12/03/2015

developerWorks

CultureandValues

Technicaltopics

Rational

Technicallibrary

CultureandValues
fromTheRationalEdge:Focusingontherelationshipbetweencultureandvaluesinabusinesssetting,Marascostarts
byexaminingwhatacultureisandthenexploreshowvaluesplayintodefiningandsupportingculture.

Share:
RecentlyappointedCEOofRavenflow,anEmeryville,Californiabasedcompanydeliveringprecisionrequirementsvalidationforsoftware
developers,JoeMarascoservedasseniorvicepresidentandbusinessunitmanagerforRationalSoftwarepriortothecompany'sacquisition
byIBM.Heheldnumerouspositionsofresponsibilityinmarketing,development,andthefieldsalesorganization,overseeinginitiativesfor
ApexandVisualModelerforMicrosoftVisualStudio.AfterretiringfromRationalin2003,hepublishedTheSoftwareDevelopmentEdge,a
collectionofhisessaysonsoftwareprojectmanagementoriginallypublishedinTheRationalEdge.HeholdsaPh.D.inphysicsfromthe
UniversityofGeneva,Switzerland,andanM.B.A.fromtheUniversityofCalifornia,Irvine.

15December2002

Weareseeingarenaissanceofinterestinculture
andvaluesinbusinessthesedays1,whichIviewas
anotherexampleofnatureabhorringavacuum:
Developanddeployyour
next
Cultureandvaluesarecomingintofocusnow
appontheIBMBluemix
cloudplatform.
becausewesimplyhaven'tgiventhemmuch
considerationinrecenttimes.Whilerevelations
Startbuildingforfree
abouterrantcompaniesandcompanyofficers
continuetomultiply,thosewhohavehewntothe
truepathseemtobeforgotten.It'salwaysthatway:
Thefoiblesandfolliesofrascalssellnewspapersandmediaairtime,andthehonestfolksdon'tgetmuch
publicityeveniftheyrepresentthemajority.
Inthispiece,we'lldelveintotherelationshipbetween"culture"and"values."I'mproudtoworkfora
companythathasastrongculture,coupledwiththerightvalues.Butthisisnotanaccident.Inmapping
outtheterritoryfrommyownperspective,itgoeswithoutsayingthatmyownsetofvaluesalignspretty
closelywiththoseofRationalotherwise,Iwouldnothavespentmorethansixteenyearshere.
We'llstartbyexaminingwhatacultureisandthenseehowvaluesplayintodefiningandsupporting
culture.

WhatIsaCulture?
Wedefineacultureasasetofcharacteristicsthatsetsonegroupofpeopleapartfromanother.For
example,wesometimesattributedifferencesinthewaytheEnglishactasopposedtotheFrenchasthe
resultof"culturaldifferences."Indoingso,wetakeavastnumberofdifferencesandagglomeratethem
underoneumbrella.
Somecharacteristicsaretranscultural,though.Forexample,wemoreorlessexpectthatallchildren,
everywhere,willgrowuptolovetheirparents.Thewaytheyexpressthatlovemaydependalotonthe
cultureinwhichtheyareraised,butthelovingfeelingsareculturallyagnostic.
Anotherwaytothinkaboutthisisthataculturedefineshowasetofabstractprinciplesistranslatedinto
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daytodaybehavior.Thatis,weallhaveasetofnearlyinstinctive"defaultbehaviors,"programmedinto
usfrominfancy,whichrepresentacceptednormsandmodeswithinourlocalenvironment.Ofcourse,we
canconsciouslychoosetobehaveoutsidethesenorms,whichwemaywelldoinunusualsituations.For
example,ifweliveinaculturethatbelievesviolenceisbad,thenwhendisagreementsarise,ourdefault
behavior,accordingtothatculturalnorm,istouseourwordsandnotourfiststoresolveconflictverbally.
However,ifitbecomesclearthatsomeonewhoisthreateninganotherperson'slifewillnot"listento
reason,"thenthecultureadmitsviolenceasa"lastresort"forthepotentialvictimoralawenforcement
officer.Butthisisanexceptionalcase.Ingeneral,therearesanctions,bothformalandinformal,for
violatingculturalnormswhenexceptionalcircumstancesdonotapply.
PerhapsmycolleaguePhilippeKruchtensaiditbestwhenhewrotethefollowing(inanunpublished
paper):
Ourbehaviorisdrivenbythreeforces:
Humannature:thisisinheritedandisuniversallysharedacrossallhumancultures.
Culture:ourcollectiveprogramming,whichislearned,notinherited.
Personality:thecomponentthatistheadditionaluniquesetofmentalprogramsnotsharedwithother
humanbeingsit'spartlyinheritedandpartlylearned.
Ifwe'renotexposedtoothercultures,wehaveadifficulttimedistinguishingculturefromhumannature.
Wenaturallyassumethatalltheseaspectsareuniversal,buttheyarenot.Itisalsoimportantto
distinguishthosecharacteristicsthatareculturalthatis,generictoagroupofindividualsasopposedto
attributingsuchcharacteristicstoindividualpersonalityquirks.Itissomehoweasiertocondonesomeone
fornothavingsurmountedaculturalbarrierthanitistoforgivewhatweperceiveasapersonaldeviance.

StrongandWeakCultures
Continuingdownthesamepath,Ibelievetherearetwodifferentkindsofcultures:strongandweak.This
speakstohowaculturetranslatesitsunderlyingprinciples,orvalues,intoeverydaylife.
Inastrongculture,theabstractprinciples(values)aretranslatedverydirectlyintopeople'sdaytoday
lives.Themilitary,forexample,hasadefinitesetofvaluesandaverystrongculture.Whetherornotyou
agreewiththesevalues,youhavetoadmitthattheyaretranslatedintodailyuseveryrigorouslyand
consistentlytheyareenforcedthroughexternalrulesandregulations,aswellaseducationthatis
absorbedinternally.Theprevailingcultureofthe1960swasalsoastrongone,characterizedbydistrust
forauthorityandadesiretoquestionallsocialconventions.Onceagain,whetheryouagreewiththese
valuesornot,youhavetoacknowledgetheirpowerfulinfluenceonpeople'sbehavioratthetime.I
remember,forexample,howdifficultitwasto"organize"apeacemarch,becausetheparticipantswere
soantiauthorityleadershadtoexplainandjustifyevery"request"theymade,2and"enforcement"came
almostentirelyfrompeerpressure.
Notallculturesarethatstrong,though.Somehaveasetofgenerallyacceptedabstractvalues,yetthese
donotreallyinformdailylife.InWesternculture,forexample,thedegreetowhichchurchgoersapply
theirreligiousvaluestodailylifevarieswidely.Somechurchesandsectshaveaverystrongcultureand
strivetoplacereligioustenetsatthecoreofeveryactandthought,dayinanddayout.Othersects,in
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contrast,aremuchmorelaissezfairewithrespecttoregulatingdailybehavior,andtreatfaithasthemost
importantvalue.
Thestrengthofaculturedepends,finally,ontwofactors.Oneisthedegreetowhichthevaluesofthe
culturearecodifiedandeffectivelytransmittedtoall.Thesecondisthedegreeofpainpeoplesufferfor
strayingoutsidetheculturalnorms.Thestrongestcultures,obviously,arethoseinwhichallmembers
clearlyknowandunderstandthe"code,"andalsorecognizethatthepenaltiesforviolationareharsh.
Whereasstrongculturesaresuccessfulattranslatingtheirabstractprinciplesintodailyactions,weak
culturesdothismuchlesspredictablyandeffectively.

DefiningCorporateValues
We'llreturntostrongandweakcultureslater,butfirst,Iwanttoplantastakeinthegroundonthewaywe
definevalues.
Wesometimesrefertocorevalues,asthoughtheseparticularvaluestranscendedother,lessworthy,
values.ButthenIgetlostwhenIreadthatacompanyhasseventeencorevalues.Thisdoesnotmake
sensetome.Therecan'tbethatmuchroomatthe"core."
Still,Ibelievethatsomevaluesdotranscendothers,andwegettopickwhichonesrunourlives.Maybe
somepeoplecankeepahierarchyofvaluesstraightintheirmindsandhearts,butI'mtoosimpleforthat.
IhaveaverysmallsetthatItrytoholdmyselftoandevaluateothersby.IkeepthesetsmallsothatI
don'thavetoworryaboutorderandpriority,oraboutbalancingonevalueagainstanother.
I'vealsolearnedthatit'snothelpfultolabelas"values"thosequalitiesthateveryoneendorses.Take
"citizenship,"forexamplewhoisgoingtoarguethatweshouldn'tbegoodcitizens?Theproblemis,this
wordisalwaysinterpretedaccordingtomore"local"valuesthatdefinethebehaviorofagoodcitizen
withinagivenculture.So,paradoxically,themoregeneralandvaguetheterm,thecloseritgetstobeing
auniversal"value,"butthenarrowerandmoreculturebounditsinterpretationbecomes.3Thevalueof
suchavalueisreallyverysmall.
Indefiningasetofdesirablevaluesforacorporateculture,then,wewillchoosetermsnotfortheir
relativepopularity,butratherfortheirutilityindescribingacompanythatisworthworkingfor.Iwantto
workwithpeoplewhosharethesevalues.Ifothersdon't,Ihopetheywillgravitatetoanotherorganization
thathasvaluesmoretotheirliking.Wewillallbehappierinthelongrun.
Mylisthasthreeitems,fewenoughthatIcankeepthemin"registers"atalltimes.4Theyare:integrity,
customerfocus,andresults.

Integrity
Thecornerstoneofallthatishonorable,"integrity"isavaluethatrequiresusinallourrelationships,both
internallyandexternally,withcolleaguesandcustomerstoconductourselvesinanhonest,truthful,and
straightforwardway.Theremaybedishonestpeopleintheworld,butwedon'thavetoadmittheminto
ourcompany.Wecanchoosetoassociateonlywiththosewhoseconductmeetsourstandards.
Integrityisahighstandard,butitisexceedinglyeasytoknowwhetherornotyouhaveactedwith
integrity.Itisaseasyasknowingrightfromwrong.Itisnotcomplicated.
ManydesirablecharacteristicsofcorporateculturethatIhavewrittenaboutinpastarticles5arebasedon
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integrity:ahightrustenvironment,honoringcommitments,anabsenceofnoxiouspolitics,trueteamwork,
andanopeninterchangeofideas.Withoutintegrity,wecannothopetoachieveorimplementanyof
these.Later,Iwilldiscusswhythesecharacteristicsaresocrucialinasoftwaredevelopment
organization.

CustomerFocus
Anyoneworkinginthebusinessworldistornoverandoveragainbyhavingtomakedifficultchoices.
Sometimesthechoiceisobviousweusuallyhavenoproblemdoingsomethingthatisclearlyrequiredor
rejectingbehaviorsthatareclearlywrong.Itgetstricky,however,whenthereareconflicting
requirements,agrayarea,orsomethingthatinvolvesreasoningonthemargin.Atthesetimes,success
meansgettingahigherpercentageofthesechoicesrightthanwemightotherwisedobyflippingacoin.
I'mnottalkingabouttechnicaldecisionshere.Instead,thesearejudgmentcallssuchas,"Doweshipthe
producttodayorworkonitforafewmoreweekstogetittoabetterstate?"Thereisusuallynosingle,
unambiguousanswer.Butisthereasimplecriterionyoucanusetohelpframethedecision?
Ibelievethereis.ThequestionIalwaysaskis,"Whatisrightforthecustomer?"
Tofurthercomplicatematters,however,thereisrarelyasinglecustomer.6Soyoumustvisualizethe
customerbaseasadistribution,andtrytoreasonwhatisbestforthemainstreamgroupofcustomers
thegreatestgoodforthegreatestnumber.Ifyoucanputyourselfinthecustomers'shoesandreason
throughwhatisrightforthem,mybeliefisthatyouwillgetmanymoreofthesedecisionsright.
Notethatdoingtherightthingforthecustomermaysometimescauseagreatdealofinternalpain.Butif
youdon'tdothat,thenallyouaredoingisdeferringthepaintoalaterdate.And,mostlikely,that
deferredpainwouldbefarworsethanthepainyou'dhavetobearearlyontocreatearesponsible,
responsivesolution.
Customerfocushasmanyculturalmanifestations:adrivetoreleaseproductsontime,apassionfor
creativityandquality,andproductsthataregenuinelyfitforuse.Butitallstartswithhavingthecourage
toaskthequestion,firstandforemost,"Whatisbestforthecustomer?"7

Results
Thisthirdvaluehastodowithresults.Ibelieveinresults,notexcuses.
Today,peopleseemtoexpendalotoftimeandeffortonexcuses.Itisalmostasthoughtheybelievethat
agoodexplanationforfailureisalegitimatereplacementforthedesiredresult.Butthisisnotsomething
youcanbuildon.
Thesimplestwaytodifferentiatethegoodfromthebadistoevaluateresults.Notintentions.Noteffort.
Not"doeswhathe'stoldtodo."Not"easytoworkwith."Alltheseareirrelevantifresultsarenot
achieved.Note,however,thatIamnotsaying"successatanycost"or"theendjustifiesthemeans."That
kindofMachiavellianperversionmeansyouarewillingtoactwithoutintegrity,andthatisnotallowed.
Finally,wemustrealizethatmostgoalsworthachievingarenotaccomplishedinsprintmode,butin
marathonfashion.Persistencecounts.Forthosepeopleforwhom"failureisnotanoption,"8wesalute
you.

AndtheApplicabilitytoSoftwareIs...
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I'msometimesaccusedofmakingverygeneralobservationsundertheguiseofwritingarticleson
softwaredevelopment.Ipleadnotguilty!It'ssimplythattheprinciplesIbelieveinareuniversal,andtheir
valueisnotlimitedtotherealmofsoftware.Ontheotherhand,IcanshowwhytheparticularvaluesI've
identifiedarerelevanttosoftwarewhy,unlessyouobservethem,softwareproductsandcompanies
degrade.
Let'sgobacktointegrity,oneofourbasicvalues:Weneverlietoourcustomers,andweneverlieto
ourselves.Wedeliveraqualityproductinexchangeforasumofmoney,andthecustomerhasarightto
expectvalueforthatmoney.Nothingspecifictosoftwareinthatsimpleequation.
Yettheproductionofasoftwareproductthatcustomerswillbeabletouseoveranextendedperiod
requiresintegrity.First,theproductmustbesustainableinthefieldformanyreleasecyclesitcan'tjust
becobbledtogetherforthenextreleaseandthenforgotten.Inordertoachievethis,theproductmust
haveamaintainableunderlyingarchitecturethatcanbemodifiedovertimetosuitnew,emerging
requirements.Also,theproductmustbesupported,sothatasquestionsanddefectsarise,the
organizationcancopewiththemandprovidesolutionsforcustomers.Ittakesconsiderableinfrastructure
tosupportandevolveaproductovermanyyears,andmakingthatinvestmentrequirestheintegrityofa
longtermview.Companiesthat"shipitandforgetit"willnotbearoundforlong.
Ahightrustenvironmentandteamworkareessentialfortheproductionofanylargesoftwareproduct.
Whyisthis?Theanswerissimple:Softwareisbynatureaverycomplexproduct.Manyindividualsonthe
teammakemanythousandsofdecisionseverydaysomearelarge,somearesmall,andallmayhave
animpactoncustomers.Ifweweretodependonasystemofpermissionsandcheckstoensurethat
eachandeverydecisionwas"correct,"progresswouldgrindtoahalt.Whatweneedinsteadiseveryone
makinggooddecisionsonone'sownmostofthetime.Large,criticaldecisionsneedtobereviewed,of
course,butthemajorityshouldbemadepromptlyandimplementedeffectivelyandefficiently.Thisis
impossiblewithoutintegrityateveryleveloftheorganization.
Nowlet'sthinkalittlebitmoreaboutcustomerfocus.Thequalitymavensarealwaysgettingupontheir
soapboxandlecturingusabouttheneedtoimprovethequalityofthesoftwareweship.Butit'sabitmore
complexthanthat.Qualityisaverysubjectiveobjective.Somepeoplemeasureitbydefectcounts
otherstalkaboutusability("fitnessforuse"forsome,performanceforothers)stillothershavedifferent
metricsentirely.Butnoneofthesecanbeevaluatedintheabstractthereisalways,always,atradeoff
betweenqualityandsomecombinationofcostandtimeliness.
ThatiswhyIthinkcustomerfocusistherightvalue,andtheculturalmanifestationofthisvalueisthat
everyoneintheorganizationthinksaboutthecustomer:developers,testers,writers,productmanagers,
support,fieldtechnicalpeople,salespeople,marketingfolkyes,everyone.Thecustomerisnoone
singlegroup'sresponsibilityitiseveryone'sresponsibility.Ifyouhavebothahightrustenvironmentand
everyonefocusingonthecustomers,thenyouhaveapotentcombination.
Andwhataboutresults?Well,systemsneedtobearchitected,coded,documented,testedalongmany
dimensions,andthenbuilt,packaged,andshipped.Withoutanintensefocusonresults,theproductjust
doesn'tgetoutthedoor.Toomanythingsdependontoomanyotherthings.Thelessonoftheoldfolk
tale,"Forthewantofanail"9wasnevermoretruethanforsoftwaredevelopment.Mostprojectsslip
becauseofanaccumulationofintermediatetasksthataredelayed,deferred,orsimplynotcompleted.
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Individually,noneofthesesmallslipsseemsimportant,butthecascadeisdevastating.
Ontheflipside,thereisahiddendangerinstrivingfor"perfect"resultsinallthedetails.Everyoneneeds
tobeclearonthemostimportantresult:timelyshipmentofahighqualitypieceofsoftware.Creatinga
perfectSoftwareRequirementsSpecificationalongthewaywillbeirrelevantifthecustomervisibleresult
theproductiswanting.

BuildingaStrongCulture
Howcanweinthesoftwareworldimplementthesethreevaluesandbuildastrongculturearoundthem?
First,weneedleadershipbyexample.Asaleader,itispartofyourjobtoreinforceandpropagatethe
cultureandvaluesoftheenterprise,startingwithintegrity.Ourleadersshouldbeheldtoanevenhigher
standardofintegritythantheonetowhichweholdeveryoneelse.AndhereImeanallourleaders,not
justthefolksattheverytop.Leadershipispartofthecompanyculture,andregardlessofwhereyouare
inthecorporatehierarchy,beingaleadermeansheightenedresponsibility.Theonlywaytodemonstrate
integrityasaleaderistoactwithintegrityineverythingyoudo.
It'sshockingthattheUSCongresshasfelttheneedtopasslegislationrequiringAmericanCEOsto
sweartotheveracityoftheirfinancialstatements.Shouldn'twejustexpectthesestatementstobe
accurate?"Cookingthebooks"isthemoralequivalentofcounterfeiting,andDanteputcounterfeitersin
thebottomoftheeighthcircleofHellforgoodreason.HisconceptionofHellconsistedofnineconcentric
circles,sobeingatthebottomoftheeighthwasalmostaslowasyoucouldgo.
Second,todevelopacustomerfocusedculture,ourleadersneedtospendtimewithcustomerstogain
anacutesenseofwhatthecustomersneed.Onlythencantheytranslatethatintodirectionfortherestof
theorganization.
Finally,weneedleadershipintheareaofpayforperformance.Managersatsoftwarecompaniesneedto
beabletoobjectivelyevaluateperformanceandcompensatepeoplefortheircontributiontothe
organizationandnothingelse.10
Inaddition,weneedcontinuity.Culturalpropagationofvaluesismeaningfulonlyifitsurvivesallthe
varietiesofchangethatoccurinthebusinessworld.Let'shavealookatsomeofthephenomenathat
threatencontinuityinsoftwarecompanies.

ThatOldDevil,Growth
Inevitably,successfulcompaniesgrow,howeversmalltheyareatfirst.Theircultureneedstobenurtured
sothattheseorganizationsdonotabandontheveryvaluesandtraditions11thatmadethemsuccessfulin
thefirstplace.Butitisnoteasytodothisright.
Ifyourcompanygrowsslowlyenough,thereishope.Youcanrecruitveryselectively,workinghardtofind
peoplewhoare"goodculturalfits"fortheexistingorganization.Rapidgrowth,ontheotherhand,isa
doublewhammy.Inthescrambleto"fillopenpositions,"12itiseasytolosedisciplineandgetsloppy.On
themargin,wehirepeopleweprobablywouldn'tifweweren'tinsuchahurry.Then,tomakematters
worse,wedon'texplaintothemtheculturalmilieuintowhichtheyareabouttobethrustbecauseweare
toobusyhiringthenextbatchoffolks.
Noticethatwearenotnecessarilyrecruitingpeoplewiththewrongvalues.No,whattypicallyhappensis
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anoverallweakeningofthecultureastheorganizationexpands.Occasionallyforgettingtoputthe
customerfirstmaynotdrawsharpcriticismanymore.Overtime,Gresham'sLawtakesover:Thebad
moneydrivesthegoodmoneyoutofcirculation.13Thoselivingbytheoldvaluesbecometheminority,
viewedatfirstwithcuriosity,thenwithderision,andfinallyignored.
Whatreplacesthestrongcultureisoftenabureaucraticsystemdesignedtocheckonandenforceawide
rangeofpoliciesandproceduresthatneverquitecapturethepreviousspiritof"dotherightthing."Inthe
absenceofculturalstrength,organizationsfallbackonmeticulousattentiontodetail,asifwecould
recapturethespiritofthelawbyincreasingthenumberofitsletters.Leadersassumethateveryoneelse
willmakethewrongdefaultdecisions,sotheyimposelotsofrulestoguideandcorrectthem.It'sasure
signthatbureaucracyhassetinwhentheTenCommandmentsarereplacedbya247pagehandbook
thatsitsonashelfgatheringdust.

MergersandAcquisitions
Aftergrowth,thesecondmostdestructiveforceforastrongcultureisamergeroracquisition.The
softwareindustryperiodicallygoesthroughcyclesofconsolidationmanycompanies,Rationalamong
them,grow"organically"formanyyears,andthenusemergersandacquisitionsasawayofcontinuing
oracceleratinggrowth.Unfortunately,we(softwarecompanies)seemtobemuchworseatthisthanother
industries,perhapsbecausesoftwarecompanieshavesuchawidespectrumofculturesandvalues.The
largestsinglereasonforfailurewhentwosoftwarecompaniescombineisculturalincompatibility.Evenif
thetwoculturesaresimilar,mergingthemcanbedifficultforavastvarietyoftechnicalreasons.Plus,if
thetwocompaniesarelocatedsomedistancefromoneanother,thereisinsularitybecauseofthe
separation.Whatevertherootcause,inthefaceoffundamentalincompatibility,mostsoftwaremergers
fail,plainandsimple.14
Thereisasolution.WhenourpioneergreatgrandmotherscrossedtheprairieintheirConestogawagons,
theyalwayscarriedalumpof"starterdough"sotheycouldbakethesamekindofbreadintheirnew
homethattheydidintheiroldlocation.Thestarterdoughcontainedayeastculture15thatcouldspawn
newloaveseverytimetheybaked,theysavedabitofthatdoughtomixwithnewdoughlater.
Similarlybytransferringoneormorepeople,preferablyseniorpeople,tothenewlocation,software
companiescanprovide"starterdough"totransmitthecompanycultureandvaluestothenewlymerged
oracquiredcompany.Anymergeroracquisitionthatforgetstotransmitculturalmessagesearlyand
oftenisadisasterwaitingtohappen.

TheSingleBigCustomerorPartner
Anotherinterestingthreatcomesfromhavingasinglelargecustomerorpartnerwithaverystrong
culture.Inthiscase,bothsubtleandnotsosubtleinfluencescanpermeateyourorganization.For
example,thecustomer'sorpartner'sstyleofreportingresultsnature,frequency,andsoonmaybe
imposeduponcertainprojectsgradually,itmayspreadthroughtheranks,sothatallinternaldivisions
startreportinginthesameway.
Sometimesthiscanbegoodwecanalwayslearnfromothers.Ontheotherhand,wedoneedtobe
carefulthatthecustomerorpartnersharesourvalues,andthatwhatmorphsistheculturalmanifestation
ofthosesharedvalues,notthevaluesthemselves.
Finally,itisanunfortunatefactoflifethatpartnershipsinthesoftwarebusinessworldarecomplicated.
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Today'spartnermaybetomorrow'scompetitor,andviceversa.Figuringouttheimplicationsofthatoneis
anexerciselefttothereader.

NewEfforts
Yetanotherthreattoastrongcultureisthestartupofaneweffort,suchasanewproductlineorafacility
inanoverseascountry.Herethe"starterdough"principleiscrucial.Ihavepersonallywitnessedanew
organizationbuiltfromthegrounduphalfwayaroundtheworldthatfaithfullyreproducedthe"mother
culture,"simplybecauseitstartedwithonepersonwhothoroughlyunderstoodtheoriginalrecipe.He
hiredandtrainedeverysingleaddition.Nineyearslater,throughslowbutsteadygrowth,this
organizationwasoneofthestrongestinthecompany,bothculturallyandintermsofproductivity,even
thoughtheyweregeographicallyfarthestofallfromthehomeoffice.
Beespeciallywaryofeffortstostartnewgroupswhoseexpresspurposeistolauncharadicalcultural
changethesearealmostalwaysdoomedtofailure.Here'swhy:Ifthechangeisthatimportanttomake,
hitchupyourpantsanddothehardworktomakeitacrosstheentireorganization.Ifyoudon't,thenew
organizationwillalwaysbeontheoutside,resentedbytherestofthecompany.Iftheyaresuccessful,
theywillberesentedevenmore.Astheygrowinpowerandinfluence,civilwarwillloom,andtheonly
solutionmaybetospinthemoff.Insodoing,allthebenefittotheoriginalorganizationwillbelost.Onthe
otherhand,iftheexperimentfails,itwilllikelybebecausethesplintergroupfeltorphaned.

WhenYou'reLookingforaJob
Thelastitemonmyagendaisadviceaboutwhattodowhenyouarelookingforajob.Ibelieve,strongly,
thatthebiggestsinglefactorcontributingtoyourhappinessandsuccessinanycompanyishow
comfortableyoufeelwithitscultureandvalues.Almosteveryothervariableintheequationcanandwill
changeovertime:yourrole,yourresponsibilities,yourdirectsupervisor,yourorganization,andyour
compensation.Problemsinanyoftheseareascanbeaddressedandfixedovertime.Butifthereisa
fundamentalincompatibilitybetweentheexistingcultureandyourideaofwhatconstitutesagoodculture
andhealthyvalues,youwillbeworkingagainstsomethingthatwillnagatyoueverydayingoodtimes
andtotallysinkyouinbadtimes.Rememberthatculturesandvalueschangevery,very,slowly.The
oddsarebetterthatyouwillgraduallyadapttotheculturethanthattheculturewillchangeinadirection
toyourliking.Sounlessyoureallyenjoyswimmingagainstthetide,lookforcompatibility.
Howdoyoudiscoveracompany'struecultureandvalues?Thebestwayistotalkwithcurrent
employeesandrecentexemployees.16Askthemtospeakcandidlyaboutwhattheylikeanddon'tlike.
Andduringyourformalinterviewingprocesswiththecompany,dotwothings.First,calibratehow
importantcultureandvaluesarebyseeingwhetheryourinterviewersaskquestionstodeterminethefit
betweenyouandtheirorganization.Iftheyneveraskyouonequestioninthisarea,beware.Itmeans
thateithertheyaresloppyintheirrecruiting,orthecorporatecultureisextremelyweak.
Second,whenitisyourturntoaskquestions,spendasmuchtimeasyoucangettingthemtotalkabout
cultureandvalues.Don'tbeafraidtoputthemonthespotforexample,askthemflatoutwhatisthe
singlemostimportantvalueinthecompany,orwhatisthedefiningattributeofthemostsuccessful
employeeinthecompany.Iftheyhavetherightcultureandvalues,theywillunderstandwhyyouare
asking,andwillinterpretyoureffortsas"seriousbuying"questions.Ifyougetaconsistent,coherentstory
fromalmostallthepeopleyoutalkto,thereisreasontobelievethatthecultureisstrong:The"code"is
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visibletoallandunderstoodinthesamewaybymost.Onceyouhaveestablishedthatthereisastrong
culture,seeingwhetheryourownvaluesalignwithitshouldbesomewhateasier.
Ifyouarehired,it'sagoodideatobegintheprocessofgaininganindepthunderstandingofyournew
company'scultureandvaluesimmediately.Asklotsofquestions.Themorequicklyyoucanassimilate
thedefaultbehaviorsthatrepresenttheculturalnormsofyournewcompany,thefewerblundersyouwill
make,andthemoreproductiveyouwillbe.Thisadvicealsoappliesifyouareinacompanythatmerges
withanother,orisacquired.

TheBottomLine
Ibelieveinaculturethatstronglytransmitsthevaluesofintegrity,customerfocus,andresults.Software
canbestbeproducedandsupportedbytalented,creative,competentindividualswhocollectively
functionastrueteamsinsuchacontext.Strongculturesaremaintainedovertimeboththrough
leadershipbyexampleandcarefulattentiontotransmittingvaluesinthefaceofgrowth,mergersand
acquisitions,requirementsimposedbylargecustomersandpartners,andnewstartupefforts.Justas
educationiswhatremainsafterallelsehasbeenforgotten,cultureandvaluesarewhatgovernwhenno
oneelseislooking.Bettergetthemright.

Notes
1Forexample,seeAmyC.EdmondsonandSandraE.Cha,"WhenCompanyValuesBackfire."Harvard

BusinessReview,November2002,orPatrickLencione,"MakeYourValuesMeanSomething."Harvard
BusinessReview,July2002.
2Yet,ironically,themembersofthisculturehad"nonnegotiable"demands.Welivedininterestingtimes.
3Itissometimessaidthatitisimpossibletobeallthingstoallpeople,butsomevaluesareblandenough

tofitthatbill.TheAmericancolloquialismforsuchvaluesis"applepieandmotherhood"thingseveryone
isinfavorof.
4Intheoldendaysofprogramming,wecouldspecifythingswewantedtokeepinfastmemorysowe

couldaccessthemrapidly,ontheprinciplethatwewouldbeusingthemoften.Suchlocationswere
calledregisters.
5Seehttp://www128.ibm.com/developerworks/rational/library/4690.htmlandhttp://www

128.ibm.com/developerworks/rational/library/2800.html
6Andeveniftherewerejustone,therewouldbeconflictingprioritiesinthatperson'sorganizationas

well.
7Needlesstosay,thismeansyouhavetoknowwhoyourcustomersareandwhatproblemstheyface.I

can'tconceiveofrunningabusiness,letaloneasoftwarebusiness,absentthisknowledge.
8AttributedtoGeneKrantzofNASA,duringtheApollo13rescuemission.
9Thetalestartsoutwithamissingnailleadingtoamissinghorseshoe,thenamissinghorse,andsoon

allthewayuptolosingthebattle"forthewantofanail."
10Seehttp://www128.ibm.com/developerworks/rational/library/2736.html

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11Atraditionisaculturalartifactthatbecomesingrained,sothatpeopleobservethetraditionwithout

evenrememberingtheunderlyingvaluethatcreatedit.
12Oneofmyleastfavoriteexpressionsinthebusinessworld.
13Thisneedssomeexplanation.SirThomasGresham,advisortoQueenElizabethI,notedthatwhena

newcurrencyisintroducedtoreplaceanolder,debasedone,peopletendtohoardthenewcurrency
whiletryingtospendasmuchaspossibleoftheold.Thisistheoriginoftheexpression,"Badmoney
drivesoutgood."Inabusinesscontext,though,wecanborrowthisoldsawtodescribewhathappens
whenasmallcompanywithastrongcultureundergoesthetransitiontobecomingalargecompanywith
aweakculture.Thenewer,weaker,morediffuseandlessdesirablecultureissharedbymanymore
people,sothat,overtime,theolder,stronger,morevaluablecultureismarginalizedtoasmallerand
smallernumberofadherents,eventuallydyingout.The"tyrannyofnumbers,"unfortunately,winsout.
14WallStreetconfirmsthisalmosteverytimeasoftwaremergerisannounced.Thetypicalresponseisa

declineinthesharepriceofbothcompaniespriortotheaccomplishmentofthemerger.Onlyafterthe
mergerhasprovenitsvaluedoesthesharepriceofthecombinedcompanyrecover.Whilethis
phenomenonisalsoobservedinothermergers(evennontechnicalones),itseemstobemoreseverein
thecaseofsoftwarecompanies.
15Curiouscoincidence.Orisit?
16Youmayhavetodiscountforcertainopinions,basedonthecircumstances.Somecurrentemployees

maybeoverlyzealoussomerecentexemployeesmaybebitterwithoutlegitimatecause.Buttheraw
dataisalwaysuseful.
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