Corporate Culture Diferrences?

[tooney128]

I would love to hear everyones thoughts about different aspects of each companies culture.

In this market I have worked for COX RADIO and also CC......the differences were apparent from the start.

COX seemed to always be extremely supportive of their staff promoting from within and cultivating talent both on the sales and corporate end.

When I got a gig at CC it was like night and day...it seemed like everyone was so afraid of loosing their jobs that they would do just enough to properly do their job, but not excell.....also, there seems to be a systemic egotisim even down to simple email responses from managment.....

This was my experience....do you agree, disagree?

 

[Questor]

If you really want to get the lowdown on places, speak to ex-employees as well as current employees.  Speak also to managers.

I've heard echoes of your findings of Cox vs. CC in both the middle part of the country and the West Coast too. In fact, as layoffs continue, they're actually verified. In a sense, your conclusions provide vindications to the many employees and managers who do want to do right by radio, yet are blocked by others with insecure egos. Some places view People as an Opportunity, others view People as a Bother.

Corporate Culture is always an interesting deal.  In fact, that's the name of an author who wrote a great book on the subject, Deal & Kennedy.

Here's something very interesting.  When you shop for a job, shop for a boss instead.  I've worked in some places where the corporate culture said it was all about freedom and experimenting, yet the boss was too timid.  I've also worked in some places where the corporate culture was restrictive, yet the boss was a delight.

You may wonder, how can there be such a change in culture from one day to the next?  Merger maniacs!

 

[Questor]

And now here's an experiment worth running that you can do undercover.   It's a variation on how to check out a new neighborhood.  

Originally I was told this:  if you're thinking of moving, go to that region's supermarkets.  See who shops there.  Never tell them you're visiting.  That'll tell you who your neighbors will be.  You then think, would I like to see these people on a daily basis?

Transposing this to the radio world?  Go to a station's events.   That'll tell you who your coworkers and bosses will be, on a daily basis.

See when they have booths, community fundraisers and the like.  Never tell them you're in the industry.  Instead, since you do like radio you're always an interested listener.  First, watch them from afar.  See their body language.  See their facial talk.  Are they seeing People as an Opportunity, or People as a Bother?

Interact with the people and give them brief suggestions.  See how they respond.  Are they really interested?  Do they jot your ideas down?  Do they give you the name of someone to contact to further develop your idea? 

Or are they apprehensive, talking so much about tearing down and when to quit?  Are they scared of giving you an inside contact because they themselves may be tore down?

Here's a really simple one.  Email them suggestions via their Web site.  Do they want to engage with you in a dialogue, especially for free?  Or do they think they're boss just because they've got 20,000+ Watts, even though you're the one who controls the dial?

This, incidentally, is called Pre-Interview Screening.  It is great to interview a company long before they ever interview you. 

 

[Mike Sheridan]

Wow some really good advice. I have found that a really good manager will often insulate you from a sometimes negitive upper management. That way he keeps the staff happy. The smart ones know that a happy staff works better.

As for meeting the station at a remote function. These days you see maybe one overworked jock who's tired and wants to get out of there and maybe two or three interns who might have made the remote on time after a wild Friday or Saturday night. The PD or GM usually isn't there