One cannot manage a culture without first understanding the culture. Many things go into the creation of a culture including our own life experiences, our beliefs, and our national identity to name a few. Culture is the shared beliefs or interests of two or more people. Within each company there is definitely a prevalent overall culture that has been formed over time by the previous leaders and workers of that company. Each company may or may not have various sub-cultures depending on the size of the company and the makeup of the employee pool.

Once you understand the culture then you can begin to understand the viewpoint of those within that culture. With that understanding one can begin to provide information and messaging that is appropriate and of interest to that particular culture. For example the financial team within a company would definitely have a sub-culture that is focused on return on investment and will be very sensitive to costs. When working with or presenting to this group one would tailor the information presented and conversations around those interests. There is an old axiom for presenters that say “know your audience” and this is definitely true for the architect.

Why does an architect need this skill?

The ability to identify and understand an organization’s culture will help the Architect successfully navigate the corporate waters and will ultimately help achieve success both from a project or strategy perspective and a personal perspective. The Architect that can identify and understand an organization’s culture will have a much better understanding of why and organization and the people within do the things they do.

Common tasks involved in this skill?

The Architect should be able to identify the culture within an organization and understand how the organization will act based on that culture. Once the culture is determined then the Architect should be able to utilize certain skills that will enhance the effectiveness of the Architect within that organization. Just as a structural architect must understand how a building is constructed, the Architect must understand all aspects of an organization. Some of the questions that must be answered include:

• What is the foundation of the organization?
• What is it built upon?
• Who or whom built it?
• Why the organization was initially formed?
• Why does it exist today?
• How long has it been in existence?
• What is the composition—people, processes, products, and technology—of the organization?
• What is the purpose of the organization?
• What are the significant accomplishments in the organization history?
• What are the significant failures in the organizations history?

What is their ownership in this skill?

This skill is one that is uniquely situated squarely on the Architect if the architect is to be successful.

Name an example of how an architect would use this in daily activities?

The architect would utilize knowledge of the corporate culture to help determine and set priorities for the organization. It does the architect or the organization little good to drive a program or process forward that is doomed to failure due to a conflict in corporate culture.

Describe why an architect should be involved in this skill at a corporate level.

This skill with help the architect be more successful within an organization. The key to the success of any leader is being able to clearly articulate their vision. This requires enhanced communication skills both in oral and written form. The architect therefore must be able to communicate the vision to those within, and sometimes external to, the organization. Similarly a manager must possess excellent communication skills so those within, and sometimes external to, the organization understand and can accomplish the tasks required.

Primary push back and/or challenges for architects.

There should not be any pushback for this skill within the organization as it is a passive skill that should be used constantly. The architect should be constantly observing the organization and striving to understand the organizations culture which will ultimately help the architect become more successful.

How would a stakeholder engage an architect for assistance utilizing this skill?

The stakeholder may ask the architect to help identify the culture. They may also ask for their opinion on the. The architect may be asked how to utilize traits of the culture to better position initiatives for success or they may be asked how to help drive a cultural change.

Organizational Agility

Description coming soon…

Consultancy and Advisory

Description coming soon…

Accountabilty

Description coming soon…

Identify the Organizational Culture

Understand the primary organizational culture and any department or team cultures that deviate from the primary organizational culture.

Utilize the Organizational Culture

How does the successful Architect leverage, or mitigate, the existing internal culture to achieve project success?

Describe the Tools Used to Manage Organizational Culture

Each organizational culture brings unique circumstances and often requires different tools/methodologies to facilitate project success.

Articles/Books –

Schein, Edgar H. 1992 (copyright 2010). Organizational Culture and Leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers

Schein, Edgar H. 1999 (copyright 2009). The Corporate Culture Survival Guide. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers

Cohen, Dan S. 2005 (copyright Deloitte Development LLC 2005). The Heart of Change Field Guide: Tools and Tactics for Leading Change in Your Organization. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Publishing

Kotter, John P. and Cohen, Dan S. 2002 (copyright John P. Kotter and Deloitte Consulting LLC 2002). The Heart of Change Field Guide: Real-Life Stories of How People Change Their Organizations. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Publishing

Blogs/Webcasts/News Sources –

Types of Organization Culture. Management Study Guide. Retrieved August 24, 2013, from http://managementstudyguide.com/types-of-organization-culture.htm.

Dan Fain
Security & Identity Architect – Microsoft

Driven executive specializing in applying proven sales, relationship management and professional services background to deliver exceptional technical leadership in both domestic and international environments. 20-year management background with strong experience directing staff members from Australia, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Effectively apply IT resources to achieve organizational goals while improving efficiency and profitability. Strong technical background includes MCITP, MCSE, IA/CND Level III DoD, CISSP, CITA-P, and CEH certifications and expertise in LAN, WAN and VPN technologies and information systems security.

Waldemar Roberti
Enterprise Architect – WEG

Enterprise Architect with large experience in Enterprise Systems Development and Integration. Responsible for EA initiatives, applying the principles and practices of EA to current IT and Enterprise Processes.