CGA: Understanding Our Organizational Culture CGA New Employee Orientation

CGA We began as a small, two-person surveying firm called M.E. Berry & Associates in Hollywood, Florida. Known today as Calvin Giordano & Associates, Inc. (CGA) we’ve grown dramatically, adding new services, new offices and an incredibly talented group of professionals that have expanded our capabilities into an entirely new and dynamic business segment.

What Defines Us? Our strategy is working, as we are experiencing the most rapid growth in the company’s long history. We’re an innovative and creative partner offering clients a comprehensive approach to engineering, land planning, government regulatory compliance and data technologies and developmental issues. Because of our diversity, CGA can control the entire process, offering a host of professional services as a one-source partner, or efficiently tackle time-sensitive individual projects, providing customized solutions with handpicked teams of highly experienced professionals.

Who We Are Custom building EXCEPTIONAL SOLUTIONS is the core of our business. However, to understand Who We Are, we must examine our organizational culture and our core values…

What is Organizational Culture? Organizational culture is the workplace environment formulated from the interaction of the employees in the workplace.

What is Organizational Culture? Organizational culture is defined by all of the life experiences, strengths, weaknesses, education, upbringing, and so forth of the employees.

What is Organizational Culture? While executive leaders play a large role in defining organizational culture by their actions and leadership, all employees contribute to the organizational culture.

So… What is culture, really? Culture is the environment that surrounds us at work all of the time. Culture is a powerful element that shapes our work environment, our work relationships, and our work processes. But, culture is something that we cannot actually see, except through its physical manifestations in our work place.

Culture In many ways, culture is like personality. In a person, the personality is made up of the values, beliefs, underlying assumptions, interests, experiences, upbringing, and habits that create a person’s behavior.

In Organizations… Organizational culture is made up of the values, beliefs, underlying assumptions, attitudes, and behaviors shared by a group of people.

Our Organizational Culture Our culture is the behavior that results when as a group we arrive at a set of - generally unspoken and unwritten - rules for working together. Our organization’s culture is made up of all of the life experiences of each and every one of us.

Our Organizational Culture Our culture is especially influenced by our organization’s founders, our president, and other executives and leaders because of their role in our decision making and strategic direction.

Our Culture is Represented in: language, decision making, symbols, stories and legends, and daily work practices.

Something as simple as the objects chosen to grace a desk tell us a lot about how employees view and participate in our organization’s culture. Our bulletin board content, our company newsletter, the interaction of employees in meetings, and the way in which people collaborate, speak volumes about our organizational culture.

Culture = Behavior Culture is not usually defined as good or bad, although aspects of our culture likely support our progress and success and other aspects impede our progress.

Culture = Behavior For example, a norm of accountability will help make our organization successful. A norm of spectacular customer service… of EXCEPTIONAL SOLUTIONS will brand our product(s) and engage our employees. However, tolerating poor performance or exhibiting a lack of discipline to maintain established processes and systems will impede our success.

Culture is Learned People learn to perform certain behaviors through either the rewards or negative consequences that follow that behavior. When a behavior is rewarded, it is repeated and the association eventually becomes part of the culture. A simple thank you from the director or supervisor for a job well done shapes our culture.

We learned our culture through interaction. Our employees learn our culture by interacting with other employees.

An applicant experiences a sense of our culture, and his or her fit within our culture, during the interview process. An initial opinion of our culture can be formed as early as the first phone call or visit to one of our offices.

Our Culture You can obtain a “picture” of our culture by becoming an impartial observer of it in action. Watch for emotions. Emotions are indications of values. People do not generally get excited or upset about things that are unimportant to them.

Our Culture Think of the objects and artifacts that sit on our desks and hang on our walls. Observe our common areas and furniture arrangements. Think and observe employees interactions. Really listen to the stories that our employees tell each other in our workplace.

Our Culture Listen to inspirational stories about times when our teams worked hard and got the job done. Take notice of stories about coworkers that encouraged teamwork. Pay attention to conversations with customers that inspire new directions. These are the stories that frame our work culture.

"Our People are Our Most Important Asset." You probably have heard it many times… yet how many organizations really live by it? Not many. - WE DO! These words are a clear expression of a value, and values are visible through the actions people take, not their talk. Values form the foundation for everything that happens in a workplace. Whatever we value, will largely govern the actions of our workforce.

CGA’s Workplace Value-Based Actions Business Integrity Honesty Problem-solving Charity Responsibility Resilience Reliance Accountability Commitment to Service

Strategic Framework Every organization has a vision – a picture of what it desires for its future. Also visible are the values manifested in daily decision making, and the norms or relationship guidelines which informally define how employees interact with each other and with clients.

Strategic Framework Every organization has a choice: Allow these fundamental values to develop on their own with each individual acting in a self-defined vacuum; or invest the time to proactively define them to best serve employees and clients.

Strategic Framework Successful organizations agree upon and articulate a vision, mission, and purpose. They then forge a leadership that works at understanding and driving the culture, and developing the values that will build a cohesive and unified organization.

Strategic Framework At CGA we promote a culture that facilitates and encourages new ideas and developments. Our success is built upon our strong values.

Strategic Framework We make our core values the foundation for our interactions with our employees and clients.

Exceptional Solutions Business Integrity Honesty Problem-solving Charity Responsibility Resilience Reliance Accountability Commitment to Service

Exceptional Team – Exceptional Solutions Acknowledgement of Training – Organizational Culture I acknowledge through my e-mail submittal below that, on this date, I reviewed the training session. I further acknowledge that I understood the training and the CGA, Inc. expectations, and I will act consistently with those expectations. I also understand that if I have questions or concerns regarding the matters covered by the training, that I can address those with Human Resources. Please click the button below to submit an e-mail to HR for training acknowledgement. Submit Acknowledgement