Corporate Culture and Community Standards

Every organization has its own set of principles and procedures which make documents successful and help the company avoid costly mistakes. In author Linda Driskill’s article, Understanding the Writing Context in Organizations, she explores the idea of common rhetorical standards in organizations. This system of shared meaning and ideology creates the company culture which acts as a guide for organization members. When new writers are introduced into an organization, it is imperative that they adapt to the company’s culture. To make this transition easier, a company should have good analytical tools and specific guidelines for writing. The article identifies different theories for analyzing how companies operate.

One of the theories, called systems approach, looks at the company as a large, abstract machine. Through the systems approach concept, writers can identify traits and concepts that are vital to the performance of the organization. New members must recognize what makes the organization work productively to successfully adapt to the procedures and assimilate into the company structure. Also, the corporate culture in which a writer must function influences their ability to contribute. Corporate culture is the system of shared and meaningful symbols within an organization. New writers become accustomed to the corporate culture of a work environment over time through observation of the social norms and personal interactions of co-workers. The performance of a new writer is dependent on how well they understand the corporate culture, which will assist them in integrating into the organizational system.