What is the only question to ask in the workplace when taking a new job?

BySusanna A.

When you get a job, everyone thinks "I want to get a good career", but I do not care about what a good occupation is and what to look for in America, Pennsylvania UniversityBusiness SchoolOne of Adam Grant who is a professor of business administration and psychology at Walton SchoolThe New York TimesI am contributing to.

The One Question You Should Ask About Every New Job - The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/20/opinion/sunday/the-one-question-you-should-ask-about-every-new-job.html


Mr. Grant consulted with student Nicole a few years ago "I am wondering what kind of occupation to take." Mr. Nicole had a wide range of job hunting jobs in all kinds of occupations, including finance, technology, consultants, marketing, but at one point he said, "What I am worried about is what workplace to work for It is said to have noticed.

When considering a good occupation, many people pay attention to the content of work. It is also important to find good titles, positions, and jobs with high salaries, but "Corporate culture(Company culture) "is as important as other elements, Grant says. A corporate culture is an organization's values, standards and customs, which have a huge impact on job happiness and success. But how do you see the corporate culture of a company that has never worked?

So Grant informed Mr. Nicole "What is the point that this company differs from other companies?"It was recommended to ask. If you ask this question, your partner's answer will be naturally in a tone that will tell the story of the company. Mr. Nicole seems to have found that all employees touched a common topic by asking this question to people in various classes within the company at the time of employment. I also asked other companies, and it seems that the flow of the stories included in the answer was almost the same for all companies.

ByCOD Newsroom

When Mr. Grant gave a past study, a research team led by Professor Joanne Martin of Stanford University announced in 1983 "Paradox of identity in corporate culture"the studyI discovered. This research is an analysis of the story that employees talk about the workplace, and it has been found from the research results that there is "distortion of identity" inside the company. In other words, people tend to think that the company culture of their company is more special than the actual situation. Furthermore, Professor Martin discovered that "the corporate culture of every company is composed of seven sources, regardless of the company size or occupation." Mr. Grant analyzes that the following four lines among the seven are applicable in the same way in modern times.

◆ 1: Does your boss have a long temperament?
It is whether or not there is an authoritative person in the company that is able to act wiserly than any other employee. For example, if the president of an insurance company has been doing the work of a telephone number all the time, the president is a stubborn person who does not give up the place to anyone else despite being at the top position inside the company, An authoritative atmosphere is kept.

◆ 2: Can anyone be promoted?
American novelistHoratio AlgerWhether it is a corporate style that can be said to be the so-called "American dream," which is often found in works of art. For example, the current CEO of Southwest AirlinesColleen BarrettMr. Herbert Kelleher, a former CEO, started his career with a secretary and now he is the CEO of the company. Also,James L. ZeomerMr. began working as Harley Davidson's cargo elevator operator and was promoted to President and CEO as Director. In such a company, flat employees dream of promotion and can do wonderful achievements.

◆ 3: Do you feel uneasy about dismissal?
There are times when the company has to decide to temporarily dismiss employees, but in that case what kind of behavior the employer takes is extremely important for employees. For example, Michael Duke, former CEO of Wal-Mart, dismissed more than 13,000 employees when the company earned $ 19.2 million (about 2.3 billion yen). On the other hand, securities companiesCharles SchwabSenior executives offered a bonus to the employees who lay off their jobs by lowering their salary when falling into management difficulties.

◆ 4: How will my boss react when I make a mistake?
For many companies, employees who make a big mistake may be dismissed. However, for example in the IBM in the 1960s, when one employee made a mistake making a loss of 10 million dollars (then 3.6 billion yen at the rate of the time), then CEO Tom Watson I called it to my office, "It just took me 10 million dollars to educate you," he said.

Looking closely at the above four sources, "The corporate culture addresses three basic problems," Grant says. The first one is "Whether the company is a fair place", the second is "Is it safe to work in this company?", And the third one is "Those who can trust life to the company". For example, if the boss is long-temperament, flat employees can go up to the top, even if profit is declining or employees make a mistake, if the employer is a company culture to protect employees, that company is fair, It can be said that it is safe and easy to manage.

ByBrittany Randolph

Also, psychologist at MITEdgar ShineThe professor said that "Organizational Culture and LeadershipIn the context of corporate culture, he says that people's way of speaking, looking, and behavior are the most visible. For example, a company that employees are talking about jokes or are decorating around the desk with their favorite things can be said to be a bright company. However, Mr. Grant thinks that value is the most important thing in corporate culture, "We need to figure out what emphasis is given to employees and what values ​​they are acting on," I am talking.