Let s take a look at each of the four cultures, their characteristics and the effects they have on the newspaper. Seventeen of the 90 responding newspapers can lay claim, however tenuously, to constructive cultures. Across all circulation sizes, departments and hierarchies, newspaper employees say they want to work in a constructive culture. People balance expectations for thinking independently and taking initiative with expectations to work consensually and share power. They regularly voice unique perspectives and concerns while working toward agreement.
People enjoy their work, think in unique and independent ways and maintain personal integrity.
Those are great places to work, but even among the 17 constructive culture newspapers in the study, it s easy to lapse into the less effective cultures. These newspapers are task-oriented. Staffers, said the research, approach tasks forcefully, not to further the overall goals of the newspaper as much to protect their status, security and turf. They are expected to look for mistakes, stay detached and perfectly objective, and to point out flaws. These can be pleasant places to work if only because folks do whatever it takes to please others and to avoid interpersonal conflict.