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Getty Images Leader’s Self-Insight 14.2

Working in an Adaptive Culture

Think of a specific full-time job you have held. Indicate 10. Good ideas did not get com-
whether each item below is Mostly False or Mostly True municated upward because
according to your perception of the managers above you management above me was not
when you held that job. very approachable. _______ _______
Mostly Mostly
Scoring and Interpretation
False True
To compute your score: Give yourself one point for each
1. Good ideas got serious con-
Mostly True answer to questions 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9
sideration from management
and for each Mostly False answer to questions 4 and 10.
above me. _______ _______
Total points ________.
2. Management above me was An adaptive culture is shaped by the values and
interested in ideas and sugges- actions of top and middle managers. When managers
tions from people at my level in actively encourage and welcome change initiatives from
the organization. _______ _______ below, the organization will be infused with values for
3. When suggestions were made change. These 10 questions measure your manage-
to management above me, they ment’s openness to change. A typical average score
received fair evaluation. _______ _______ for management openness to change is about 4. If your
4. Management did not expect average score was 5 or higher, you worked in an organi-
me to challenge or change the zation that expressed cultural values of adaptation. If your
status quo. _______ _______ average score was 3 or below, the culture was probably
5. Management specifically encour- unadaptive.
aged me to bring about improve- Thinking back to your job, was the level of manage-
ments in my workplace. _______ _______ ment openness to change correct for that organization?
Why? Compare your score to that of another student,
6. Management above me took
and take turns describing what it was like working for
action on recommendations
the managers above you. Do you sense that there is a
made from people at my level. _______ _______
relationship between job satisfaction and management’s
7. Management rewarded me for
openness to change? What specific manager characteris-
correcting problems. _______ _______
tics and corporate values accounted for the openness (or
8. Management clearly expected lack of) in the two jobs?
me to improve work unit proce-
dures and practices. _______ _______ Sources: S. J. Ashford, N. P. Rothbard, S. K. Piderit, and J. E. Dutton,
“Out on a Limb: The Role of Context and Impression Management
9. I felt free to make recommenda- in Issue Selling,” Administrative Science Quarterly 43 (1998),
pp. 23–57; and E. W. Morrison and C. C. Phelps, “Taking Charge at
tions to management above me
Work: Extrarole Efforts to Initiate Workplace Change,” Academy of
to change existing practices. _______ _______ Management Journal 42, (1999), pp. 403–419.

because an unhealthy culture may encourage the organization to march reso-
lutely in the wrong direction. Healthy cultures help companies adapt to the ex-
ternal environment.
An organization’s culture may not always be in alignment with the needs of
the external environment. The values and ways of doing things may refl ect what
worked in the past, as they did at J. C. Penney. The difference between desired and
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Culture gap actual values and behaviors is called the culture gap. Many organizations have
Culture gap
the difference between desired
the difference between desired some degree of culture gap, though leaders often fail to realize it. An important
and actual values and behaviors
and actual values and behaviors
step toward shifting the culture toward more adaptive values is to recognize when
people are adhering to the wrong values or when important values are not held
strongly enough. 19
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