Week 4/5: Organizational Culture and The Benefits of Casual Communication

As I complete the midpoint mark of my internship, I have become comfortable and familiar with the work culture at the Academy. Initially, I did not feel this way because the majority of learning the norms of the organization comes from experience and interaction. However, the Academy also has a very dedicated intern staff team, in which members schedule weekly meetings with the interns in order to update them on events, answer their questions and give them a chance to share about their projects or just casually share conversation. This form of guidance and supervision goes hand in hand with the informal nature of the work environment; if you have to miss a meeting or an event, you would not face any serious repercussions. The staff communicates with each other and other interns in a casual and equal manner which is an aspect I now know that I really value in a company. This form of communication helps me feel comfortable sharing my ideas and asking questions because I do not feel like I am burdening a staff member, instead I feel like we are exchanging ideas and are learning from one another. 

The casual and informal communication is maintained during COVID-19 through Slack, a professional communication platform in which coworkers can form group chats or privately message one another. At the Academy, there are several group chats that were formed to maintain friendly relationships and share hobbies, such as an “exercise accountability” or “random” group chat in which colleagues can share their fitness progress or offer extra tickets they have to a sports game. I often use Slack to message my supervisor, Tony Spearman-Leach, because it is a fast and casual way to communicate with one another. I would say the friendly nature of the work environment is one of the organization’s biggest strengths. It’s biggest weakness, in my opinion, is the hands off approach towards completing assignments and projects. Although I appreciate the opportunity to work independently, I think forms of collaboration would be beneficial for creativity and inspiration. A way the Academy can provide more opportunities for collaborative projects is to message about current opportunities in Slack, giving interns an opportunity to pick up extra assignments that would allow them to collaborate and learn with others.