Organizational culture is part of every corporation and major organization. An understanding of organizational culture makes sense for certain people. There are professors who study it on a theoretical basis. There are also executives who want to figure out how to run their corporations more efficiently to gain an edge on competition. But why should a common employee, or even a potential employee, analyze the organizational culture of a potential employer?

There are several good reasons that employees should look beyond the salary and benefits to figure out what type of an organizational culture would be the best fit for them. There is strong competition among companies to hire the best and brightest, and one of the side effects of technology is that the competition is actually fiercer than it has been in the past, giving potential employees right out of college maybe more bargaining power than they have ever had-you don't have to settle for the first job that comes along and be thankful for scraps.

Employees should find a good company that fits with their personality. If an individual is really comfortable with dress khakis, belt, and long sleeve pressed shirt as casual wear, then maybe that company whose idea of "Casual Friday" means ties are optional is an all right fit. If you like getting down and dirty in the field before coming back to manage, then even if that is the "best" company, it might be a terrible fit for you. Too many people work jobs that they hate because they just don't fit into the organizational culture. This is something that could have been avoided with a little research ahead of time.

An organizational culture will have its own social identity and many times a conflict between a new employee and his/her co-workers can come because there is a socially accepted identity by the group, and that identity might not fit the new worker or vice-versa. The establishment of one's identity is always going to be a matter of individual choice, but then acceptance into the hiring culture usually occurs when your views and beliefs line up with theirs. If there is an inherent conflict, then you are at a serious advantage.

In some ways, acceptance into an organizational culture can be a lot like socializing in high school. You had the jocks, the preppies, the geeks, the cheerleaders, etc. Each general group could choose to accept you or reject you based on a series of unspoken rules shared by each member about how you can and should act. These groups reinforce the social identities that are already there, and reject those that don't fit in. In the same way, each organizational culture has its own series of unspoken guidelines or understanding about what is and is not appropriate behavior. Breaking these taboos can result in cold shoulders and general rejection. Not only does this make work harder, but it can even affect your personal professional goals.

Employers should analyze organizational culture to make sure the company is the right fit. Too many people work at jobs they hate-don't be one of them.