How to assess and influence workplace culture
A fulfilling role requires role fit and culture fit. But what is culture? And how do you get an insight into an organsation’s culture before joining it? In this interview, Renee Barnes draws upon her expert perspective and deep experience to answer these questions.
Renee Barnes is the founder of HR consultancy The People Paradox. She has been helping Australian businesses and their people connect and thrive for over 17 years. Renee is passionate about creating engaging workspaces where people are enabled to succeed.
Organisational culture, as you know, is central to employee experience and business success. Renee shares her insights into the nature of organisational culture and the criticality of investigating the culture of your potential employer before signing up.
This is one of the most helpful interviews I've done. It's jam packed with insights and practical tips.
I recommend listening to the entire interview, but here are some key points you can jump to if you're short on time:
- Renee’s background: 0.39
- Why she founded People Paradox: 2.11
- Renee's career crossroad that lead to her starting her business: 4.07
- The obstacles / worries she faced around making a change: 4.56
- Starting a business 7 months into maternity leave: 5.14
- Early steps / mini-experiments Renee undertook to gain clarity & confidence about her business idea: 5.43
- Why strong cultural fit is so important and at times so hard to achieve: 7.35
- Renee’s experience of accepting a role that was perfect on paper, only to find a strong cultural dissonance: 10.05
- The framework/criteria to help you assess workplace culture. What is workplace culture? 11.25
- How do you assess cultural fit with an organisation during the interview process? 15.18
- The questions about culture to ask at interview: 15.45
- If you start a new role and the culture isn't a fit, what can you do about it? 19.38
- How the market really views role turnover on your CV: 22.3
- Renee's top VIA strengths and how she leverages them: 23.44
- How Renee manages her weaknesses through partnering, outsourcing or elimination: 25.1
- Career mistakes / negative experiences Renee has recovered from: 26.3
- The recurring negative belief / self-talk Renee's still working to overcome: 27.43
- Two great questions Renee suggests we ask ourselves: 29.55
- How to connect with Renee: 31.3
How to connect with Renee:
