Think about a place where you have worked. Try to describe the culture of that organization. What kind of rules did it have? What did the organizational chart look like? How did the company communicate with employees? What other questions would help identify aspects of the organizational culture?
For example: The culture of a workplace may be expressed in the company mission statement or slogans. If you know that a company slogan directed at employees says "Learning a Living" what does that tell you about the company? Or what about the expression "do it right the first time"? What could you guess about a company that calls itself a family?
Values, ways of doing business, human resource management and ways of communicating are key areas to understanding the culture of a workplace. Three issues that are common to all Canadian workplaces:
The Canadian Workplace is greatly influenced by time. Attendance and punctuality are both used to measure an employee's success. This is because of the value that Canadian society in general places on time. Time is valued in many ways. Stating an exact time in some cultures is seen as disrespectful or impolite. It makes people feel unwelcome or unimportant. In a workplace, punctuality has great value, and meetings are scheduled, with start and finish times clearly established.