It’s not cultures that aren’t compatible, its people’s patterns of behavior.  Are you willing to adjust to your personal behavior to adapt to a new environment?  You may not have a choice at times.  The military requires people to have a specific haircut, wear uniforms, and generally do what they say when ordered.  Competitive sports favor people that are disciplined about their training regimen, patient, and have the drive to succeed.  People that aren’t able to adapt often find themselves shown the door—or they find it themselves.

Modern companies have realized that in order to survive for the long term that a flexible approach needs to be taken with employees, culture, and patterns of behavior.  If a business exists to solve a problem and provide a service (and do so profitably), then the next most important item is taking care of the people that perform the work.

Organizations have provided general guidelines on how to behave which supports the purpose of the business.  This may include what time to show up to work, how to work with your peers and your customers, or how to dress.  People can either accept these guidelines or move on to a place that works better for them.

Employees have the choice to adjust their expectations and behavioral patterns to meet the needs of the company that is paying them.  Some organizations are open to hearing from people on how to make systemic beneficial changes.  Others not.

The modern organization has evolved to give people the freedom to work on their own time, sometimes come and go as they please, and express themselves creatively—as long as the needs of the client are being met.

As the nature of work becomes more decentralized and with people working remotely, does culture matter?  Do the patterns of behavior that shape culture make a difference?

When like-minded people in this decentralized world network and connect with each other, what new organizational structures materialize? What will the post-decentralized organization look like and how will it be governed and managed?

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