Organizational Culture: Week 1 (Working Life in Spain)
My first week interning for the communications and fundraising department of CESAL has been a whirlwind. I worked very long hours for the first three days as we prepared for the 30th anniversary of the company. The day of the event, I worked 12 hours straight. With the anniversary passed, I am still learning what the average work day is like at CESAL, however, starting my internship in the midst of one of their biggest events shed light on the organizational culture of the company.
The primary differences that I am noticing come from a cultural discrepancy between the work experience I have in the US how work is done here in Spain. Primarily, the biggest difference for me is the language. I am still facing language barriers, as no one in the office speaks English, which makes the disorder feel even more overwhelming. However, I can already feel my Spanish improving and I am sure this barrier will soon dissipate. Aside from language differences, and the fact that CESAL is a non profit organization, the Spanish work environment is much more casual than the US. For example, work starts at 10 but most people don’t show up until 11 and there is no distinct closing time. Sometimes we are in the office until 1 am trying to beat a deadline.
While the disorganization can seem less efficient than the US, I think there are pro’s and con’s to both because the casual environment can be more conducive to stress-free creativity. On the other hand, pulling all nighters to prepare for an event seems unnecessary. It’s probably important to have a balance.
So, given the language barrier and no mention of any orientation/on-boarding of sorts, I presume you are learning the values, expectations, norms, etc. by simply being a member of the community and participating in the work; essentially through observation. Outside of the language issue, which seems to already be improving, I would be curious to know what type of communication methods/modes are used (is it all face-to-face, is there virtual methods like messaging, do you use work-flow/project-management software)? Good to recognize the differences between office culture in the US and Spain. It would also be good to consider how your site’s context (type of industry or history) affects the way it functions and is led, including whether the site’s context requires the leadership to be more attentive to certain issues than to others. Such insights will assist you in completing the academic assignments in the fall.