Organizational Culture at the Charlotte Observer’s Magazine Department

I was aware of what the organizational culture would be like before starting my internship this summer because I work on the same floor and with the same people that I did last summer. My boss, Caroline Portillo, is the magazine editor and head of the Content Studio team, which includes the entire magazine department (which I am interning for this summer) and digital platforms owned by the Charlotte Observer, like CharlotteFive (which I interned for last summer). What it means to be apart of the same Content Studio team is that both the magazines and CharlotteFive share sponsored content, occasionally borrow stories from one other when they are in need of a filler article, and partner up for brand events, like the 35Below events hosted by CharlotteFive. 35Below events are networking events and a breakfast series with some of Charlotte’s most talented young professionals who “get to hold court with some of the biggest names in North Carolina.” The CharlotteFive team and the magazine department consist of six people total, so all of our desks are right next to one another. I sit across from Caroline, my boss, so whenever I have a question or if she needs to discuss something with me, all we have to do is lean over toward the other person. The entire Content Studio team is also on Slack, which is a phone app that allows a group to have a group message, where we can brainstorm article ideas, ask questions about details on upcoming events, ask for a source’s contact info, or even ask if anyone wants to grab lunch offsite. You can also send someone a direct message through the app, so if I want to reach Caroline when she is out of the office, I can message her through that, or just text her. I know those two methods are my best way to contact her because her email inbox is always flooded with magazine editor-type things. The Content Studio also hosts weekly meetings at our conference room table by our desks, where we discuss deadlines, what is coming up in the magazine’s next issue and who we are still waiting on articles from, as well as article and media things related to CharlotteFive. Slack and office meetings are the department’s top methods of choice for enhancing strengths and suggestions in order to address weaknesses. For example, if we want to try something new with the magazine, such as include a new section or find the perfect Charlottean to feature in our “Snapshot” article, which is a Q&A feature included in each issue, we will host an open discussion or bounce ideas off of one another until we come up with the best possible answer to the matter at hand. Because our department is so small, there isn’t a distinct “leader” present, even though we do have a “leader” or head of the Content Studio. Because there are no distinct leader-follower relationships, we operate as a team and as an entire unit when contributing to the organization. All of our positions are seen as equally important in order for success with the magazine or digital production.