The hidden agenda--know the culture.

• Author: Ruben, Stephen

We all start jobs with hope. But sometimes firms hire us because of skill sets that look splendid on paper and in the interview but that don't match the firm's culture.

Impressed by the hiring process and the job offer we receive from the law firm, we might be inclined not to ask ourselves whether this firm is a place where we will succeed in meeting the firm's expectations and experiencing the gratification for which we hope. Ultimately it is our job, not the firm's, to determine our potential for success.

So before signing on the dotted line, or calling all our friends and colleagues to tell them the good news, there are two rules for us to know. Rule Number 1: How they behave is their culture. Rule Number 2: None of us can change Rule Number 1.

What do I mean by culture? Culture: The predominating attitudes and behavior that characterize the functioning of a group or organization.

So what about culture do we need to consider? What do we need to ask and answer before we accept the job that will occupy our lives for the foreseeable future? There are a number of lessons in the book entitled "Results" by Gary Neilson and Bruce Pasternack which are instructive and can help us better understand how organizations truly function.

Only after we understand the strengths and weaknesses of our firm's culture can we assess whether the firm will or will not ultimately provide us with the tools and environment to do our jobs to the firm's satisfaction. The following represents five components to culture that ought to be addressed in laying the ground work for our assessment.

1 Decisions

Decisions dramatically influence how people spend their time. To understand the workings of the firm, we must learn how decisions are made; who is involved in the process; and whether decisions, once made, are clear, easy to implement and receive wide support.

Likewise, decisions that are not made methodically or for which no one is accountable often fail to find their way into practice, thereby undermining the authority of management and the effectiveness of the work force. We need to boldly inquire about the decision-making process and objectively determine from the responses whether the decision-making process will complement our efforts.

2 Information Flow

Why would a firm pay us but deprive us of the information we need to do our jobs effectively? You'd be surprised! Many colleagues have shared their stories of limited access to client lists, contact data...