As a return to work coordinator, supervisor or manager you will be called upon to work with different groups of people in different departments or sectors of your workplace – and even outside your workplace.

It’s logical that different sections of organisations will have different ways of operating. Each group has their individual culture. Understanding that culture, however, is a complicated matter, but one that will prepare you for working with the different players and influencing change.

Why does it matter?

If you want to achieve something, you need to understand the way the group in a particular department works.

Ask yourself these questions of the group members:

• Do they see themselves as autonomous and are they resistant to input from outsiders?
• Are they knowledgeable and do they see themselves as competent and without need for change?
• Do they consider they do everything right, in which case they will be resistant to suggestions for improvement?
• Do they see themselves as the heart and soul of the company, of production and making it happen?
• Do they consider that outside influences are going to slow production down, and diminish their core job?
• Do they see themselves as controlling costs, and are they cautious about spending any money on a program you’re about to suggest?
• Do they see themselves as constantly subject to change, so that the change you’re proposing will simply appear to be another ineffective or transient approach?

Consider these questions. The better you understand how a department works, the better your position to identify the barriers and work with the influences to overcome them.

Finding people who understand the department, and who are smart enough to be able to identify the issue and let you know with straight talk the status quo and the politics.

Once you’ve identified how the department sees themselves and observed how they operate, and if you show empathy, work with them and talk their language, you’re more likely to be able to influence and implement any changes you want undertaken.