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Take the "Boss Element"
our of your company
Keep formality and
rigidity out of the office
Harness the power of an informal place. "Without needless rules, titles,
and approvals people are not afraid to voice their ideas, even they go
against conventional company wisdom." In 1980s, form was
very important. "Today form isn't allowed. Global battles don't allow
forms. It's all substance. Form means somebody is not intensely
interested in the company. Somebody on umpteen boards. Somebody off
giving speeches all the time. Somebody that doesn't have their eye on
the ball. Somebody who has reached the position of chairman as the
culmination of a career, rather than the beginning of a career."
Leave your tie at
home more often than not
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Formality gets in the way achieving
great things. Welch believed that the part of the GE success story was
the power of GE as "an informal place". No one called him "Mr. Welch,"
it was always "Jack". He left his tie at home more often than not, held
informal meetings, and encouraged everyone to lighten up. At
GE Work-Out
meetings,
employees and managers alike were asked to dress casually at the
workshops, in chinos and T-shirts, in order to blur distinctions between
managers and workers.
Hold more informal
meetings
"Lighten up meetings by asking
your staff to "run" the meeting, and suggest "a no notes allowed"
meeting as well." |
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Find simple ways to
loosen things up
Introduce flexible working
hours, a more relaxed dress code, etc.
Brainstorm with bosses
and colleagues frequently
Weave
brainstorming
into the cultural fabric of your organization.
→
Brainstormers
offer your team members a chance to shine. It's a friendly competition.
Organize a
once-in-a-while informal get together
Invite workers with spouses and significant others.
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You must realize now
how important it is to maintain the kind of corporate informality
that encourages a training class to comfortably challenge the boss's
pet ideas. |
Jack Welch
GE |
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