Posted by admin on 5th August 2009

Tribal Differences in the Office

In each company, different departments with different functions tend to develop their own “tribal” cultures. In order to get these “tribes” working together effectively, you must know what each tribe thinks of itself and what it thinks of other tribes. Thus:

What Finance may think of themselves: “…. custodians of the company’s money… costs and protect the profits…. stop the company from making costly mistake..”
What Finance may think of others: If Production had their way… ever more expensive machinery eating up profits… “Sales… would pour far too much into unprofitable advertising.”
What others may think of Finance: “… routine-minded plodders who lack vision …. too cautious and obsessed with.. measurement.. good at controlling cost s, but they don’t make the profit.”
What Production may think of themselves: “… getting our hands dirty, making it happen… constantly being dictated to by Sales and Finance, who don’t appreciate the problems we have… We work hard uncomplainingly but without recognition… we actually come up with the goods; without us there would be no business.
What others may think of Production: “… obstructive and obstreperous… in their own self-centred world… ignorant of the real needs of our customers… myopic… obsessed with deadlines, schedules, raw materials, quality control and goodness knows what else!”
What Marketing may think of themselves: “We are the business… look at the direction it’s taking and make the decisions to steer it on course for prosperity… have the necessary vision to cope with the ever changing environment and plan for future success.”
What Marketing may think of others: “We have to fight against the entrenched, obstructive attitudes of Finances, Sales and Production who can’t see beyond today.”
What others may think of Marketing: “… so busy looking at the stars that they don’t see the pot holes ahead… out of touch with the day-to-day reality of the business… could do with rolling their shirtsleeves up and getting down to some honest work.”