If you want a quick calibration of an organization’s culture, ask about tenure. Tenure is the amount of time a person has worked in a job. You can learn a good deal by trying to understand how tenure works at the company.
Generally speaking, there is an direct relationship between average tenure and your growth potential in a company. That is, the longer people have worked in a place, the harder it is to get ahead. The shorter the average tenure, the easier.
The same applies to the availability of challenge (meaningful work) and resources (the stuff required to get work done). The longer people have been in their jobs, the harder it is for a new team member to get responsibility and autonomy. The shorter the average tenure, the easier it is.
In general, the trade offs are between stability (security) and opportunity (risk). Stable environments encourage incremental improvement, steady growth and embrace the status quo. Organizations that are opportunity-centric focus on innovation, accelerated growth and rapid adaptation.
With each aspect of the organization, you have the chance to assess the likelihood that it’s your kind of place. There are two kinds of questions you’ll want to ask:
Self-Knowledge
