A521.1.4.RB - Stories in your Organization

Describe a common story in your organization and discuss its implications on the organization. Does this story promote the goals and ideals of the organization? Does it help describe "who we are and what we stand for?" What is the story's impact on the culture of the organization?

In the past organization I worked for, I remember my interview experience fairly well. I was greeted rather tersely by a fellow who seemed to be more nervous than I was about my presence. He never made eye contact, spoke quickly and meekly, and reminded me of Piglet from Winnie the Pooh. Our small talk consisted of discussion about how many people had left the institution in the past few years, due to lack of growth opportunities, in so many words. He stated that he was not from the area, and told a short story working in a large urban city at a fairly well-known institution.

It was clear that he was not fit for this past position, and seemingly ended up in his current position in response to having too much to do before.
In his current position, his goal was to not rock the boat. He was looking for experience, the realized that those with the years of fieldwork would preferred to be elsewhere. The location was remote and relatively unsafe for its size. It would be a different dynamic for a "northerner."

His discussion was worrisome but straight forward. He is clearly expressed the drawbacks of working at the institution. The pay was not great. There weresome policiesthat were rather conservative. The strategic direction of the department was blurry. There were no professional staff members with significant training or experience in the field.

Alas, I still decided to pursue this mission. Perhaps it was because of the challenge. Perhaps it was because of the opportunity to add clarity to an otherwise lost arena. Being the big fish in a small pond was fulfilling and comfortable at first, but it is difficult to function properly without the resources to train and grow people, even within their current positions. Even with the financial availability to maximize human utility, investment in professionals was not a priority. This directly affected the client - institution relationship.