Determining and navigating institutional culture

Purpose – This column seeks to address library personnel issues. This particular installment discusses the challenges of determining an organization's culture and the culture of any parent or supporting organizations. It also discusses some strategies for navigating organizational culture. Design/methodology/approach – The column is based on the author's substantial experience dealing with personnel matters in academic, public, and special libraries, including hiring for all types of positions. It is personal opinion, based on lengthy experience. Findings – This article discusses the challenges inherent in learning about an organization's culture and the culture of any parent or supporting organizations. It also discusses a variety of strategies for navigating organizational culture, in order to foster success. Originality/value – The column is intended to help people to deal with all types of personnel issues overall; this specific column is intended to help librarians deal with the challenges of determining the nature of an organization's culture, and of navigating this culture successfully.