Understand the Organisation

You will probably have found a great deal of useful information about the organisation from the research you undertook prior to being interviewed for the position. Most individuals do not continue with this research after they have accepted a position, even though the information could be useful to help them perform their own job more effectively and exercise a greater degree of influence across the organisation. Our advice is to seek more information on the following:

the organisation's mission and corporate strategy;

Any written organisational goals or statements of intent (eg. on subjects such as client service, product quality and desired position within the marketplace;

The organisation's philosophy and culture. It is vital that you become fully conversant with the values and attitudes on which the organisation places particular emphasis, as you are unlikely to progress far unless you can adapt your method of working to suit the values and culture of the organisation. A lot of organisations have an extremely strong corporate culture and, even if you find the culture not fully to your liking, it is important that you become fully aware of its strength and impact on organisational working methods and individual behaviour;

It will be useful for you to decide what strategy to adopt to come to terms with the aspects about which you are unsure. The culture of an organisation is likely to be far stronger than the objections of one individual, however strongly felt these may be. It is particularly important during your first few months that you take positive steps to understand the organisational hierarchy and the things which the organisation really rewards. It is during this period that you have your best opportunity to create a lasting impression on your boss and colleagues and gain their acceptance of what you have to contribute;

The organisation's communication systems. Every organisation will have a number of channels, both formal and informal, by which communication passes up and down and across the organisation; become familiar with all of these, and determine which is the most effective for you. The communication methods of organisations will vary considerably in their status and usefulness;

The organisation's products and services. This is important even if you are not directly employed in a sales, marketing or product development function. Even if you are employed in, for example, a personnel capacity, an in-depth understanding of the range and market position of your employer's services and products is important. Otherwise, your professional or specialist expertise is being utilised in ignorance of the issues which are affecting the current and future performance of your organisation;

Organisational jargon. Every organisation has its own jargon, which is often incomprehensible to someone who has just joined the business. It is important you take steps at an early stage in your new position to familiarise yourself with the relevant terminology. If you have changed your career path significantly, you will need to identify 'market sector' jargon as well.