Is it possible to create a company that is the best on earth to work for? Many say that achieving your dream company is considered to be much like finding the Holy Grail – hard, if not impossible. But thanks to Organisational Behaviour experts Rob Goffee and Gareth Jones, authors of Creating the Best Workplace on Earth, we now have an idea of how to achieve the “organisation of your dreams.”
It took them at least three years and many hundreds of hours of research to find out that to achieve a dream organisation. They found that a firm must balance competing interests and rethink how to allocate time and attention. In simple terms, people will not follow a leader and an organisation that isn’t authentic.
But what does an authentic organisation look like? Goffee and Jones’ continuous research led them to conclude that an authentic organisation is one that operates at its fullest potential by allowing people to be and do their best at work. An authentic organisation is one that is largely aspirational.
In their questionnaire called The “Dream Company Diagnostic,” the authors summarised 6 key virtues that an authentic organisation must have.
With the simplicity of the questionnaire, it may seem that these elements can be easily drafted into a firm – but that is not so since cultural change takes time, and resources, and it also creates fear. So to ensure a successful transition, careful planning and monitoring is required.
But bearing this in mind, it is still fun (and informative) to consider your firm against what is considered to be the best. Gain insight into where your firm differs by completing the questionnaire where it is reasonable to assume that few ticks will equate to less than optimal results. It is also reasonable to assume that your results will improve if you increase the number of ticks you get.
1. Let Me Be Myself
2. Tell Me What’s Really Going On
3. Discover and Magnify My Strengths
4. Make Me Proud I Work Here
5. Make My Work Meaningful
6. Don’t Hinder Me with Stupid Rules
What is it costing you and your firm to keep the status quo, and what would be gained if you had more ticks? Identify the strategy needed, then ask yourself the BIG question: What can you do now, this minute and in the next 3 months to make this change happen?
