” There is a pitch that employees and talent acquisition managers alike are constantly crafting to others to put an external lens on your job—both to clients, but also people like…your mom.

As a coach, I want to help people understand how the external perception of their organization’s culture is impacting their experience in the culture. Are you not happy because you’re not working at one of the “cool” places to work? Are you dissatisfied because your company has a reputation of working un-sustainably, when in reality they have a great recycling program?

Bolman, L. G., & Deal, T. E. (2008). Organizational symbols and culture. In Reframing organizations: artistry, choice, and leadership (4th ed., pp. 251–278). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.