By Nathan Beck
Steven Blair
Kolena Bowman
Keith Strehler

Table of Contents
Executive Summary Pg 3
History Pg 4
Diagnosing Culture Pg 5
Culture Typographies Pg 7
Company Culture Pg 9
Employee Attitudes Pg 10

Executive Summary The organization being described in this paper is Somerset CPA, which is one of the largest accounting firms found in Indiana. They have been repeatedly awarded for their outstanding work environment throughout the last decade. This company has been constantly improving themselves through there continued efforts to be an important tool for the customers to use. They pride themselves as being a customer oriented company. Through this dedication to the customer the company has gone through extensive expansions to a numerous amount of different account fields in which they can successfully partake in. This paper will describe a variety of different aspects that help to illustrate the type of organization that Somerset is. Some topics being discussed are the history of the company, employee discussions, cultural artifacts, involvement with the community, and more. These different parts all help to define the organizational behavior of the company. According to the Colquitt textbook organizational behavior is the study to defining and comprehending the different entities that make up an organization. By analyzing the company managers are better able to identify what is necessary for change to put into practice the best possible work environment.

History of Somerset
Somerset CPA was originally started as a certified public accounting institution known as Whippie & Company in 1960. During the early stages of the company primary tasks were in basic bookkeeping and dealing with taxes of their clients. As times changed and the company grew it also caused for a change in the structure of the business. Whippie & Company started to see that there was a need to provide of types of financial services to their clients, and in the later 1960’s they began to focus on this broader range of activity. In 1989 Whippie & Company performed a merger with Summerset, another accounting firm at that time in Indianapolis. During this merger the company became a full service wealth management institution and was employed by around a hundred professionals. From there, Somerset merged with other local accounting firms throughout Indianapolis and other regions to become one of the biggest accounting agencies in the area today. Throughout the continued growth that Somerset has endeavored, Patrick Early has been there to see it all. Patrick started his work with Whippie & Company in 1979 and became president in 1989, which rolled over to presidency of the merger with Somerset. Today the company houses around 130 professional employees and performs a vast amount of accounting services. They do everything from disaster planning and potential financial forecasts to specialized training in financial management. The company also has a department dedicated to non-profit organizations that help implement changes around the world. The current mission of Somerset CPA’s is, “To provide a wide range of business and personal financial services to our clients, who will empower them to make sound financial decisions.” They are a business that has a dedicated service to enabling their customers with the knowledge and experience to become independent and grow.
Ways to Diagnose Organizational Culture To diagnose what an organization’s culture is, it is necessary to look into as many aspects of the company as possible. The culture of the organization encompasses the values, behaviors, and rules of the entire institution. Within the different departments sub-cultures can be found where employees have a more intertwined social attitude to the rest of the company. One important aspect when trying to identify a company’s organizational culture is to look at how the environment of the work place is set up. In some companies a majority of the work may be focused in a central area where there is a lot of communication between the different employees. This type of environment can usually lead to a large amount of interaction between each other, and can cause a more comfortable and friendly work place. On the other hand, this can also be a hindrance to individuals that prefer to be left alone or feel like they do not fully fit in with the rest of the employees. This environment can lead to a lot of new ideas where employees are able to rely on the knowledge and experience of the other works. While there are some organizations that strive to use a lot of social interaction there are also some that believe it is not the best way to work. These companies focus on the employees completing their responsibilities without the help of others. This in a way can limit different possibilities of changing and creation of innovating ideas, but it also can prevent unneeded down time that can result from bickering or side-talk. Another advantage of this type of environment is that the employees can visualize their individual accomplishments. Another aspect that pertains to the work environment is the freedom of expression that is permitted. Some employees may wish to bring in objects such as pictures or posters to display their personal feeling or home life. Employers however may wish for such an expression of personal affects not to be displayed. Somerset CPA’s has an integrated atmosphere that focuses on both individual accomplishments as well as group operations. They have broken their accounting services into several different departments, implementing strict standards of the different operating teams. By forming a separation of the different departments they are able to train and develop individual employees to become more of an expert in that field. When focusing on hiring new individuals into their work environment they choose the potential candidates on the bases of experience in particular fields. This type of culture allows Somerset to create new and innovating measures to perform the high level of productivity that they are known for. Some of the different teams Somerset is divided into are dental, entrepraunual, health care, investment solutions, manufacturing and distribution, real estate, not-for-profit, and many more. Each team has their own set of standards and goals to attend to while trying to serve clients in the best possible fashion. The teamwork that is put into the company helps individuals feel that their work is contributed in a much higher level than any one person can do. They all benefit from successes that the company brings forth, which inter is a motivating factor during the seasons with the most strenuous missions. Based on a 2010 study by the Indiana chamber of Commerce, Somerset was voted as the fifth best place to work in the area of small to medium size business based on studies submitted by employees and their evaluations. This high level of accomplishment is based on the vast amount of teamwork and the leaders of the companies effort to work with the needs that every employee requires.
Culture Typographies and Artifacts As a company that puts a large focus on the success of their employees, a balance between work and home life play a large key in Somerset CPAs being voted one of the best small to medium-sized companies to work at in Indiana. Now the question is what makes Somerset such a desirable place to work? The answer to this question lies in many different areas, but the type of culture and attitude about the company between workers play a very large role in employee satisfaction. In a general sense, due to the nature of the work, each employee does his or her own work for the most part. Although they work individually they also value the process of group teamwork. These employees get along very well with each other, so it seemed, and they know each other fairly well even though they do not always work on the same project or objective as the person next to them. This type of culture described is exactly the definition of a networked culture. Each employee does his or her own work, but they are not distant towards one another. At the end of the day, they all realize that they are working towards the same goals of the company they work for. Another way to classify this business’ culture is to describe it as a customer service culture. This is the fastest growing type of culture in the United States with service jobs making up a huge sector of businesses. Somerset CPAs fits right into this category. Quality is the main emphasis for Somerset, and other businesses in this group of cultures. When a company is able to create a culture that challenges its consultants to want to provide excellent service, the results will be amazing. That is just what Somerset has done with their CPAs. They have been able to stress the quality of customer service so much that it is now instilled in the employees. When most people think of having to always be friendly and doing whatever it is that someone asks of them, they will have a negative reaction. Due to the culture that Somerset has presented to their employees, this is no longer the case. Providing excellent service has become second nature to these CPAs. They all realize that the better service they provide, the more beneficial they are to the company and reaching the company’s goals. And when a company treats its employees like Somerset does, who wouldn’t want to feel beneficial? So how do they create a culture in which their employees provide great customer service time and time again? They key is for the company to make each member committed to the organization. Somerset does this by offering its employees comprehensive benefits. When an employee knows that their home life is taken care of by the benefits offered by their company, they are able to see their company in a positive light. Also, due to the use of Somerset by non-profit organizations, many employees volunteer with these groups. Somerset does an excellent job of recognizing this and employees are allowed time during the work day to take part in volunteer activities while not losing pay. On top of these great benefits, Somerset places a large stress on the success of each employee. If you talk to workers, they will all tell you the chatter between one another at the office. They all know that managers will use whatever resource available to make each person successful. When a company makes its employees feel wanted, employees will be able to put in a greater effort into being a bigger resource to the company.

Company Culture
Despite being the 5th largest CPA firm in Indianapolis, Somerset CPA has managed to develop a strong company culture centered on the idea of individuality within the workplace, and a supportive team environment amongst employees. This approach to management has landed Somerset in the top ten places to work in Indiana among small to mid-sized business not only for the year 2010, but also for 2006, 2007, and 2008. The “Best Places to Work” program was created by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce to determine the top rated employers throughout Indiana based on employee surveys and feedback. According to Donna Butler, Human Resource Manager for the firm; “Somerset CPAs strives to create a culture of teamwork where all employees share in the success of the company. We truly care about the well being of our employees and embrace an environment of growth and development by providing the appropriate tools our employees need to be successful.” She also continues by saying “We understand that our industry can be very demanding during certain peak periods, so we try to implement meaningful benefits and perks to create a balance for employees. We have created various affinity groups to ensure our employees have a voice in all facets of our organization.” The employee benefits mentioned by Butler include a 401(k) plan, employee assistance programs, major medical and health insurance, and a fitness membership to name just a few.
Since Somerset CPA is a full-service firm that specializes in helping other businesses by offering guidance in many different aspects, such as consulting, construction and employee benefits, they are able to see first-hand what works and what doesn’t in managing employees and assets. Somerset’s “Value Proposition” which emphasizes their ability to add value to their client’s businesses is very apparent in their own day-to-day operations within the company. According to their website, the firm is quick to state that their employees are their number one asset, and that their culture values teamwork above all. Their idea is that a satisfied employee will enjoy his or her job, and their enthusiasm will show through when consulting clients, making for a more productive and inviting atmosphere overall.
Howard Cox is a director of the Business Advisory Team as well as a member of the Entrepreneur Team with Somerset CPA. He also takes time to publish blogs on Somerset’s website, giving general advice to running a business and dealing with employees. One of these blogs is titled “One management style does not fit all,” where Cox outlines various critical factors that will determine whether a business succeeds or not, while another entry focuses entirely on improving corporate communication. It’s easy to see why Somerset is consistently voted one of the best places to work in Indiana; if they are able to consult others every day on the most important features of managing a business, they must be doing something right within their own company.

Employee Attitude
So how does it feel to work for one of the best companies in Indiana? Actual employee interviews posted on Somerset’s website offer an insight into how the company’s value-centered culture reflects on their individual team members. The interviews are very short, but thoroughly describe how both a manager and a supervisor feel about certain unique aspects of Somerset, and how the company has helped them by facilitating their needs, while teaching them new methods of learning.
The interview with a Somerset supervisor mainly focuses on how the company is able to tailor to the needs of individual employees while still creating a strong learning environment. The man discusses how senior members of the firm are responsible for teaching younger employees on topics pertaining to their specific concentration of consultation. This, he explains, is not only displayed on an informal basis, but creates a structured classroom environment where employees can learn from the past experiences of others and gather information on how to handle specific situations more effectively. He also explains how when a person is given the chance to teach others, he or she will also view the subject in a different light, and get as much out of their own lecture as their audience did.
The interview with a Somerset manager goes in a different direction altogether, focusing mainly on the employees’ lives outside of the company, and how they are given the opportunity to be flexible with their work schedules according to their family’s needs. She explains her own situation, in which she works full-time during tax season, but is only able to work part-time throughout the rest of the year while her children are in school. The employee explains that not only does the company’s flexibility benefit everyone at Somerset CPA, but it also boosts morale and creates a better work environment overall.