It’s easy to sense something of a dichotomy at work when it comes to culture in the workplace.  For instance, on one hand there have been various studies echoing the Gallup employee engagement results that highlighted just how disengaged most of us are at work.  We don’t fit in, we’re not really bothered and so on.

On the flip side of that, we have various innovation studies and case studies that laud the corporate misfit.  They suggest such folks are essential if companies are to buck the norm and break the status quo.

That sounds lovely, but I suspect the reality is that for most people, when they feel out of place at work it’s not something that’s cherished and can make life all rather miserable.

Surviving whilst standing out

A recent study set out to explore some strategies for surviving your job when you really don’t fit in with your workplace.

“Most of the books and information you see in the popular press are oriented around the idea of companies hiring to achieve a good fit with company values, and there are some benefits to that, but, unfortunately, there are some drawbacks, too,” the authors say. “If you have too many people who are exactly the same in an organization, it can make the organization stagnant and resistant to change.”

So what can you do if you don’t fit the culture at your workplace?  The authors advocate job crafting, which is something I’ve touched on a few times on this blog, and is something that has widely been touted as a good way of alleviating stress at work.

It’s especially interesting because the authors remind us that misfits may not be that easy to spot.  They may dress the same, and possibly even act the same as everyone else, thus giving the superficial appeal of consensus, whilst on the inside sticking out like a sore thumb.

“These might be people who are under-the-radar misfits,” the authors say. “These are people who may, to others, be doing just fine but who show up to work every day and just feel out of place. Perhaps they highly value giving back to society, but work for a tobacco company, or they may highly value autonomy and making their own decisions, but they work for a highly bureaucratic organization.”

The power of control

Of course, it’s been well reported that employees love to feel like their jobs mean something, and that their own values are aligned with that of their employer.  What’s more, research seems to suggest that this trend is growing as younger generations enter the workforce.

The study revealed that job crafting was an invaluable tool in ensuring that this alignment was as close as possible.  For instance, participants who felt misalignment but who were able to craft their job were much less likely to report low engagement levels, and their performance remained steady.  Similarly, those misfits who were able to retain a good work-life balance were also largely unaffected.

The common ground between both is that people retained a degree of control over both their work and leisure times, which helped to mitigate any dissatisfaction with the culture at work.

“While not hypothesized, the pattern of results further suggests that leisure activity not only mitigates the negative effect of value incongruence on job engagement, but could also positively impact job engagement for some misfits,” the authors say.

Hopefully this will provide some helpful tips if you find yourself in the unfortunate position of having values that don’t mesh with those of your employer.