The perils of culture conflict

Siegel, Matt. “The Perils of Culture Conflict.” Fortune; 11/09/98, Vol. 138, Issue 9, p257, 3p, 3c. http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/1998/11/09/250845/

Culture Watch What Do You Value At Work?
The 54 items listed below cover the full range of personal and institutional values you’d be likely to encounter at any company. Professor Jennifer Chatman and others use this list to study cultural preferences. Divide it into two groups: the 27 that would be the most evident in your ideal workplace, and the 27 that would be the least. Keep halving the groups until you have a rank ordering, then fill in the numbers of your top and bottom ten choices. Test your fit at a firm by seeing whether the company’s values match your top and bottom ten. 

TOP TEN CHOICES 

BOTTOM TEN CHOICES 

THE CHOICE MENU YOU ARE:
1. Flexible. 2. Adaptable. 3. Innovative. 4. Able to seize opportunities.
5. Willing to experiment. 6. Risk-taking. 7. Careful. 8. Autonomy-seeking.
9. Comfortable with rules. 10. Analytical. 11. Attentive to detail. 12. Precise.
13. Team-oriented. 14. Ready to share information. 15. People-oriented.
16. Easygoing. 17. Calm. 18. Supportive. 19. Aggressive. 20. Decisive.
21. Action-oriented. 22. Eager to take initiative. 23. Reflective.
24. Achievement-oriented. 25. Demanding.
26. Comfortable with individual responsibility. 27. Comfortable with conflict.
28. Competitive. 29. Highly organized. 30. Results-oriented.
31. Interested in making friends at work. 32. Collaborative.
33. Eager to fit in with colleagues. 34. Enthusiastic about the job. 

YOUR COMPANY OFFERS:
35. Stability. 36. Predictability. 37. High expectations of performance.
38. Opportunities for professional growth. 39. High pay for good performance.
40. Job security. 41. Praise for good performance.
42. A clear guiding philosophy. 43. A low level of conflict.
44. An emphasis on quality. 45. A good reputation.
46. Respect for the individual’s right. 47. Tolerance. 48. Informality.
49. Fairness. 50. A unitary culture through the organization.
51. A sense of social responsibility. 52. Long hours.
53. Relative freedom from rules.
54. The opportunity to be distinctive, or different from others.