As a career coach, I guide people in finding their professional happiness. Happiness is a subjective concept, but for many it boils down to (re)gaining energy and being 'in balance' at work. That intrigues me-what exactly does that mean: 'getting energy
getting and being in balance'?
According to Personal Branding, you get (renewed) energy in your work when you know what you are good at and like to do and what you want to develop and can put this to full use and when your values match the core values of the organization you work for.
What are the values of the organization where you work?
That's all very well but what about the other side? And more importantly, how do you find the right balance from the management side
between the interests of your organization on the one hand and the wishes and talents of your employees on the other?
Psychologist W. Graves' "Spiral Dynamics" model gave me more insights. The translation of this in the book Cubrix; insight into organizational development and performance improvement' by Marcel van Marrewijk is highly recommended. The model describes consciousness development on three levels: personal, organizational and societal. The model is regularly
used in change projects. It assumes that organizations go through developmental stages in changing societies and describes different levels of increasing complexity. Some organizations are more focused on the individual, others on the environment and the whole.
Different organizational types
A company or organization is rarely completely red, orange, green, yellow....but often exhibits characteristics of the different values, hence
also the spiral rather than linear development. Sometimes it is important for an organization to go back to former values and way of managing in order to provide clarity again (in order to be able to walk, you must first be able to step and sometimes it is necessary to learn to step back (better) only then to be able to walk better or faster again).
The four most common types in organizational values
We briefly zoom in on 4 most common types of organizations in our Western society, based on the above model:
- The power organization: this red organization is characterized by control, power and task orientation and is decisive: fixed tasks and strong hierarchy, top-down communication, many (standard) procedures, information=power, employees are rather docile. Examples: ministries, army, call centers
- The results organization: this orange organization attaches great importance to competencies and results and people are managed accordingly (competency management). They are highly competitive organizations. There are clear organizational rules and boundaries, people are given clear responsibilities, ratio and analysis are important. Examples: consulting firms, strongly profit- and target-oriented organizations
- The values organization: in this green organization there is a lot of cooperation based on the core values; these are (as) important(er) as (then) results and competences. The core values are known and people receive feedback about their behavior in relation to these values. There is also and especially room for feelings (in addition to reason and analysis) and therefore there can be a lot of ambiguity and slowness in decision-making processes. Examples: NGOs, social profit organizations
- The innovation organization: this yellow organization is driven by the vision that everyone knows well, from a clear picture of the future. The organization has many innovative, creative and exploratory profiles, often a strong visionary leader and high autonomy because everyone naturally collaborates toward that vision of the future. Examples: start-ups, Google, Apple.
What are your values?
So far, and in a very small nutshell, the analysis about the types of organizations and their development. Travvant's mission is to
'Make Flanders happier' by making people flourish at work. This means that it is important to find the organization or environment in which you are at your best as a person and in which you feel most at home.
Hence, it is important to first think deeply about your own basic values and competencies and what competencies you would like to develop so that you can look for the right match!
So it is also important in your search to pay due attention to the job description as well as gathering information about the type of organization, its culture and core values. A good match is a win-win for both employee and employer!
Tip for energy and balance: ensure a match in your values and those of the organization
Ensuring the right match is not just a job for the HR department! It is your job to inform them as well as possible about who you are, what is important to you, what you are good at and like to do and what you want to develop, and to ask the right questions about the job and the work environment so that you can see if there is a win-win here. With this information you have all the tools you need to dojobcrafting, either within your current company or externally. This makes you much stronger in conversations and empowers you to be at the helm of your own career and life!
And this is where we like to help you! Together with a Travvant coach you create your career passport, where you learn to articulate your values, what you are good at and enjoy doing, and what you want to develop. You also see which jobs match this and if you need help preparing for your job interview, this is also possible! We always work tailor-made. This means that your question is central.