![]() Years ago, when I moved to New York from Virginia, I’d occasionally hear people comment that the service ethic down south was, in their opinion, not good. On the flip side, several Virginians mentioned they found New York service lacking. Was service good in one place and bad in another? That depends on your priorities. In this case, one group placed a higher value on speed, while the other prized friendliness. Different value systems like these play out everyday with business customers, employees and distribution systems. So, while many organizations have similar goals, their varying cultural environments demand very different approaches. To forge a feasible path in any environment, you have to see both the forest and the trees. A good consultant can zoom in and zoom out with a perspective rendered hi-def by experience. Plus, our hard-won practicality means we can usually find paths that don’t require extreme clear-cutting measures, which is important when your environment won’t stand for clear-cutting. On the other hand, if your organization thrives on “the next big thing,” then dramatic change might be just what the doctor orders (or what the consultant recommends).
Paul Gaulke
1/7/2015 08:29:17 am
This article has great insight.
Emily Porter
1/7/2015 11:33:58 am
Thanks Paul!
Karen Lundquist
1/7/2015 11:19:55 am
I am especially intrigued by the regional take on different strokes for different folks. 1/7/2015 11:33:17 am
Exactly Karen! I have kept track of how value systems and drivers vary by region, organization type, and industry, just to name a few. Sometimes I learned the hard way!
J-LO
1/8/2015 04:39:32 pm
Organizations should prize what their customers want not their geographic culture. 1/8/2015 04:50:07 pm
Great point, Jen -- and we both know that can be harder than it seems on the surface when a company expands to a more diverse customer base... hopefully the things that unite us will prevail!
Vicki
1/9/2015 05:53:28 am
I believe it's also generational and not just regional. I was recently at a client meeting and it was obvious they hired late 20s/early 30s engineers. What was most important to them? Free soda? Age, gender, education and regional. Know your audience, right? 1/9/2015 07:05:11 am
Totally agree Norm... and we consultants fine-tune our senses to detect what's important to who (or whom) and how that affects relationship dynamics. 2/28/2015 01:02:01 am
Emily, Well Said ! Comments are closed.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR![]() A well-traveled guide in a diverse array of organizational cultures, Emily Porter has a distinct POV marked by large doses of realism, empathy and outright humor. She has lived and worked in DC, NYC, Boston, Richmond, VA, Minneapolis and now Portland, OR. Emily's CV Archives
September 2019
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