Great Workplaces Do the Laundry First

Great Workplaces Do the Laundry FirstGreat Workplaces Do the Laundry FirstGreat Workplaces Do the Laundry First Robin, Ph.D., and Michael Burchell , Ed.D., co-authors of No Excuses How You Can Turn Any Workplace into a Great One (Jossey-Bass, 2013)There is an old Zen saying, after enlightenment, the laundry which beautifully captures the idea that one can never let go of the minutia that helped enable the enlightened state in the first place.All of us have life management tasks such as purchasing groceries, paying bills and doing laundry that are necessary to organize our life and that help facilitate other higher bestellung things such as engaging in meaningful work or connecting with loved ones.The same is true in business. We need to get the basics right and do the organizational laundry.Take Care of the Laundry FirstOur view of organizational laundry is having a clearly articulated mission and geistesbild, company values that guide the organization, an effective strategy, a produ ctive management system, and a company culturethat supports all of this.We too often find, however, organizations operating without reference to the basics. Quickly, the imagination becomes a slogan, the business plan becomes a door stop, and the values are a plaque on the wall.Conversely, in great workplaces, we find that behind their financial success lies a strong sense of identity that helped create such excellence in the first place.Through our experience, it has become clear that only in addressing these areas of organizational laundry can you really leverage the power and opportunity that comes from creating and sustaining a great workplace.But as mundane as the laundry sounds, it can be energizing. As long as your effort helps to reinforce the sense of organizational identity, it contributes to a great workplace and buffers against the inertia of excuses.The Necessity of Mission, Vision and ValuesAt W. L. Gore Associates, they talk about their one objective which is to make money and have fun. As a business, they understand that they need to make money or they wont have a business for long.On the other hand, they also appreciate that having fun together as they accomplish their goals builds an enduring business for the long term. Both need to be in balance, and at Gore, they work diligently in meeting their one objective. And as a result, Gore is a very solid business.No matter what form they take, an adage such as that at W. L. Gore and Associates or a more formal statement, best companies have a clearmission, vision, and values first and foremost.Second, they have a well-crafted strategy or plan for achieving their vision and goals.Third, they have created the right managementstructure to align their internal resources in service of that vision.And fourth, they have developed a strong, sustainable high-trust workplace culture that enables its employees to deliver on that vision.These four points are summed up well by Rajeev Peshawaria in Brains, Bon es, and Nerves The Only Three Things an Enterprise Leader Should Focus On, an online publication by 800-ceo-read (2011). In it, he explains that there are a vital few things an enterprise leader should focus on. He offers,The key is to control and shape the three most important levers of sustainable business growththe Brains, the Bones, and the Nerves. The brains of a business are its vision and strategy, and here the enterprise leader must shape and set direction. The bones are the organizational architecture, and here the enterprise leader must design the organization in order to execute the strategy. And the nerves refer to the culture and climate of the organization, and here the enterprise leader must foster a culture of long-lasting excellence.At the Coca-Cola Company, they have been able to capture the brains, bones and nerves onto a single page document that all managers and all employees have access to, understand, and use in their work.The Coca-Cola Company sees their miss ion as refreshing the world, inspiring moments of optimism and happiness, creating value, and making a difference.The Coca-Cola system is comprised of both the company that produces the syrups and infrastructure and the over 300 independent bottlers and distributors around the world. Their corporate culture is focused on creating a great place to work throughout their entire organization.As one of the managers we spoke with at Coca-Cola explained,Theres a visionary document that looks 10 years ahead with 6 Ps including portfolio, people, profit, and partners. Everybody in the organization knows they play a very important role and results are tracked in each of the Ps. We have this phenomenal strategy that took us some time to put in place, and now the culture is following this.It took Coca Cola some time to align to their plan, but now they are really beginning to see the payoff for doing this organizational laundry and creating a great workplace in the process.Reprinted by permiss ion from the publisher, Jossey-Bass, a Wiley brand, from No Excuses How You Can Turn Any Workplace into a Great One by Jennifer Robin and Michael Burchell Copyright (c) 2013 by Jennifer Robin and Michael Burchell.Author BiosJennifer Robin, Ph.D., is a research fellow at Great distributions-mix to Work Institute. A former consultant with the Institute, she led the Advisory Practice, helping senior leaders integrate their organizations culture with its strategy and aligning efforts to be a great workplace. Currently, Jennifer teaches in undergraduate, MBA, and professional programs in the Foster College of Business at Bradley University. She lives in Peoria, Illinois.Michael Burchell, Ed.D., is vice president, International Operations at Great Place to Work Institute, Inc. A member of the corporate management team, Michael oversees affiliate operations, global expansion efforts, and the business development of multinational clients across the Great Place to Work network. Previously, M ichael led consulting services for the Institute in the United States. He also co-owns and is a director for Great Place to Work Institute in the United Arab Emirates, in Dubai. He is based in Washington, D.C.