Corporate Culture; What I want and how I determine it!

There are certain cultures within corporations. Below you will see what I really don't want, what I do want and the questions I will ask. The response to the questions, or the follow-up to the answers, I think will provide some insight to the corporate culture of the firm I am interviewing.



What I don't want: A micro manager


What I do want: Empowered employees, decision making at the customer interaction level

Question to ask: Regarding the ability to take care of customers and settle a customer’s problem or concern, how much autonomy is given to the front line employee or manager?


What I don't want: Profit driven to the exclusion of customers,


What I do want: Customer focus, truly customer driven in actions

Question to ask: What procedures does the company have in place to assure the customer is the focus of the business? How is customer focus integrated into strategic planning as well as employee training?


What I don't want: Stuffy, political undertones in management

What I do want: Open, honest and guided by doing what is the right thing to do

Question to ask: Can you share with me a recent situation where doing the right thing seemed to benefit the company directly?



What I don't want: Discouraging corporate culture, lack of trust, and Stodgy culture of doing the safe thing.

What I do want: A corporate culture that “breaking the rules is OK”.

Question to ask: Tell me about a recent occurrence when you felt the “rules” were broken.

What professional organizations are you associated with and in what ways_member, board, treasurer, or the like?

I am currently a member of CSI, Construction Specifiers Institute which is an organization that consists of architects, specification writers, company representatives and others interested in the construction business.



Also currently I am on my third year as Visitation Task Force Leader for the Ride For Kids in support of the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation. The PBTF supports research and families that are dealing with childhood brain tumors, the number one cause of death by disease in children. Check out http://www.lvrideforkids.com/ if you have a chance.



I am a former member of the Cleveland Chapter of the American Liver Foundation Board, as a volunteer serving to raise money to support their activities.



In the past I have participated actively in the ISSA, International Sanitary Supply Association; the ESD Association, Electrostatic Discharge Association as a member of the Flooring subcommittee.