Section 2: Navigating the Workplace

Section 2: Navigating the Workplace > Subsection 1: Introduction > 1.2.1.1. Building Your Organizational IQ
Section 2: Navigating the Workplace > Subsection 3: Different Organizational Roles > 1.2.3.1. Breaking Down Organizations by Department and Job Function
Section 2: Navigating the Workplace > Subsection 5: Conclusion > 1.2.5.2. Revisiting Organizational IQ
Section 3: Career Goals and Mapping > Subsection 1: Introduction > 1.3.1.1. Introduction to Career Goals and Mapping

A helpful starting point is to ask yourself: What kind of organization fits best with my working style and personality? As we start to figure this out, we are going to take a closer look at the following topics.
What makes one organization a better place to work for than another? Why is it that you might excel at one organization, but perform poorly at a different one? How do you know which organization is best for you? You need to make sure that the work you choose is not going to be boring or unsatisfying.
Specifically, we’ll break down the differences in sectors and sizes, and then look at individual departments and job functions.
We’ll leave you time to reflect on what kind of work you want to do, and help point you in the direction of the kind of job you should be looking for!

Organizations are divided into departments, with each department performing various functions and contributing to the overall success of the organization.
People who work in these departments are often highly analytical and intuitive.
The human resources, or HR department, focuses on creating a safe, respectful, and collaborative workplace.
The legal department handles an organization’s legal issues, such as providing legal knowledge to leaders within their organization, ensuring lawful practices, and – in extreme cases – handling lawsuits.
The Information Technology department, or IT for short, is responsible for addressing any technology issues for the organization, such as troubleshooting day-to-day software issues and monitoring cybersecurity.
Attention to detail and the ability to think critically are necessary skills to succeed in IT, as the IT department assists employees throughout the organization.

Congratulations – you’ve hit the halfway mark! Are you starting to feel like an organization whiz?! Now that you’ve seen how an organization’s sector, size, and individual departments influence the work experience, the next step is to use what you’ve learned in the first and second section together.