An Introspective Look At "CORPORATE CULTURE"

Welcome Home!
A spike in the numbers yesterday indicates that perhaps I really do need to invest more time into sharing my own thoughts and opinions with you as there is some interest.
After you review this entry, you will better be able to ascertain the challenge that I often face in regards to speaking my piece.

The time is now 5:00 am Pacific Time, and as usual, I am up before The Sun, as it has been a habit of mine since childhood due to the fact that my Dad has been employed at the same company for over 40 years, and the latest time I recall him ever leaving the house is 5 am, and AGAIN that is the LATEST time.

With that said, many of you reading this will have it just in time for when you reach your destination,

or perhaps later when your minutes are FREE during NIGHTS and WEEKENDS!

BeforeI get into the discussion, I would ask that if you are interested in some type of professional sounding DATA in order to give what I am saying more credibility, it can be found at the link below, along with a very brief description of organizational culture as a whole which I have posted as a quote.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organizational_culture

Strong/weak cultures

Strong culture is said to exist where staff respond to stimulus because of their alignment to organizational values. In such environments, strong cultures help firms operate like well-oiled machines, cruising along with outstanding execution and perhaps minor tweaking of existing procedures here and there.^[2]

Conversely, there is weak culture where there is little alignment with organizational values and control must be exercised through extensive procedures and bureaucracy.

Where culture is strong—people do things because they believe it is the right thing to do—there is a risk of another phenomenon, Groupthink. “Groupthink” was described by Irving L. Janis. He defined it as “…a quick and easy way to refer to a mode of thinking that people engage when they are deeply involved in a cohesive ingroup, when members’ strivings for unanimity override their motivation to realistically appraise alternatives of action.” This is a state where people, even if they have different ideas, do not challenge organizational thinking, and therefore there is a reduced capacity for innovative thoughts. This could occur, for example, where there is heavy reliance on a central charismatic figure in the organization, or where there is an evangelical belief in the organization’s values, or also in groups where a friendly climate is at the base of their identity (avoidance of conflict). In fact group think is very common, it happens all the time, in almost every group. Members that are defiant are often turned down or seen as a negative influence by the rest of the group, because they bring conflict.

Innovative organizations need individuals who are prepared to challenge the status quo—be it groupthink or bureaucracy, and also need procedures to implement new ideas effectively.

So lets get into it, shall we?
I tend to keep things simple, so I believe that every organization is comprised of individuals, and individuals have thoughts and emotions which vary according to their own individual personalities and needs, yet each of their actions, based on their thoughts and emotions will produce an end result.

On that note, it is the overall PHILOSOPHY/BELIEF SYSTEM which is the at the root of the behaviors displayed, and subsequent results. From what I can tell, most people have some for of an IDEAL of what a desirable and pleasurable life experience(Good Time) looks and feels like, and usually its going to reflect some form of mental imagery that they equate with that
state of existence. For example, in many cases, the idea of success is the pursuit of many in corporate environments. What does it look like?

If i didn’t know any better, I would look at the individuals above as worthy of respect, as they may be carrying smartphones with a bluetooth in the ear,along with some paperwork and spreadsheets, using fancy jargon like R.O.I., Leverage ,  Task Related Strategic Application Initiatives,Power Lunches, Networking, you know,
Corporate Speak.

Following this, I would then have to look upon my own self, as a Regular Joe,non assuming, on the somewhat casual tip, just enjoying myself, but not really in congruence with an appearance of being um, what is their favorite word…PROFESSIONAL!!

Of course I am actually cool with my existence, because AGAIN, I recognized that the individuals in the images above are actually human beings, with thoughts and feelings, regardless of the fact that many of them attempt to mask it under the guise of maintaining a more professional image.

http://health.howstuffworks.com/microexpression.htm

I tell people all the time, that most of what I learned that was of value during my elementary school years actually was acquired during recess, and I find it fascinating that my own children appear to be on the same channel, as whenever I ask them about their day, they usually give me very vivid descriptions of what went on at recess.

At the end of the day, I am amused by the mindset of popular cooperate culture, and find it somewhat entertaining, due to its  judgmental beliefs and competitive nature, and it tends to always work to my advantage, and here is why.

I was in Atlanta a few years back, and happened to be on Peachtree inside of an eating area during the afternoon, and I saw what I have seen in most urban areas, which were a bunch of
Name Badge Nicholas types, with the negative and fear based conversations that can often be associated with this style of living.Then I had a chance to listen in on after work plans, or rather was forced to, due to their loud speech.

The most fascinating concept of all for me, has been in regards to the concept of HAPPY HOUR!
Yes, I am a different type of soul, because I have ALWAYS wondered why individuals are only allowed one hour to be happy.
As a grown up, I of course now know that this Hour of Happy is a marketing slogan which reflects more of a time period during the day
after the whistle has blown and time cards have been punched, so that it flows right into the
FREE NIGHTS AND WEEKENDS mode of existence.

I like to keep mine simple, so for me, I prefer to just make the whole entire day Happy Hour 25 hours a day, and 8 days a week, and simply allow others to enjoy when they are free to do so, yet It opens up a concept for quite an interesting discussion, because if the hours outside of work time are HAPPY, what does it indicate for the hours inside of the work mode and space?

Anti Depression medication is a popular option, whether doctor prescribed or through other means, such as retail therapy and street pharmaceuticals,etc, yet at the end of the day, if business is based on supply and demand and the demand is based on an unmet emotional need being served by the goods and services, how would it be possible for individuals who work for organizations which create, produce, market and sell  such products to create that which they themselves LACK and are in desperate need of ?

Its great food for thought, as the poor condition of a vast number of cooperate business model ventures would actually indicate a great need for change, and the change would need to take place at the root, which is the PHILOSOPHY/Belief System, as anything otherwise can be compared to putting on the
Same DIRTY Drawls from the prior day AFTER a fresh morning shower. It may be the professional looking and sounding thing to show the world, yet it is a
FAR CRY from Keepin it PIMPIN!

There are a few companies who have made great strides in addressing this issue, one of which is the quite popular Internet Giant GOOGLE.
See For Yourself!

President Elect Barack Obama, who will be sworn in to office in a few days, actually has this particular state of affairs to deal with before he even reaches the desk of the oval office, as he will be acting as
The CHIEF EXECUTIVE oF CHIEF EXECUTIVES, yet interestingly enough he does have Google executives as a part of his economic advisory team.

Whats interesting is his ability to intuitively asses what the problem is, and set his own organization up to provide solutions accordingly.

Play some basketball, eat some chili dogs, chill with the wife, kids, and dog, and run the U.S. Federal Government while leading the free world  with an organized network of websites, and Blackberry text messaging communications?

http://change.gov

It all sounds and looks easy enough to me;)

At the end of the day, whenever or however you reach it, I believe that the desired end result for every person that I have ever met, is to
Have A Good Time, &
Be Within In A Good Space,
and be around those who are of the same inclination.

PICTURE THIS->
Life On The Job,
Aboard The PimpHop.com International Space Station!

See You At The Top
(And Bring A Friend)

Written By
R. Branch
Code Name
Scotty Pimpin