Stranger in a strange land - learning your way around
October 3rd, 2007
It takes an expert touch to exercise the assertiveness you need to contribute at work while maintaining the appropriate deference to rank, experience and the standing practices of the business. No wonder new employees find it particularly difficult to enter a new job at a high level of contribution while having to step around potential landmines in communication with the boss. Researchers from the University of Michigan emphasize the importance of finding an effective balance: job candidates, [especially those] with advanced education, . . . are hired to contribute to an organization, not to capitulate.
This can be made even more complicated if you are in an unfamiliar environment of strong organizational or ethnic cultural expectations. Global business dealings require a high level of sensitivity to the combination of deference and assertiveness usual in that particular culture. But it can catch you by surprise to find a similar need for finesse while working closer to home.
One of the most effective entrants systematically inquired about “how business is done around here.”
Some organizations have powerful operating assumptions that can be easily transgressed by the unaware. For instance, while I was on an assignment in a manufacturing plant, a question arose about the proper interpretation of a clause in the national labor contract. My previous position had been in corporate headquarters, and I had had lunch there with the lead negotiator for the company, so I proactively shot off an e-mail to him posing the question. I proudly showed the outcome of my results-oriented efficiency to my supervisor who was, to my surprise, overcome by dismay. I had leaped over about eight rungs in the chain of command, which was Just Not Done, leaving her in an awkward position.
When entering a new situation, it is wise to spend some time “playing anthropologist”, gathering information about the norms and practices around you. Observe meetings, casual interactions, e-mail correspondence. Where and how does the real work get done — before the meeting, during the meeting, or after the meeting? Ask questions of a peer or trusted subordinate. Above all, don’t be afraid to appear stupid. One of the most effective examples I have seen of an external entrant into a high-level management position included inquiry about the norms of communication and “how business is done around here.” She saved herself a lot of mistakes (and invested in the loyalty of her new department) by learning from their experience how to be effective within the organization.
