New corporate cultures in the world of work
Rigid, strict and hierarchical. That's what yesterday's culture looked like. Today, more and more companies and organizations are focusing on open, flexible, horizontal.
What do modern employee cultures in companies look like? What opportunities are there to implement NewWork in the company? Some pioneers are setting an example.
The technology company W. L. Gore & Associates, for example, divides itself into just three hierarchical levels, with the CEO or general manager being democratically elected and at the top. This is followed by a number of department heads and all other employees. In this way, numerous small teams are created, in which hierarchy is a secondary matter and cooperation at eye level is paramount. This concept encourages employees to take responsibility and increases productivity in the team.
Haufe Umantis, a software manufacturer from Switzerland, also relies on democracy and lets its employees choose who makes it into management or gets a leadership position.
An open corporate culture is the be-all and end-all at Google. Weekly 'Thank-God-Its-Friday' meetings provide an opportunity for exchange, where employees are encouraged to actively contribute and represent their views. In doing so, they can even address the founders directly, which enables Google to create a corporate culture with a high level of transparency.
It is no longer possible to imagine corporate cultures without flexible working models. With the motto 'Everyone should work where they are most productive', many companies are enabling their employees not only to work from home, but also flexoffice or remote work. This breaks down traditional 9 to 5 barriers and paves the way for new approaches that promote employee satisfaction and boost productivity.
Corporate cultures are flexible. If you don't just want to preach NewWork, but also live it, these successful models can be used as a guiding principle. Less strict, more smart!