Reference #489: Organizational Culture and Leadership

If you seek to learn about an organisation's culture, an effective approach is to act as a helper or in a consultant role. Members may see researchers as outsider and hence not give an accurate picture of culture — for example, by exaggerating to impress you, or by hiding information.

When you provide genuine help to an organisation, you may be accepted into the group and be permitted to ask questions that were previously considered intrusive. You may provide this help by interning, or by otherwise doing a job that needs to be done.

Similarly, as a consultant invited to help with a problem, members of the organisation feel they have something to gain by revealing information to you.

Schein. Organizational Culture and Leadership, 2017. (260-261)

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