Goffee Robert - Why should anyone work here? : what it takes to create an authentic organization

Goffee and Jones have taught us much in the last two decades about how to be outstanding leaders. And it is our job as leaders to create the distinctive cultures that will attract and foster talent and leadership. In this book, they show us how to do this, clearly demonstrating, as no one has before, the key importance of a few simple cultural traits in order for companies to be great.

BELMIRO DE AZEVEDO , former Chairman and CEO, Sonae

More than ever, the challenge for leaders is to build organizations that maximize the creative power of their people in a sustainable way. In this extremely relevant and practical book, Goffee and Jones challenge long-held assumptions and provide a framework and principles for bringing the ideal organization closer to reality.

CECILE FROT-COUTAZ , CEO, FremantleMedia Ltd.

The combination of the right products with the right people drives a brands success. After showing that leadership is not given but earned in Why Should Anyone Be Led by You?, Goffee and Jones now demonstrate that to complete the equation, a leader must build and shape the right organizational culture to stimulate creativity and ensure long-term success.

CHANTAL GAEMPERLE , LVMH Group Executive Vice President, Human Resources and Synergies

A great sequel to Why Should Anyone Be Led by You? This book lifts the discussions about authentic leadership and what makes for the best possible organization to a new level. A must-read for all CEOs.

FRANZ HUMER , Chairman, Diageo; former Chairman, F. Hoffmann-LaRoche

A thoroughly enjoyable and enriching book. There is something profound and thought provoking on every page. I was left inspired to strive to make my company an even better place to work.

HELEN HYDE , Personnel Director, Waitrose

Goffee and Jones have a knack for asking the right questions at the right time. The workplace as we know it is broken, and no amount of personal, authentic leadership is going to fix it. A primer on what it will take to build organizations where people can truly be their best, this book is a must-read for anyone concerned with attracting the best talent and fostering their creativity.

HERMINIA IBARRA , professor, INSEAD; author, Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader

If you were to design the best workplace on earth, what would it look like? You can find the answers to this question in this wonderful book. Why Should Anyone Work Here? is full of inspiring examples, intellectual wisdom, and practical advice on how to design an organization that brings out the best in its people. It is bound to become required reading for any senior executive.

COSTAS MARKIDES , professor, London Business School

Why
should
anyone
work
here?

Why
should
anyone
work
here?

WHAT IT TAKES TO CREATE
AN AUTHENTIC ORGANIZATION

Rob Goffee / Gareth Jones

HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW PRESS

Boston, Massachusetts

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Copyright 2015 Rob Goffee and Gareth Jones

All rights reserved

Printed in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior permission of the publisher. Requests for permission should be directed to , or mailed to Permissions, Harvard Business School Publishing, 60 Harvard Way, Boston, Massachusetts 02163.

The web addresses referenced in this book were live and correct at the time of the books publication but may be subject to change.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Goffee, Robert.

Why should anyone work here?: what it takes to create an authentic organization / Rob Goffee and Gareth Jones.

pages cm.

ISBN 978-1-62527-509-7 (hardback)

1. Corporate culture.2.Organizational behavior.3.Leadership.

I. Jones, Gareth, 1951 August 21- II. Title.

HD58.7.G64155 2015

The paper used in this publication meets the requirements of the American National Standard for Permanence of Paper for Publications and Documents in Libraries and Archives Z39.48-1992.

Dedicated to Professor John W. Hunt
A great teacher, mentor, and friend

Contents

Why
should
anyone
work
here?

Introduction

Why Should
Anyone Work
Here?

A talented young product designer with an unusual perspective and skill set is repeatedly told that her ideas are too offbeat and she should get with the program. She starts scanning the web for other opportunities.

A smart, ambitious middle manager feels growing frustration at the poor communication of a strategy by his boss and other company leaders. How can he effectively manage his people if he doesnt know whats really going on?

An experienced marketing executive in a large consumer products company yearns for a greater sense of purpose and meaning in her work, and wonders whether it will be possible to find it at her current company.

A new employee at a large, forward-thinking professional services firm comes to work thinking about how invigorating the onboarding process has been, and how the organization will actually help him to reach the next level of his career.

We used to think that successful, high-performance organizations had strong cultures within which individuals did or did not fit. But the paradigm is changing. Organizations no longer hold all the cards, and can no longer dictate all the rules. Instead, they are finding they must increasingly adapt to the needs and desires of the people they would like to be part of their enterprise. Sustained high performance, it turns out, requires nothing less than a reinvention of the habitual patterns and processes of organizations.

What should those patterns and processes be? Imagine that you have been challenged to design the best organization on earth to work for. Its an organization that will be a beacon for attracting and retaining talent, a place that consistently brings out the very best in its people and in the business itself. What would that company be like? How would you build and sustain it?

The need for such a reimagined workplace has become increasingly urgent. Despite high unemployment in many countries, and workforces spanning an unprecedented four generations, we are in the midst of a worldwide talent shortage. Whats more, companies today find themselves competing not only against other firms for employees but also against talented workers increased ability to jump the corporate ship and go solo, thanks to an array of technological advances.

Relatedly, look at companies like Yahoo, Best Buy, and Hewlett-Packard, which have swung in the direction of tighter, less-flexible workplaces. By battening down the hatches and summoning their web-commuters back to the office, some corporations hope to strengthen the corporate culture and social fabric, and to weed out nonproducers. But here is the challenge: if companies hope to bring their most skilled people back to the office, and continue to attract more of the best, they had better build more satisfying places to work. They had better be constantly asking themselves a tough question: