Show some skin: the new (ok maybe to you) workplace

February 2, 2010 in Company Culture, General, Rants, Raves with 4 Comments

We are all enjoying changing workplaces. Some of you are working from home a few days a week.  You may even bring your dog to work. Thanks for the hair by the way. (just kidding, I love dogs). We all are benefiting from the changes in the workplace. Bob Cratchit would be envious.

The man with the boots at zappos

Why is it then that some leaders are openly embracing these changes behind office doors but try to portray a different culture to the outside world.  They go to length to hide behind a facade of old school professionalism. They want the outside world, including clients and customers, to think that everything is ties and cubicles all around.  This is a result of fear.  What if our customers think we are slacking off?  What if any sign of staff enjoying their work comes across as lackadaisical?  Fear is driving survival. I stumbled upon one of my new favorite quotes today re-reading Seth Godin’s Linchpin.  “Survival and success are not the same thing.”

So what? As long as you are the best in your industry and your services are remarkable, none of it matters.  Loosen up. Show some skin (or boots). You might be surprised.  You might even get lucky and blow your competitors away.

office doors but try to portray a different culture to the outside world.  They go to length to hide behind a facade of old school professionalism.  They want the outside world, including clients and customers, to think that everything is

About Johnflurry: Director of Communications for Soma Games & Code-Monkeys. Huffington Post blogger. I'm also an expert advisor for the George Fox Seminary Semiotics & Future Studies program.

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  • http://twitter.com/JeremiahOsGo J. Osborne-Gowey

    So how do you strike a balance if you're a company with strong ties to the “old school” way of thinking? In my mind, “balance” is what it's about. But the difficulty, it seems, is finding that right balance. Do you just dive right in? Or take it slow? And what facets do you embrace first? The answer, in my mind, is “it depends” (i.e., it's situation-dependent). I'd be curious to hear some examples of how companies with ties to the old way of thinking are attempting to embrace the the new way of thinking (or parts of it). Anyone? Bueller?… Bueller?… Bueller?

    • zappos_drob

      So I'd like to take a stab at this question. How do you balance new ideas in creating “culture” with the old school way of doing things?

      I work for Zappos Insights, a division of Zappos.com that helps business create solid company cultures. You're right balance is what it's all about! Too many companies are out of balance in both directions; some companies are out of balance and that they are not willing to change, while others are out of balance because they change too much. The reason for change is not about “the what” but “the why”. We have groups come through our offices for tours and try to help them realize that it's not really “what” we do that's important but “why” we do we do what we do

      If you simply look at “what”, you may be prone to think that we just play all day or that we spend so much time focusing on parades, banners, and decorations, that we don’t get any “real work accomplished”. I’ve heard someone say that “decorations don't make culture”, the reality is that is true. Decorations do not give a company culture but you can tell a good bit about a company based on the atmosphere in the office. But it is more than the decorations, we are talking about the interaction between employees, the buzz or the energy that is in the air.

      How do we strike a balance? I would say go back to your values. Go back to the core of who you are as a company, as an organization, and start from there. Who are you as an organization and how do you see that played out in your company culture? For instance if you say that you're a company that likes to have fun but when you walk through the office nobody is smiling or laughing, then are you really having fun. so or if you say. If you say that your company or organization that loves people but yet your employees feel that they're being taken advantage of or they feel like they have no place and no voice, then do you really care about people?

      Where do you start? I would say “dive in” but dive into those areas that are true to your culture and to your core values. What are the things that you do or don't do based on your values? If you have the “old school” way of thinking, start with your values. If you don’t have them….then now is a great time to start. There is so much more to say, but I didn’t want to overwhelm you or any other readers here. Let’s talk more if your interested.

      • http://twitter.com/JeremiahOsGo J. Osborne-Gowey

        I don't know that we've ever really sat down and talked about (or defined) the values of the company, per se (the founders likely did years ago). But I believe the essence of the original values were probably captured in the mission statement. If I had to boil down the values of the company (based on the mission statement and my limited time with the company), I'd probably go with “conservation, nature, science, responsibility, collaboration, engagement, family, nurture, and professionalism” (again, just my take).

        But my sense about many companies is that there's often a disconnect between the culture that is projected to those “outside” the company versus the day-to-day culture on “the inside”. For example, how does a company that may have built itself in the old “professional-suite-and-tie-in-a-cubicle” attitude but has grown to incorporate a casual (yet still professional) office atmosphere convey that newer culture while still maintaining the professional “feel” its clients are used to? And, in your experience, how do a company's employees that are “hip to the times” go about, in an informative and education way, exposing their supervisors – supervisors that may or may not be entrenched in the “old school” way thinking – to new ways of thinking?

        I have a few general insights. First, it's a gradual process. Nothing happens overnight. And it's not always easy standing out. Nor is it very easy encouraging those entrenched in their usual ways to buy into new ways of doing things. But I'd wager that you've had considerably more exposure to this sort of conundrum and have some very useful insights.

        Thanks for taking time to engage! I do appreciate it.

  • http://twitter.com/AvanteDirector Matt Esterman

    zappos_drob is a Cultural Evangelist (he preaches the truth) and is one of the most inspiring people I've ever met. I met him at the Zappos Insights, that he leads, event that I attended back in October. It blew my mind. zappos_drob and his fellow associates at Zappos.com have helped me change the culture of my organization. Know that it can be done if you really WANT to do it. If you are passionate about it, others will see that, others will follow you, others will join in or get ran over by the happiness train. People want to be happy, and if the values of the organization don't meet their personal values, they will always be looking for greener pastures. Even if you are paying them more than they are worth, money is only good for short-term happiness. Great post zappos_drob!