Rob Goffee and Gareth Jones wrote a May 2013 article in the Harvard Business Review on Creating the Best Workplace on Earth. I appreciated their six imperatives for a best workplace. They offer an insightful and informative overview of best workplaces fused with a critical argument on why a best workplace can be such a challenge to achieve.
The six imperatives of best workplaces are:
- Authenticity matters and Individual difference are nurtured
- Information flows freely through the organization with radical honesty
- People are strengthened as value is both derived from employees while also being instilled in them
- The organization stands for something important
- Daily work is meaningful and energizing
- Stupid rules are eliminated and the few rules are helpful and vital
The authors illustrate the article with a few exemplar organizations while also offering the reader an intriguing 36 statement assessment to see how close their organization is to the ideal place to work. The authors acknowledge the challenges and complexities in moving your organization towards a best workplace while offering guidance and examples to help you steer in that direction.
Goffee and Jones found two commonalities in best workplaces. They are very clear about what they do and are suspicious of the fads and fashions that sweep through so many workplaces in search of a quick fix for higher engagement. How about your organization? Is it ready to move towards being a best workplace on earth?
David Zinger is a global employee engagement expert who is continually in search of engaging practices to make work better for individuals and organizations. Contact him today for education, speeches, consulting or coaching on engagement.