Built to Last Chapter 6: Sect-like Culture

Anyone who doesn’t like pressure, doesn’t like hard work, and doesn’t believe in our system and values ??will leave. But if you have drive, initiative, and most importantly, the ability to be effective and serve your customers, you will do well. The key to the question is whether Nuo Shiquan is suitable for you. If it is not suitable, you will probably hate it, lose miserably, and then leave.

1. Throw it away

To build a visionary company, you don’t need to create a “gentle” or “comfortable” environment. Visionary companies often have stricter demands on their employees than other companies in terms of performance and fit with the company's philosophy. People who are unwilling or unable to meet the standards set by the company usually don't have much room to survive in the company.

Four characteristics of visionary companies and sects were much stronger than those of comparison companies: fervently espoused ideas, indoctrination, tight fit, and elitism.

Visionary companies use a set of practices to create an almost cult-like environment around a core idea. We call this situation "sectarianism."

2. Case:

IBM: When IBM achieves its greatest achievements and demonstrates its outstanding ability to best adapt to changes in the world, it is when IBM's sect-like culture becomes strongest.

Disney: Disney’s intensive employee screening and education procedures, obsession with secrecy and control, and careful myth-making that cultivated the company’s image as special and important to the lives of children around the world all helped create A sect-like belief that extends even to customers.

P&G: Carefully screen potential new employees, hire young people to do grassroots work, strictly shape them to comply with P&G's thoughts and behaviors, and eliminate unsuitable people. Mid-level and senior-level positions are limited to Responsible for P&G people who are loyal and have grown within the company. P&G has a long history of warm and progressive employee compensation and benefit programs that bring employees and the company closer together.

3. Notes to CEOs, Managers and Entrepreneurs

Visionary companies are usually centered on ideas and behave like sects, while sects or social movements often revolve around charismatic Sect leaders operate to form a "people-oriented" sect.

The point is to build an organization that uses specific methods and is passionate about maintaining its core values. Visionary companies translate their ideas into tangible mechanisms while sending consistent and reinforcing signals. They instill ideas in their employees, require a tight fit with the company, and create a sense of belonging through the following practical, concrete things: Awareness:

? A new employee training and follow-up training plan that combines concepts and practical content to teach values, standards, history and traditions.

? Internal "university" and training center.

? Colleagues and immediate superiors are responsible for on-the-job socialization training.

? Strictly promote the policy from within, hire young people, promote from within, and shape the mentality of employees from a young age.

Promote "heroic deeds" and company examples (e.g. letters from customers praising heroic deeds, marble statues, etc.).

? Unique language and nouns (such as "cast members" and "Motorola people") strengthen the existing frame of reference and strengthen the awareness of belonging to a special elite group.

? Company songs, affirmations or pledges to strengthen psychological recognition.

? Implement rigorous screening procedures during recruitment or during the first few years of employment.

? Adopt reward and promotion criteria that are clearly consistent with requiring employees to fully integrate into the company's philosophy.

Use rewards, competitions, and public recognition to reward those who strive to conform to the company's ideals, and use clear, tangible penalties to punish those who cross the boundaries of the ideals.

? Tolerate honest mistakes (minor mistakes) that do not violate the company's philosophy, and severely punish or fire employees who violate the philosophy (sin).

? Set up mechanisms (financial or time investment) to "coax" employees into believing in the company's philosophy.

? Use celebration to enhance a sense of achievement, belonging and difference.

? Factory and office layouts reinforce company standards and ideals.

? Continuously emphasize the company's values, traditions and sense of belonging to a distinctive community, both verbally and in writing.

4. Preserve the core and stimulate progress

A sect-like culture can strengthen a company's ability to pursue ambitious goals because it creates an elite organization that is almost The awareness that any task can be accomplished.

You can build an innovative culture like a sect, a competitive culture like a sect, or a change-seeking culture like a sect, or even a culture that is both solemn and harmonious like a sect.

5. Control and autonomy

Forward-looking companies implement strict control in terms of ideas, while providing extensive operational autonomy and encouraging personal initiative. It is better to be inclusive than either/or His example.

If a company hopes to have an empowered or decentralized work environment, the most important thing is to have a strict philosophy and instill this philosophy into selected employees while eliminating bad people; Those who come down are given a high sense of responsibility that comes with belonging to an elite organization. This means putting the right actors on stage, getting them into the right mindset, and giving them the freedom to make their own decisions and improvise. Simply put, this means that being able to unite like a sect around an idea can free up the ability of employees to experiment, change, adapt, and, most importantly, take action.