Creating a "Best Company" culture
By John Kreiss, President, SullivanKreiss
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Every year, the Great Place to Work Institute Inc., a workplace research and consulting firm headquartered in San Francisco, names the Best Small & Medium Companies to Work for in America. Though you see these types of lists often, I find the stories about how some of the companies landed on this list to contain especially valuable lessons because they include plenty of specifics on what motivates employees. Companies make the list largely due to what employees say about management in a survey, so we get a peek at their perspectives directly, not through PR spokespeople.
In a recent article in the Society for Human Resource Management's HR Magazine, this year's honorees were cited for "employee empowerment," having a "family atmosphere," or fostering "flexibility to innovate." Those buzzwords have been used so often in management texts and business page articles that they have become clichés, but the honorees' stories show how some firms are able to go beyond the platitudes and really create cultures that employees and managers prize, and those measures can help boost profits.
According to HR Magazine, "Many companies offer good benefits, competitive pay, a comfortable workplace, and competent management. But great companies create strong, positive company cultures that foster happy, engaged employees who feel empowered to make decisions in their daily work." Sounds great. How do they do it?
Here are a few examples covered in the issue:
- Understanding employee needs. Because working with critically ill patients can be extremely stressful, Hospice of Marion County (Ocala, FL) Healthcare Alliance takes heed of employee needs. For example, when an annual organizational effectiveness survey revealed that employees wanted senior management to be more visible, the organization established a senior manager shadowing program. Since then, about 50 employees have participated. Participants can shadow as many senior managers as they like, and be shadowed in turn. The program has helped managers and employees develop a mutual understanding of the pressures of their roles, and company policies have been modified as a result.
- Fostering teamwork. Mitretek Systems, a Falls Church, VA nonprofit organization that conducts scientific research, makes effective teamwork a key strategy. The firm has workgroup teams that brainstorm and collaborate regularly. Nobody is shy about speaking up or offering ideas on how to improve business practices. Employees say there is an "entrepreneurial atmosphere."
- Flexibility to innovate. Genencor International, a Palo Alto, CA-based biotechnology company with three U.S. sites, has a nonhierarchical culture that encourages employees to improve processes quickly, without unnecessary bureaucratic barriers. For instance, the firm's industrial enzymes production involves a 24/7 fermentation process that is constantly being refined and improved. Having the flexibility to innovate allows employees to put their ideas to the test without rounds and rounds of reviews. Employee rewards are handed out frequently, encouraging employees to share their ideas.
An important consideration when you want to change company culture- either subtly or dramatically- to emulate these "Best Companies" is to hire people who can thrive in the type of environment you want your firm to become. You can gain such insight about candidates during interviews.
For example, you can ask questions to deduce if the candidate is accustomed to volunteering ideas. Has he or she proposed a new initiative that improved a business process, or opened a new market, or contributed to the success of a new service? You can also ask questions about hypothetical business challenges to find out how he or she would handle them. Is she or he a go-it-alone type or one who prefers collaboration?
What do you think? Let us know. jkreiss@sullivankreiss.com
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Hot Candidates
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Tenant Coordinator/Owners Representative:
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For more information on these candidates, contact:
To discuss these four candidates, contact Justin Roy at 508-393-0358, or jroy@sullivankreiss.com.
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Sr. Project Manager:
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- Generated cost savings of over $420,000 for owner in Engineering/Constructability review.
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Background exemplifies a successful history of career accomplishments with over 10 years of professional experience in construction management, development, architectural, and consulting services. Total compensation is $120K.
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For more information on these candidates, contact:
John Kreiss
508-393-4933
jkreiss@sullivankreiss.com.
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Architect, Director of Production Services:
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Corporate Real Estate, Facilities Manager:
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For more information on these candidates, contact:
Kim McLean
508-393-4934
kmclean@sullivankreiss.com.
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