Leadership Breeds Culture

By: Emily Odartei

Do It For the Culture

When working in any field, the environment of the workplace plays a big role in how the company performs as a whole. How companies interact between management and employees as well as with outside companies truly directs the culture of the company. The culture of a company directly stems from its hierarchy of leadership. “Culture is the set of behaviors, values, artifacts, reward systems, and rituals that make up your organization. You can "feel" culture when you visit a company, because it is often evident in people's behavior, enthusiasm, and the space itself” (Bersin, 2015). The practices of the company are often not written down but just implied. In the world of technology specifically, culture is not necessarily born all at once. During the startup stages of projects, culture may be completely different from when the project becomes established. Silicon Valley is a place where ideas come to thrive and grow a life of their own. Through this growth comes the responsibility of leadership. This leadership breeds a culture that makes those with the original idea and those now working on the current state of that idea want to continue to cultivate it.

Oh, Happy Days

Silicon Valley is not only the land of opportunity, it is also a place where creativity and collaboration dwell in perfect matrimony. Two super power companies, that work their hardest to ensure that their employees know exactly how valued they are, have made a positive footprint that many tech companies will one day be sure, if they are not already, to follow. When it comes to Google and Twitter their impact on society is unmatched. Every day, these two platforms are used by millions of users around the globe. These platforms put information at your fingertips faster than any of their competitors. In order to maintain this rapid fire of technical excellence, they hold their employees to high standards that are met with even higher rewards.

To start, Google has been well known for its atmosphere of creativity for an extremely long time. Google’s various offices and campuses around the globe reflect the company’s overarching philosophy, which is nothing less than “to create the happiest, most productive workplace in the world,” (Stewart, 2013). Googlers are often encouraged to express themselves openly and to be at leisure in the workplace while continuing to be efficient. “Google has been synonymous with culture for years, and sets the tone for many of the perks and benefits startups are now known for. Free meals, employee trips and parties, financial bonuses, open presentations by high-level executives, gyms, a dog-friendly environment and so on. Googlers are known to be driven, talented and among the best of the best” (Patel, 2015). Many employees rather have a great company culture as opposed to having a great paycheck. Allowing creative minds to be completely free in the workplace intensively increases productivity, a key to why Google has been on the top of the food chain for so many years despite many attempts of being dethroned.

Not too far behind, comes the social media giant Twitter. Twitter prides itself on putting intelligent people together without borders in order to make the biggest impact on the world. “Employees of Twitter can’t stop raving about the company’s culture. Rooftop meetings, friendly coworkers and a team-oriented environment in which each person is motivated by the company’s goals have inspired that praise. Employees of Twitter can also expect free meals at the San Francisco headquarters, along with yoga classes and unlimited vacations for some.” (Patel, 2015). Employees at Twitter share the same driven attitude as those from Google due to the rewards they receive for their actions. They are happier to come to work and work effectively in order to continue to reap the benefits of their actions. The leadership at Twitter is also known to be extremely transparent. Weekly, CEO Jack Dorsey holds open town hall like discussions with all employees to make sure everyone is on the same page. This helps with cohesiveness throughout the entire organization as well as creates a sense of mutual trust and respect between all employees regardless of hierarchical status.

It’s a Dog eat Dog World

Although there are extremely positive ends to the company culture spectrum, there is also places where leadership takes a toll on employees and diminishes the once promising culture of an organization. It has been said that, “Working at Apple is a dream job for some but a nightmare for others, particularly those who value having free time” (Reed, 2015). Apple has been known to be one of the most secretive and tense environments to work in. Employees are often working hard, long hours in the name of innovation without outstanding rewards. Apple has never been known for wildly colored offices and spur of the moment collaboration. Everything in Apple’s realm is meticulous and calculated. “The culture at Apple is not only be demanding but also rather petty and centered around trying to get others around you to fail so you could succeed” (Reed, 2015). The leadership at Apple only has one goal in mind and that is to be better than everyone else. While this has been proven somewhat successful in terms of Apple inadvertently becoming a mini monopoly in the smartphone sector, this reputation is rather damaging for the future of the company. An employee stated, “Culture here is strictly top down: any attempt to streamline, impact change, or even discuss a better way to do anything is strictly frowned upon when it comes from the bottom. Work longer/harder, don't complain or try to fix any of the myriad broken systems or processes, and don't forget that there are 10 people lined up outside to take your spot (your manager won't forget).” (Edwards, 2013). At Apple, the leadership breeds a suffocating culture, that may in the long run decrease productivity.

Back to the Future

Culture is an important construct that many do not pay attention to. It can really make or break an organization. Culture thoroughly depends on leadership of an organization to set the tone for the productivity and success of that entity. When employees are happy, like those of Twitter and Google, the organization operates a lot better. When employees are unhappy, like those of Apple, there is a lack of cohesion throughout the workplace. One way to improve corporate culture in the future is too have diversity in leadership and tech. This ensures that all needs of employees will be represented regardless of hierarchical status in an organization.

References

Bersin, J. (2015, March 13). Culture: Why it's the Hottest Topic in Business Today. Forbes. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshbersin/2015/03/13/culture-why-its-the-hottest-topic-in-business-today/#55822981627f

Edwards, J. (2013, October 9). What Apple Employees Say About The Company's Internal Corporate Culture. Business Insider. Retrieved from http://www.businessinsider.com/what-apple-employees-say-about-the-companys-internal-corporate-culture-2013-10#

Harris, J. G., & Alter, A. E. (n.d.). CALIFORNIA DREAMING. Retrieved from Accenture website: https://www.accenture.com/us-en/insight-outlook-california-dreaming-corporate-culture-silicon-valley

How CEOS can Create Company Culture [Infographic]. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/a2/31/1b/a2311bff8333af8443a6d3ca21344f7a.png

Importance of Culture [Infographic]. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://blogs-images.forbes.com/joshbersin/files/2015/03/culture.jpg?width=960

Organizational Culture Tops the List of Elements Critical to Deal Success [Chart]. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://chinagorman.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/mercer-org-culture-tops-elements-critical-to-deal-success.png?w=500&h=392

Patel, S. (2015, August 6). 10 Examples of Companies with Fantastic Cultures. The Entrepreneur. Retrieved from https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/249174

Reed, B. (2015, April 8). Apple employee quits his job, spills dirt on ‘what really goes on’ there. Retrieved from BGR website: http://bgr.com/2015/04/08/what-is-working-at-apple-really-like/

Stewart, J. B. (2013, March 15). Looking for a Lesson in Google Perks. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/16/business/at-google-a-place-to-work-and-play.html

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