The Change Dude’s Blog

Building a Culture by Mail….Really?

Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer has begun a controversial conversation by pulling Yahoo! staff away from their warm cozy home offices back into their corporate office spaces.  What most pundits are saying is that the whole idea of having people work around and with other people is preposterous.  For goodness sake it’s the 21^st Century…who needs other people?  We have teleconferences, on-line tools that let us see each other in our jammies and of course the corner coffee shop for meetings.  My gracious, why would anyone ever need to actually meet with their colleagues in person? 

Having lived the virtual corporate life as a management consultant for over 20 years and consulted to many clients regarding improving their culture I can honestly say that the greatest single characteristic of most organizations culture today…is the lack of one.  The further we push each other into virtual relationships then the artifacts, behaviors and rituals that build culture disappear.    Ms. Mayer’s view that bringing people together with one another to renew the Yahoo!’s  culture isn’t controversial, it’s necessary.

Late in 2011 Atos CEO Thierry Breton vowed that within 18 months nearly 80,000 employees in 42 countries would have stopped using email and replace it with social media tools, the telephone and face-to-face conversations.  Amazing!  Actual conversation between humans, that’s a novel idea.

If this all sounds a little sarcastic it’s because as a people person the idea that electronic communication tools build cultural connections is ridiculous. 

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge believer in the value of electronic tools to drive efficiency and reduce the cost of doing business by reducing overhead expenses.  However, the cost of all these savings is at the expense of developing a true culture that all members of the corporate tribe commit to being a part of and adopt. 

All the editorials about the loss of freedom and work life balance issues that would be caused by coming to a common space to conduct business have merit. Yet, since most of the folks that write these pieces work from home they also leave a tad bit room for bias. 

Ms. Mayer I applaud your action and for any other stalwart leader that desires having a palpable culture for their organization consider these tips:

1. Ensure everyone has a workspace they can call their own in a company space.  Size is irrelevant, just a sense of place when they need to use it or circumstances drive the need.
2. Bring the gang into the house at least one-day every week – mandatory – no excuses.  During these Day-in-the-Office periods ensure you use the time wisely by scheduling activities that drive people to collaborate.
3. Never put new employees into a virtual role without having a minimum of 60 days in their corporate office space.  Humans don’t connect unless they are connected.  Sending your company logo packet and their new computer to their home is not really driving connection.
4. Ensure any and all performance reviews are performed in a company space by those involved.  Again, no excuses.  Really, is receiving feedback on performance at a Starbucks on the corner the right thing to do? 
5. Devise rituals that represent the cultural characteristics you want to build within the people that comprise the culture.  They may seem contrived at first, but over time will become the cornerstones of cultural connection.

March 10, 2013 Posted by thechangedude | Uncategorized | Leave a comment