On Understanding Organizations

There are times when one feels disappointed by how they were treated at their organization. It’s not any person's fault per se, it’s just the nature of the organization. When it happened to others you say it was expected however, when it happens to you it feels like a letdown. Perhaps you thought you were exceptional and the same treatment would not be meted out to you.

I am sure this scenario gets repeated worldwide in all kinds of organizations. One thing that is inherent to human nature is complaining. We love to complain. Put us in the best life possible we will still find a reason to complain to the tune of “This is too perfect, where’s the challenge?” So this is one aspect that will perhaps not change about us no matter what situation we are in.

Disappointments often happen when there is a mismatch between expectations and what happens. In the case of our expectations from organizations, this disappointment happens when we expect something out of it yet receive something to the contrary. Why might this happen so? It is possible that one was legitimately treated unfairly, in that case, I have my sympathies for the person. However, more often than not it could be another situation too. It could be that you misunderstood the nature of the organization you work at.

Each organization has two kinds of rules, the written rules, and the unspoken rules also called the work culture. A good fit would be when your personal value systems align with the work culture you’ve chosen to work at. For example, if you’re a self-starter and thrive in an entrepreneurial environment then perhaps a bureaucratic organization will not be a good fit for you. However, at times such a mix does happen by design because the organization wants someone who can stir some magic into it.

In this case, you will have to play by two rules. Within your team and your work, you can create an entrepreneurial environment however, when dealing with other stakeholders within the organization you must understand that this is a bureaucracy with its spoken and unspoken rules. If you fail to acknowledge these rules, you risk having your work stalled or worst case getting removed from the system.

Quite often a mismatch happens when people who believe in a certain style expect the organization to reciprocate their style. If you’re somewhere in the middle of the hierarchy, it is not wise to expect this reciprocation. The organization by itself is an organism with its inertia. Just because you deal with it a certain way does not mean it will reciprocate the same way back. Only in very senior leadership can you truly change organizational culture. Till then you must make do with what you have available.

What implication does it have on your well-being? A lot. Initially, when you join a new organization it’s quite easy to be optimistic, you love your new role, the mission, the work, the perks. After a while these things become stale and you start accumulating misgivings. Then there comes a point where you become jaded and start looking for the next fancy thing. To reduce the burden on this one, I believe if one were honest about the organization they work at. Truly understand what it is and not what you wish it was, you would have fewer disappointments because then you would know the rules to play by.

For example, there are organizations where work gets done through face-to-face meetings, no matter how often you send emails you will not get your work done. Once you have understood what needs to be done to get your work done, go ahead and do it. There’s no point in continuing to do something you think is right and waiting for the organizational culture to change. This is one small example, there could be many more. Things such as what is expected from meetings, how are promotions and appraisals done etc, etc. Understanding these things and then accepting them as they are gives you a lot of peace.

However, what you can do is build a mini culture within your team according to how you would want to shape the organization. For example, if you like to be punctual then expect the same from your reports. While you can not apply that to people outside of your team at least you can build that culture within the people that report to you. Slowly over time its possible that as your role grows you can grow the cultural values you wish along with you.

The above was a realization I had regarding dealing with some of the more frustrating elements of working in any organization and it helps me stay optimistic in my work on a day-to-day basis.