Three questions on Organizational Culture with a college Athletic Director

This week’s readings dealt with organizational culture, so to get a sense of how an organizational culture is implemented and maintained, I interviewed a college Athletic Director with over 15 years experience in the position.  Because this person is still working in their current role as Athletic Director, I have changed their name in this post to ‘YY’.

AM:  One of the primary problems our readings discussed in regards to organizational culture is that managers commonly need to make decisions quickly, without consulting the higher-ups in the organization (Note on Organizational Culture, p. 1).  Because of this, if you have managers with different sets of ideals, it might be hard to complete the basic strategic tasks of your organization (p. 1).  What have you found is the best strategy in regards to training your managers to make the best decision possible quickly while also keeping in mind the organization’s culture and goals?

YY:  I think that if you as the boss believe in the culture you have established, and the organization’s goals and philosophies, that can rub off on your employees.   People can see through phony words, so if you don’t really believe in what you are selling them, they will see right through it.  If you genuinely are behind the culture you’re instilling, it’s evident.  If people believe in you as their boss, they will believe in the culture you are establishing.  So I think the best strategy is to train your employees as best you can in regards to what you want and how you want it done, but with a sense of belief and pride in what you’re teaching.  That can be infectious, and it can cause your managers to make the right decisions for your company.  If you believe, they’ll believe.

AM:  Another problem companies face is maintaining their culture through employee turnover (Note on Organizational Culture, p. 1).  How have you managed to maintain your department’s culture with the high turnover rate you’ve experienced in the past ten years?

YY:  This hasn’t been a real problem for us, because I think the main thing you have to focus on is consistently bringing in the right people to fit your philosophy, and to fit your department’s culture.  Once you have the culture you want and the precedents you want to set, you simply hire people who fit that mold.  It’s much like being a college athletics coach.  You have in mind a style of play you want to implement; a system that you feel will be successful over the long-term and in the short-term.  In order for it to truly be successful, though, you have to consistently bring in players that fit your philosophy, and fit your culture.  That’s what I’ve tried to do in hiring new employees, and so far it has worked.  We are looking for smart, laid-back people who are able to problem-solve and work under tight budgets, because that’s what our current situation dictates.  So if you consistently find those people your organizational culture won’t skip a beat.

AM:  Lastly, an organizational culture is said to be strong wen the basic assumptions are widely shared by the members of the organization itself (Note on Organizational Culture, p. 2).  Based on this statement, do you feel your department currently has a strong organizational culture?

YY:  I think it does, yes.  I do not micro-manage my employees, but I do let them know from the outset what my expectations are, and am quick to correct when I feel they are not being met.  I think that has helped maintain the organizational culture, and has helped it remain strong among our employees.  We are not a high-paying establishment, so people have to be behind what our department stands for, and believe in where they are working, to remain happy with their job.  I think this has been one of the things that keeps us going, the fact that we have found dedicated employees who are not solely motivated by the numbers on their paycheck.  It’s created an organizational culture that is a great fit for our institution, and for college athletics as a whole.  We are a team here, and that’s evident in how we treat each other.  That’s the culture you have to have in this line of work, so it’s certainly nice to see.

Conclusions

I found it very interesting that YY stated that they routinely try to find the best organizational fit in terms of hiring new employees.  This is direct contrast to our readings from this week, which state that ‘an exclusive reliance on selecting new employees based on cultural fit is a difficult (i.e., expensive and time-consuming) means of creating a strong culture, and is difficult to sustain with even moderate levels of employee turnover or growth’ (Note on Organizational Culture, p. 3).  I think this is due to the fact that the department is extremely small, comprised of only 11 full-time employees.  This means there isn’t quite as much turnover as in a larger organization, so it might not be as hard to find the right fits for such a small department. 

Also, I liked the concept of projecting belief in the culture you are setting out as the head of the organization/department.  This is something I feel significantly motivates employees, and creates belief in the system you are implementing.  If you are instituting a culture just because you feel it’s best, people can see that.  But if you truly believe in it, that shows as well, and it’s contagious.  This is what YY has been able to do extremely well, and their employees buy in to the culture.  It’s a powerful motivational tool that ultimately doesn’t cost a dime, and can create an extremely strong organizational culture in the process.

References

Sorenson, J. (2009). Note on Organizational Culture. Stanford Business School, pp. 1-6.