What is the prevailing culture within the organization, and how does it manifest in day-to-day operations and decision-making? The prevailing culture within an organization is the shared values, beliefs, norms, and practices that shape the social and psychological environment of a business. This culture influences employee behavior, motivates management styles, and affects decision-making processes. What are those for Meta?
What are the hidden things to notice and to worry about? For example:
Cliques and Silos: Pay attention to the formation of exclusive groups or departments unwilling to share information. This can indicate a fragmented culture that hinders collaboration.
Resistance to Change: If there is noticeable resistance to new ideas or changes in procedure, the culture may be rigid and resistant to innovation.
Overwork and Burnout: A culture that consistently expects long hours and overwork may prioritize short-term gains over long-term employee well-being and sustainability.
Turnover Rates: High employee turnover can be a red flag for issues within the organizational culture such as lack of growth opportunities, poor management, or a toxic work environment.
Office Politics: Pay attention to how much politics influence decisions and progress. A culture heavily influenced by politics rather than merit can demotivate employees.
Feedback Mechanisms: Lack of mechanisms for providing constructive feedback, or a culture where feedback is ignored, can indicate a culture not open to self-improvement or employee development.
Diversity and Inclusion: Observe whether the organization actively supports diversity and inclusion, not just in policy but in practice, reflecting a culture of respect and equality.
This is a broad question, so I'll just focus on the Top 3 things I think makes Meta very unique within the tech industry:
Lastly, I highly recommend this thread to understand more about Meta culture: "Is sprint planning and agile not a thing at Meta?"
I am curious, what has been your perception of Meta before you joined, and what has been surprising?
Meta overall has a phenomenal engineering culture. I think the main drawback is likely in #3, about overwork. But there's lots of feedback, lots of collaboration, and the ability to learn and move quickly.
I have not joint yet, my bootcamp start in a few weeks. I am doing my due diligence for now.