CHARACTERISTICS:
- Little communication
- People involved within their own departments only
- Loyalty is to specific groups and not to the organization
- Cliquish
- Lots of gossip
- Critical of other departments
- Little cross-departmental cooperation
Primary Values of a Multi-Directional Culture are
Don’t get involved in other people’s business
Responsibility stops at your own job description
Considerations in Evolving a Multi-Directional Culture:
- Consider finding out what people like about the organization, use that to formulate a reason for the organizations existence (besides making money)
- Use this consistently in all internal communications to reinforce a common vision.
- Include contests and rewards for individuals who best demonstrate that vision
- Does senior management still communicate with the staff? Senior management should make regular appearances and address the issues to the entire organization.
- Do you have a feedback system and a reward system for using it? Get one.
- Do you have Standard Operating Procedures for cross departmental cooperation? Get your staff to vent their frustrations and use that to make SOP’s that solve these frustrations.
- Implement these immediately and get the frustrated staff to carry it through.
- Apply Directive Communication psychology principals to cultivate an awareness of group dynamics and the psychology of cooperation and communication
- Use Communication multiplying tools such as the CBC Cards