¶ … culture workplace. (This include, necessarily limited, fellow employees,
Culture plays a vital role in the workplace in contemporary times. Most organizations have their own respective cultures, as well as do individual industries, countries, parts of countries, and even different parts of the world. All of these varying cultures and sub-cultures come together in the workplace environment, and make for some interesting interactions -- not all of which are beneficent. I have had a number of different interactions with individuals who were part of cultures that are not innately my own, and have always come away with them by gaining a degree of didactic knowledge that sheds insight into future situations of intercultural activity.
Industry specific culture is one that is difficult to assess -- or even to necessarily prepare for -- without fully emerging oneself into it. For instance, when I attended my first data governance conference last winter, I had a general knowledge about the data industry and the various practical components of involving oneself in it. However, there were definite cultural manifestations that I was not prepared for and which affected my interactions with others as well as my general efficacy at the conference.
In addition to the fact that I was dealing with several industry professionals -- the likes of whom I had never interacted with in a face-to-face environment -- there were other cultural factors at play during this three-day conference....
Whereas everyone largely spoke and understood a convoluted, highly technical jargon full of acronyms (which is a major part of the culture in the data industry), it is also significant to note that this particular conference took place in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The cultural ramifications of this particular fact had to do with the reality that most organizations (especially the ones that were nationwide with locations in different parts of the country) sent representatives from their East Coast branches. (Data and IT in general is not a traditionally southern-based industry). East Coast culture is decidedly at variance with that from the West Coast, my native home. East Coast people tend to be more formal and less laid back than their West Coast counterparts. Subsequently, they dress and act the part, whereas on the West Coast, it may be difficult to recognize million dollar CEO's in their shorts and sandals -- or at least in their jeans and collared shirts.
Therefore, I had a number of cultural differences to rapidly make up for and to learn at the convention. Interacting with people was not as effortless for me as it typically is in my native environment, and the cultural differences in the lexicon were also difficult to overcome. There were certain words that people used that I and anybody else with even a rudimentary understanding of English could comprehend, but differences between terms such as data management and data governance, which are worlds apart, took a little while…
