Creating a strong organizational culture takes purposeful effort. Every organization already has some kind of existing culture and, as a general rule, there are strengths and areas of growth in each one. The task for any organization is the on going shaping of their culture into the one they truly desire, one that is beneficial to carrying out their mission and vision, and one that creates a great place to work. A key step in this process is having clearly established, articulated, and promoted core values, along with a mission and vision that permeate every aspect of the organization. These are the ‘big picture’ conversations that need to happen. But beyond the big picture, paying attention to the day-to-day implications of these conversations is also important.
Joseph Michelli emphasized this point again for me when I read his book, “The Starbucks Experience”. Last month I shared some thoughts from his book about corporate social responsibility, this month I would like to share one other insight from the book, his second principle, “Everything Matters”.
In discussing the culture that Starbucks has built, Michelli comments:
“While great leaders spend most of their time looking at big-picture, strategic opportunities, they cannot overlook the systems and training necessary to ensure the quality of every aspect of the company’s products, services, and processes” (pg. 61).
As an example of this, Michelli discusses Starbucks’ dedication to quality. The company pays significant attention to the details of creating what it calls ‘the third place’ experience. After home and work, Starbucks wants to be viewed as the third place people choose to be. To encourage this, the company not only tries to offer the best quality product, but also an appealing physical environment and great, personalized service. Among the hundreds of details that go into making this happen, one key piece was a seven-cent valve on their packaging that took years and a great deal of effort to develop. This small detail allowed Starbucks to retain the freshness of their coffee beyond the typical seven-day shelf life, which according to their senior V.P. of Manufacturing, allowed them to expand as widely as they have.
Obviously not all organizations are retail based like Starbucks and so there are differences to consider. But I think the underlying principle remains the same – great organizations pay attention to everything. Details matter. Core values do not just exist on a piece of paper tucked away somewhere or posted on a wall plaque. They find expression in everything that occurs.
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Everything Matters
Creating a strong organizational culture takes purposeful effort. Every organization already has some kind of existing culture and, as a general rule, there are strengths and areas of growth in each one. The task for any organization is the on going shaping of their culture into the one they truly desire, one that is beneficial to carrying out their mission and vision, and one that creates a great place to work. A key step in this process is having clearly established, articulated, and promoted core values, along with a mission and vision that permeate every aspect of the organization. These are the ‘big picture’ conversations that need to happen. But beyond the big picture, paying attention to the day-to-day implications of these conversations is also important.
Joseph Michelli emphasized this point again for me when I read his book, “The Starbucks Experience”. Last month I shared some thoughts from his book about corporate social responsibility, this month I would like to share one other insight from the book, his second principle, “Everything Matters”.
In discussing the culture that Starbucks has built, Michelli comments:
“While great leaders spend most of their time looking at big-picture, strategic opportunities, they cannot overlook the systems and training necessary to ensure the quality of every aspect of the company’s products, services, and processes” (pg. 61).
As an example of this, Michelli discusses Starbucks’ dedication to quality. The company pays significant attention to the details of creating what it calls ‘the third place’ experience. After home and work, Starbucks wants to be viewed as the third place people choose to be. To encourage this, the company not only tries to offer the best quality product, but also an appealing physical environment and great, personalized service. Among the hundreds of details that go into making this happen, one key piece was a seven-cent valve on their packaging that took years and a great deal of effort to develop. This small detail allowed Starbucks to retain the freshness of their coffee beyond the typical seven-day shelf life, which according to their senior V.P. of Manufacturing, allowed them to expand as widely as they have.
Obviously not all organizations are retail based like Starbucks and so there are differences to consider. But I think the underlying principle remains the same – great organizations pay attention to everything. Details matter. Core values do not just exist on a piece of paper tucked away somewhere or posted on a wall plaque. They find expression in everything that occurs.
This entry was posted on Thursday, July 22nd, 2010 at 11:59 am and is filed under Comments. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.