Ease Them in: Receiving a Cultural Newcomer

Today I talked to my students about culture. I shared some of my experiences - some funny, some downright scary – as I came from Brazil to the United States or tried to run a training program in Finland.  Professional expectations in these three countries are somewhat different – maybe not so different that a casual observer would notice immediately, but different enough to make me stumble on more than one occasion.

Joining a new organization can also be scary.  Over time, organizations develop their own set of values, “best practices,” ideals, processes, and strategies.  People learn what works and what doesn’t, what makes the difference between becoming a coveted “high po” or someone who is easily forgotten. As I discussed organizational cultures with my students I wondered… what can a leader do to ease people in? How can leaders alleviate some of the culture shock a new employee may experience? Here are some possible ideas:

Examine your own defaults

In “The Practice of Adaptive Leadership,” Heifetz, Grashow & Linksy explained that “defaults” are based on unquestioned cultural assumptions.  We don’t think. We don’t question.  For instance, I asked my students today: “Who is tired?” (it was around 6:30 in the afternoon, the class had been going on for a couple of hours, so most of them raised their hands). “If you are tired,” I then asked, “why didn’t you leave? Why are you still here?” My students seemed confused. “It’s a sign of respect,” someone said. “Sure it is,” I acknowledged.  You don’t leave because the class hasn’t ended. It doesn’t occur to you to get up and leave. Staying here for the duration of the class is one of our cultural defaults. That’s just “the way things are.”

Leaders should take the time to examine their defaults.  The “way things are” is often simply “the way things are over here.” What do you do without thinking? What rules do you follow almost unconsciously? Whose ideas tend to be accepted without question?

Ask about the defaults

Your new employee can be a rich source of information on defaults. He or she will notice immediately that some things are “different.” In most organizations, new employees are simply encouraged to “observe” for a while. “You’ll get used to the way we do things,” someone may recommend. “Don’t rock the boat.” “Don’t make waves.”

Discouraging newcomers from sharing their observations may be a critical mistake. Given time, the newcomer will indeed learn “the way things are around here.” He or she will stop noticing and stop caring. The default will set in. By then, it will be too late to take advantage of a fresh pair of eyes and source of positive criticism.

Beware of assumptions

Your newcomer may unknowingly break one or more rules. He or she may wear the wrong outfit, laugh at the wrong time at a meeting, tell the wrong joke, say the wrong thing to the boss. Resist making assumptions about professionalism, intelligence, or potential – at least until the newcomer figures out the new rules. Keep in mind that the speed of cultural adjustment does not necessarily imply that the employee is somehow “better” than others.  Instead, the fact that someone “adjusts quickly” may mean simply that the culture from which he or she came is fairly similar to the culture of the new organization. 

Be kind

Culture shock can creep in when individuals are thrown into an unfamiliar world.  Imagine looking at the mirror one day and seeing a different person – a person no longer well-known, no longer appreciated, no longer invited for lunches and coffee breaks. It is like playing a game of cards with suddenly different rules – gone are your old “trump cards,” your chips have a different value, your ace becomes a 2.

In summary – leaders can and should receive newcomers to their organization with the same kindness, patience, and openness to learning that they would use to entertain a foreigner in their land. Further, leaders should take new employees as an opportunity to learn about themselves, their culture, and their defaults.  Keep in mind that every new person is a window to the way things are… and the way things could be.