Sauder School of Snakes: the Organizational Culture of UBC’s Business School

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“The Sauder School of Snakes”: the term that was born on Reddit has worked its way into the vocabulary of UBC and non-UBC students alike. Those who use it would probably say it’s just a joke and not intended to be taken seriously. However, embedded into every joke is a little grain of truth about how the culture of Sauder is viewed by those inside and outside the faculty. Despite there being no classes called “Manipulation 101”, there seems to be something about UBC’s business school that gives it this unique title.

Being directly exposed to Sauder’s values and people, I find it difficult to believe that we really are “snakes”. By this, I mean that the majority of people in my faculty are giving, people-oriented, and hold strong moral and ethical standards. Even in my short time here, I’ve already been exposed to classes that focus on ethics and numerous clubs that use business to make a positive social impact. With an emphasis on progressive enterprise that aims to give instead of take, the question remains: why does the stereotype remain stronger than ever?

The answer, in part, lies with selective perception. Among the 4000 Sauder students, there are some that are purely motivated by profit and will use any means necessary to get it. There are definitely bad experiences to be had involving these students, and many may subconsciously filter out conflicting evidence and focus on what confirms their beliefs. This confirmation bias perpetuates stereotypes of many kinds, and occurs more readily in this arena because the stereotyping of school faculties is not commonly thought about.

It is unlikely that the “Sauder School of Snakes” will be going anywhere anytime soon. The sentiments behind the joke have been around for a lot longer than the meme itself. Though the name is relatively harmless, it is wise to consider the phenomenon of self-fulfilling prophecy, which can turn a funny post on Facebook into a real change in the culture that Sauder prides itself on.

 

The term “snake” is being used to joke about Sauder students as manipulative and backstabbing.

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Humility + Confidence= Strong Leadership

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Humility is a necessity for effective leadership. In his blog, organizational behaviour professor Marino Dasmarinas discusses the connection between being humble and being a powerful leader. While power and humility may sound like they contradict each other, Professor Dasmarinas suggests that one is actually an indicator of the other. By being willing to listen to others and admit their own shortcomings, leaders connect better with their employees and provide an environment that encourages employee engagement.

Being humble is a trait of a great leader, but so is confidence. There are concerns that leaders will look weak if they are so willing to admit their faults and ask for input from others. It is often misconstrued that the two traits are opposites, but the two can and should coexist. For example, in high school I had a friend who was the successful founder and organizer of numerous clubs. It was undoubtable that she was an amazing leader, and I attended some general club meetings and some executive meetings to learn more about how she ran each organization. What amazed me was her willingness to allow others to have input in decisions and her openness to critiques. Response from club members was not only respect, but also organizational citizenship behaviour and an excitement to be engaged.

Being confident about your own value and worth as a leader enables a person to be humble. A person can be certain about what skills and ideas they offer to an organization, while still having a desire to learn from the input of others. This is the type of leader that inspires action and drive within an organization, as opposed to obedience and automatism. Unfortunately, this is not taught in schools or work trainings as much as it should be, which is a huge reason why leadership is often so insecure about letting people think they are weak. A true leader knows they can do their job well, but also knows that there is room to grow and much to learn from those that surround them.

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Zappos: Focus on the Fit

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Zappos is known for a number of things: trendy shoes, fast online shopping, and a call centre that some argue has the best culture in the world. As Julia discusses in her COMM292 blog, their culture is definitely unconventional. Their boss sits in a cubicle identical to the rest of the company, impromptu parties aren’t uncommon, and overall, everyone seems happy. In fact, there have been numerous articles and even a book on the wild success of this company, which the CEO attributes mostly to their unique emphasis on culture.

It is undeniable that this culture has worked exceedingly well for this specific company. But if this informal and nontraditional way of thinking is the key to a rapidly growing company, then why has it not been adopted by every company? The focus should be on the culture fit to the employees. The employees at Zappos are carefully selected through extensive interview process, which is comprised of a section entirely dedicated to checking the culture fit. In another company, the Zappos’ culture itself may present an issue for their operations. For example, the noise level of an open-concept desk arrangement may make it difficult for a company that requires intense focus to be efficient and productive.

Almost any culture can be a conducive to a successful company. To make the culture work, the company should focus on being consistent with their culture and finding employees that fit their culture. Being consistent with the company values will make the culture stronger. If it isn’t consistent, mixed messages are sent to the employees and makes it easier for deviations from the desired atmosphere. Finding employees that fit the culture of the company also contributes to the strength of the culture. More importantly, having employees that all fit the company makes the employees happier at work. Happiness is often underrated in the corporate world, but an employee that is satisfied with their job and loves the environment they’re working in is more likely to engage in organizational citizenship behaviour: going above and beyond the expectations set for them. Regardless of the culture a company has, its emphasis has the power to determine the success or failure of the company.

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Why Burnout is Still a Problem in 2017

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Striking a balance between work, health, and happiness can be a difficult task. Advancing research makes it clear that supporting one’s mental and physical needs is essential to maximizing productivity. In his COMM292 Blog, Thao Atkinson writes about “karoshi”, a Japanese term meaning “death caused by over working”. Today, the workplace often provides counselling and mental health seminars that increase the perceived organizational support for employees. However, burnout still runs rampant in many organizations, where heavy stigma and fierce competition make it difficult to eliminate.

For many jobs, companies expect the displayed emotion of their employees to match with the values of the company and the impression they want to give to their consumers. For example, nurses need to constantly show sympathy and patience despite working long hours and doing emotionally taxing work. The discrepancy between displayed emotions and felt emotions can be draining on top of the emotional energy required to work, contributing to high levels of workplace related exhaustion.

Additionally, the competitive nature of many offices make it difficult to admit needing a break. When there are a limited amount of promotions available, employees do their best to make sure they stand out amongst their peers. While one could say that being self-aware enough to know where your limits lie, the heads of many companies interpret this as being incapable of handling pressure and not strong to do what others are not struggling to do. In fact, mental exhaustion can be the result of a number of factors not directly related to work. Unfortunately, this stigma can create even more emotional labour, which is often unseen and left untreated.


In an age where a work-life balance is of increasing value, it is essential for managers to adapt their systems to better suit the emotional needs of their employees. More focus must be placed on this underrated issue, which can drastically impact a company’s productivity and efficiency.


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Is Workplace Hierarchy a Dead Practice?

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Some say that the divide between boss and employee is collapsing. In the modern workplace, it isn’t uncommon to see employees walk by their boss and converse with them comfortably and somewhat casually. Certain channels of the media and much of the newest entering workforce would agree that the corporate hierarchy is transitioning into a more open relationship between employees and employers. However, according to Stanford’s organizational behaviour professor, Jeffrey Pfeffer, office politics and rank still rule many corporate systems. As he states in this article, the reason this traditional power framework still exists is because it has been a successful system for years and it still effectively promotes organizational citizenship behaviour.

A short analysis of some of the world’s largest companies shows that hierarchy is still heavily intertwined in modern business. That is, the higher ranking your position is, the more benefits and control you have, and the more intense the competition is for your job. There are some definite benefits to this system, most notably, increased productivity from people trying to out-do their colleagues. However, this type of productivity is simultaneously met with the deterioration of teamwork, an underrated danger that outweighs the benefits of the traditional workplace hierarchy.

The key to teamwork lies in trust. It is nearly impossible to build a great team if each member cannot rely on other members to value the overall well being of the team. It requires trust to effectively delegate tasks, give honest feedback, and maximize productivity as a team. One of the largest advantages to working in teams is the ability to give team members positive feedback and suggestions for improvement, both of which are instrumental to maintaining, and more importantly raising,  high performance standards. Instead of promoting employee cooperation that will raise output and expectations, hierarchy encourages a toxic environment of selfishness. For example, by helping a peer improve their work, you give them a better chance at promotion and decrease your own chances. While this may encourage people to try and outperform their colleagues and work harder, it is ultimately producing a lower work standard since not everyone is performing as well they could with teamwork.

Even though the majority of companies say they value people with good teamwork skills, teams are substantially less effective under the ranked power system. There needs to be an increased focus on creating a system that rewards helping your colleagues instead of penalisation. It is clear that a change in this outdated system is essential to fixing the lack of teamwork in companies.

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Introverts and Extraverts: Personality Does Not Define Ability

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When I first meet people, they can almost immediately tell that I am an introvert. When I first learned about the term “introvert”, I assumed what most people do: that it was synonymous with being shy and quiet. My definition of the term has since changed, and I now define it as a person that gains energy and clarity from internal reflection and contemplation. Unfortunately, there are still a significant misunderstandings and assumptions about introverts and extroverts alike, particularly in the workplace. It can be difficult to understand the negative potential impacts this can have on an organization.On the contrary, these stereotypes affect a number of organizational aspects, ranging from the type of job the person can do to who gets a promotion and who doesn’t.

The majority of stereotypes are not said directly, but instead implied through work distribution and assumptions about strengths and weaknesses.  For instance, it’s rare that one hears someone say “John is an introvert so we should put him in charge of more administrative and organization based tasks”, but knowing that John is an introvert, it is likely that someone will suggest he do a task catered to what they assume to be his strengths. As evidenced by numerous group project in high school and university, expected strengths and weaknesses are not necessarily true. Being deemed an extravert by the Myer’s Briggs Type Indicator does not necessarily mean the person is good at being a leader or talking in front of a large audience. On a similar note, an introvert can still deliver an astounding speech and have phenomenal leadership skills. These assumptions are hazardous to the workplace, and can negatively affect the level of performance in a company.

You may ask why people that are affected by these stereotypes do not simply correct the error and clear any misunderstanding. The most complex problem has less to do with eliminating misunderstandings from those making the assumptions, but is restoring the belief in the affected group’s ability to do things that are not typically assumed of them. Self fulfilling prophecy is a powerful force that causes many people with large varieties of skills to limit themselves to the ones that others believe they are good at. Remediation begins with education on what introversion and extraversion truly means, as well as what it does not mean. With clear information and openness to different abilities from different personality types, businesses can leverage understanding of personality to expand the capability and teamwork within an organization.

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Personality Assessments

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Narcissism- 14/60

Machiavellianism- 24/50

Emotional Intelligence-  76/100

Self-Monitoring- 50/65

When I thought about each assessment, my scores were about what I expected them to be. The problem is, until I took these tests, evaluating myself on these traits was seldom a part of my thought process. Of course, I do not expect myself to be perfect or equal in these categories. Having strengths and faults is a healthy and normal part of life. However, not consciously thinking about these traits and how they affect your work can be detrimental to team building, my ability to perform on projects, and, most importantly, personal growth. The key to sustainable personal growth is intentionality, something I have been lacking in my current approach to my own development.

Despite this, my leadership and people skills have improved since high school. To some degree, I’ve taken on some roles and activities hoping that I would generally improve on the areas I wanted to because of them. Reflecting on it now, I can say that I’ve improved in these areas. The point is, without active and purposeful reflection, it is difficult to tell whether or not I was successful in improving myself through my activities and actions.

This exercise was definitely revealing. While the scores themselves did not surprise me, it exposed me to the passive approach I have taken to achieving personal growth. My new goal for this semester is less about the general improvement of my “soft skills”, but about setting specific goals for personal growth, intentionally working to achieve them, and following up on the effectiveness of my approach.

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Worst Job: Paper Route

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My least favourite job was my paper route. I had this job for a year during grade 10.

Why it was my least favaourite:

  • Since we live in Vancouver, I often had to deliver in the rain.
  • The job was very time consuming for little reward.
  • Many people did not read the papers and moved them directly from their front door to their recycling. It made me feel my efforts were not worthwhile and produced a lot of unnecessary waste.

Chris Ducker on Entrepreneurial Fear

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Chris Ducker is a cutting edge entrepreneur who runs a blog that helps entrepreneurs thrive in the twenty first century. He writes on a wide variety of topics, ranging from personal development to new trends and technology. As the world of business is changing so rapidly and so dramatically, Ducker informs others on how to keep their businesses current and relevant, as well as how to grow themselves with their business.

Recently, he posted about fear in entrepreneurship. After surveying a group of entrepreneurs and asking what word came to mind when thinking about their experience as entrepreneurs, unsurprisingly, the most popular response was fear. Ducker emphasizes the power of language, and how operating a business with a fearful mindset is detrimental to the company and the entrepreneur. The brunt of his post focuses on phrases that can be used instead of the hesitancy and anxiety many operations are rooted in.

Fear is a huge barrier for many aspiring and existing entrepreneurs. When there are so many new inventions, it is difficult to stand out in the crowded market. Innovators are constantly having to think about how original their design is, whether or not there will be a demand for it in the market, and how to remain current in the constantly developing world. Changing the language we use to talk about entrepreneurial fear is a definite step in the right direction. The way that entrepreneurs think about themselves and their business hugely impacts the decisions that they make. While fear protects us in cases of danger, it more often limits us when it comes to our potential.

As a whole, Chris Ducker’s blog is great for budding and experienced entrepreneurs alike. It gives great perspective to some of the biggest issues in entrepreneurship, often tackling ones that often go undiscussed. This blog is especially useful because it discusses the soft skills as opposed to the technical skills in this industry. Soft skills include the ability to communicate effectively, network with people, and think critically. In business school, technical skills are commonly taught and exist in most classes. On the other hand, there are very few classes that focus on personal development, an essential skill that many highly educated graduates are lacking. Chris Ducker aims to serve this unfulfilled need and provides effective, practical, and thought provoking ideas on how to develop oneself as an entrepreneur. This blog will be beneficial to those who are looking to develop themselves and their businesses simultaneously.

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LNG: Environment vs Economy

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The Pacific Northwest LNG Pipeline is a huge subject of controversy in recent news. This project plans to transport 19 millions tonnes of liquified natural gas across the province of BC each year, creating thousands of jobs and boosting the Canadian economy. In his COMM101 business blog, Ansel Hartanto analyzes the federal government’s recent decision to conditionally allow the project to move forward.

Ansel emphasizes the Canadian government’s responsibility to protect against global climate change, and suggests that the pipeline is not in the environment’s best interest. While it is important for the environment to be conserved, there also needs to be an understanding of the balance between two necessities for a prosperous society: the environment and economic development.

The key lies in compromise, finding a way so that the environment is not significantly impacted and prosperity increases for society. In this situation, the federal government has used the limitations on the project to balance these two forces.

On the one hand, I acknowledge that this project will be a big contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. As with many other residents of BC, I am concerned about the declining state of our environment. However, we need to be realistic about our expectations and the cost of meeting those expectations. Even as the popularity of this project declines, the demand for services and goods that run off natural gas increase. People expect more advanced goods at a faster pace and higher quality, which naturally impacts the environment.

It also needs to be considered that this project is going to provide 4500 jobs during the actual construction of the project, and 630 workers for the actual running of the factory. Not only this, but it will generate billions of dollars in revenue and investments. This is an unparalleled amount of jobs and will be a huge benefit to the unemployed population in Canada. This project is subject to 190 legally bringing conditions that will ensure that the impact on the environment is minimal. These conditions include limitations on the level of greenhouse gasses that are emitted from this project.

This entire post ties into the debate on what the definition of corporate social responsibility is. According to Freeman, it is equally important that the general view of the project by the public is positive, than the profit maximize revenue. While some may argue that this operation is mainly in the benefit of shareholders, the services and products that run on LNG are hugely beneficial to the consumers and society. In sum, the project will be a benefit for all of the stakeholders involved, and while there is environmental impact, the severity is minimized by the conditions set by the government.

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