COMMUNICATING AT WORK / 243Matching the culture
All communication must work within
an organization’s culture. The accepted
approach can vary considerably between
different organizations: some companies,for example, require every issue to be
written in memo form and circulated
before it can be raised in a team
meeting. Other organizations are
more “oral” in nature, offering
employees the opportunity to talk
things through before writing
anything down.
Many companies rely on a
particular culture to move day-to-day
information through the organization.
To succeed in such a business, you
must adapt to the existing culture
rather than try to change it or ask
it to adapt to you.CHECKLIST...
Adapting your style YES NO1 Do you understand how the culture of the organization you
work for affects the way in which you need to communicate? ......2 Have you adapted your writing and speaking style to meet
the expectations of the culture in which you are working? ...........3 Have you changed your style to accommodate any changes
in the structure of the company or the conditions of
your industry? ..................................................................................4 Have you noted the communication preferences of your
supervisor and adapted your writing, speaking, and
listening styles accordingly? ..........................................................US_242-243_Communicating_At_Work.indd 243 30/05/16 3:04 pm