Monday, March 28, 2011

Context Switching

I'm starting on a new project this morning after just over 4 years on my previous one. Same company just moving to a new team and my job responsibilities as a database engineer are going to be relatively the same, from the purely technical details. What is going to be vastly different is cultural.

I'm joining a new team. I'll be working for a new leader. I'll be interfacing with other new teams of people. They will all have their own ways of getting work done, new things that are important, new habits and stories, new leaders.

Here's some questions I'm going to be asking this week:
+ Who is the leader by title and formality? Who is the leader by influence, informally?
+ What things are important to ____ and why?
+ What are things this team does when no one tells them to?
+ Who are the heroes and why?

Cross cultural experience, starting a new job, moving across campus - decoding your culture is all a part of engagement.

[Related: Culture and Career Notes 2007

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