An important, if not always acknowledged, aspect of any place that you work or study via a practicum or internship is the culture of the organization. It is often written about as a part of the strategic efforts of for-profit organizations, but it exists in every workplace, whether or not it is explicitly identified. As a student yet to enter the work world you have the unique opportunity to focus on this critical aspect of your future workplaces.

Organizational culture can be defined as a shared set of beliefs and actions. These beliefs are supported by the structure of the organization, strategies used, and policies. Any aspect of organizational culture can be explicitly stated (e.g., in written policies, employee manuals and training, forms and instructions for clients) or can be implicitly known. Shared values and social norms that are implicitly known, or assumed to be known, can be more difficult to discern by any newcomer to the organization.

3.4.1 Organizational Culture and Inclusion

Expected behaviors and roles that are not explicitly stated can quickly create feelings of exclusion or incompetence for newcomers if they do not guess about the “correct” behavior. For example, consider the faculty that are your teachers. What is the expectation about how you address them? Is it “Professor X”? “Mr./Mrs./Ms./Miss X?” Perhaps by first name? If the faculty member explicitly tells students how to address them, either in writing or by verbal introduction, it is more likely that all will feel more comfortable and safe addressing the instructor by name.

Allan Johnson, the noted sociologist known for his work related to the social construction of difference, writes about this same phenomenon in his blog post, “Aren’t systems just people?” In his vivid example about a car breaking down right outside a church hosting a wedding service, he helps us understand how critical the exposure to differing social systems and cultures is to being able to handle both familiar and unfamiliar situations:

To see the difference between people and systems, imagine you’re in a social situation such as a church wedding, and that someone who’s never been in this particular place before—whose car, let’s say, has broken down and they’re looking for a phone to call for help—comes in the door and looks around. Most likely, they will immediately know where they are in a social sense, and, even more important, they will have an accurate idea of what the people in the room expect of them even though they have no personal knowledge whatsoever of them. So long as they accurately identify the social system they are participating in and their position in relation to it, they will be able to behave appropriately without violating the expectations that go with that situation. (Johnson, 2013)

Now I ask you to imagine that you have not ever been in a church or to a wedding. It’s more likely that you would behave “inappropriately” or be seen in a negative way because you do not know what the expectations are in this environment. Does this mean that you are less capable? Less able to learn? Not aware of boundaries and social cues? No, it just means that you have not had experience in that particular environment.

The above example illustrates the implications of making information and expectations explicit to new employees, interns, their clients and the general public. If you enter a new workplace, or a social service agency where you need help, getting clear information about what the cultural norms are will help you to feel comfortable and to be successful in this environment. One way for those at the agency to practice equity and inclusion is to communicate expectations and procedures in an explicit manner so that everyone (not just people who have experience in that kind of environment) has access to that information.

3.4.1.1 Culture

Looking at the broader cultural context is another way to think about organizations. There are several ways to distinguish different cultures from one another. Your experience living in the United States has exposed you to U.S. culture and values, influenced by other Western industrialized societies. If you have had other cultural experiences such as having lived or traveled to other countries you may have been exposed to other ways of thinking about these values.

F. R. Kluckhohn and F. L. Strodtbeck (1961) have identified six dimensions that are helpful in understanding such differences. These are as follows:

1. How people view humanity. Are people basically good, or are they evil? Can most people be trusted or not? Are most people honest? What is the true nature of humankind?
2. How people see nature. What is the proper relationship between people and the environment? Should people be in harmony with nature, or should they attempt to control or harness nature?
3. How people approach interpersonal relationships. Should one stress individualism or membership in a group? Is the person more or less important than the group? What is the “pecking order” in a society? Is it based on seniority or on wealth and power?
4. How people view activity and achievement. Which is a more worthy goal: activity (getting somewhere) or simply being (staying where one is)?
5. How people view time. Should one focus on the past, the present, or the future? Some cultures are said to be living in the past, whereas others are looking to the future.
6. How people view space. How should physical space be used in our lives? Should we live communally or separately? Should important people be physically separated from others? Should important meetings be held privately or in public?

3.4.1.2 Assessment

The beginning of your exposure to a workplace environment is a terrific time to assess the culture. It is often said that people are on their best behavior when they first start an experience such as a new job, or a new class in college. Do you think this is true? How about the people who have more authority and power in those situations (the employer, supervisor, mentor or teacher)? Do you believe that they are showing their best, most favorable behavior in the first interactions? You can learn a lot about organizational culture by observing, especially in an in person (not ZOOM or other electronic meeting) environment. You may also observe the website for similar data. As you learn more about the organization, make sure that expectations for dress code, communication, if/how to address co-workers and clients, and other daily behaviors are known to you. If it is not clearly stated, ask. This is your internship, and you will get the most out of it if you express your desire to understand the organization, including its shared values and expectations. Here are some questions about assessing the culture of your agency that you as an intern might find helpful:

• How are newcomers welcomed?
• What is the first information that you receive?
• How do co-workers acknowledge each other?
• What information do you receive in writing? Are materials up to date, current?
• What is on the walls?Look for mission statements and other messages meant to communicate the purpose or values of the organization.
• Is there an easy way to contact someone via the website?
• Does the environment look cared for? Is there a person there to greet you in person?

3.4.2 Employee Handbook, Training, and Continuing Education

One way the agency formally communicates agency culture is through the employee handbook, initial training, and opportunities for continuing education. When you joined your educational program you likely were given a program handbook, and some colleges and universities have an additional handbook for those who participate in the field experience program. Those handbooks explain the program expectations and requirements and the potential consequences.

The employee handbook you receive at your agency should include the same kind of information along with material about hiring practices, employee benefits, and other requirements as dictated by the laws, statutes, codes, and licensing requirements for the agency. The handbook, along with the job description is a contract between the agency and the employee that describes what the employer will provide and what they expect from their worker. Healthy organizations tend to update their handbooks regularly, make copies available electronically and in hardcopy.

Onboarding, or the process of hiring and starting a new employee or intern is another key indicator of agency culture. Best practice is for the new person to have a formal orientation to the agency on their first day. This usually involves filling out additional paperwork, reviewing the agency handbook, and an introduction to policy manuals. When this process is organized and welcoming, it communicates that the employee or intern is valued and important. That doesn’t mean the person isn’t valued when the process is not organized; however, it is something of which to be mindful. Think back to your experience on your first day at your site. What specifically did the agency do to help you feel welcome and wanted? Was there a designated place for you to sit or put your belongings? Were you given an agency email account? Did team members express excitement about your internship? Did they remember your name the next day? Were you given access to the tools you need to be a successful intern?

Another way an agency demonstrates culture is through continuing education. Human services is a constantly evolving field. New interventions and treatment modalities are always being developed and to stay effective helping professionals need to seek out new learning opportunities. Agencies that include monies for continuing education demonstrate that they value their employees and support and expect growth. Agencies who are not able to send employees to formal trainings or conferences can host brown bag lunch conversations or book club discussions. There are many ways for agencies to invest in their employee’s ongoing education without spending money.

3.4.2.1 Policies, procedures, and practice

One of the most overlooked tools for assessing an agency are policy and procedural manuals. Before you stop reading, let me explain why. Policies tend to exist for one of two reasons. The first option is that the policy is required by a governing or licensing body, such as it is the law that all employees who work in a child serving agency pass a criminal history screening and every agency must have a written policy. The second reason for a policy to be developed is that something happened either in that agency or a similar one that created concern and a policy was developed. These second reason policies are what tell the agency history and cultural practices.

Another way to think about policies is that they represent the macro level of human services. The policies provide the bigger framework in which the work takes place.

For example, not all organizations are required to have a policy regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), yet some choose to develop a policy to communicate to employees, services users, and the general public their commitment to DEI practices and education. Another example is an agency that had a policy that banned potlucks. Upon investigation, the policy had been developed by the previous human resources director who had gotten sick after an agency potluck and out of fear of a lawsuit (and personal discomfort) a policy was developed and implemented. That story tells a great deal about how decisions and policies were developed in that agency and who had the power to change agency culture without input. (The policy was eventually repealed and replaced with a safe food handling policy that absolved the agency of responsibility if someone got sick after a potluck.)

Policies are important because they provide structure to tell an employee what they must and must not do. They are formal, and they are reviewed and monitored periodically for appropriateness and need (i.e., the potluck policy.) Policies also keep an agency safe from legal action when an employee acts outside of the policy parameters. In private agencies, policies are approved by the board of directors before they can be implemented and legally bind the agency to specific actions (or non-actions.) This helps lower the cost of insurance, which keeps the overhead expenses low, hopefully keeping under that 25% rate. In public agencies, the process is more detailed and specific as it involves the legislature and other regulatory bodies, laws, statutes, and administrative codes, which we will talk about in a later section. For these reasons, policies are designed to be specifically vague to avoid the need for editing. The employee knows what they must do, and must not do, but not what they can do, or how to do what the policy is requiring. That is the role of the procedures.

Procedures take the policy and fill in the space between the must and must nots. Procedures represent the mezzo level of human services. Practices take the big picture policies and offer a bridge to tie them to day to day activities. Procedures give you the step by step process of what to do. Using the example of criminal history screenings, the policy states the results must be approved before employment begins, while the procedure will provide specific instructions on what forms to fill out and submit, how to appeal false findings, and frequency of repeat screenings. Procedures explain how to implement the policies. Procedures do not require Board approval, which allows them to be amended to meet the changing needs of an organization. While procedures are specific, they can’t be all inclusive for every potential situation or variation that develops. That is the role of practices.

Practices are how procedures really happen. Practices represent the micro level of human services. Practices are how those policies are carried out by individual agency personnel. Using the same criminal history example, policy states the screening occurs prior to employment, procedure provides where to access the form, and where to process the form and get fingerprinted. That works well until there is an anomaly—an unpredicted complication. The perfect applicant lives two states away and cannot get fingerprinted at the site stated in the written procedure. The practice of obtaining fingerprints must be individualized for that one applicant. Practice allows for the agency to be in compliance with the policy, maintain the spirit of the procedure, but be individualized enough to meet the needs of a specific service user or employee.

Remember these three statements to help you distinguish between policy, procedure, and practice:

• Policy is the rule.
• Procedure is the process of implementing the rule.
• Practice is the rule in action.

Here are some questions about organizational structure that you as an intern might find helpful:

• How would you describe the culture of the agency?
• What are the DEI efforts and conversations in the agency?
• When was the employee handbook last updated?
• Who was involved in developing the Employee handbook?
• Who writes/develops the agency job descriptions?
• How are policies and procedures developed?

Understanding the organizational structure can help give you a bigger picture of how the organization operates.