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Non-hierarchical corporate culture
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| Non-hierarchical corporate culture The firm’s unique structure was born out of Bill Gore’s frustration with a large corporate bureaucracy the W.L. Gore culture seeks to avoid taxing creativity with conventional hierarchy. The company encourages hands-on innovation, involving those closest to a project indecision making hence decision making is based on knowledge rather than seniority. Teams organise around opportunities and leaders emerge based on the needs and priorities of a particular business unit. The company bases its business philosophy on the belief that, given the right environment, there is no limit to what people can accomplish. An important factor in this recognition is Gore’s unique culture, which evolved from the company’s success with small teams during its early years. This approach to business was based on Bill Gore’s experience with task force teams while he was employed at the DuPont Company. Such groups were formed at DuPont on an ad hoc basis to attack problem situations. They were usually multidisciplinary and typically operated for short periods of time outside of the company’s formal management hierarchy. The formula seems to have worked. In 40 years of business, W.L. Gore & Associates has developed hundreds of unique products that reflect an underlying commitment to fluoropolymer technologies. The company is passionate about innovation and has built a unique work environment to support it based on a corporate culture that encourages creativity, initiative and discovery. According to Gore: You won’t find the trappings of a traditional corpo- rate structure here no rigid hierarchy, no bosses, and no predictable career ladder. Instead, you’ll find direct communication, a team oriented atmos- phere, and one title – associate – that’s shared by everyone. It’s an unusual corporate culture that contributes directly to the business success by encouraging creativity and opportunity. (Gore, The last principle is meant to protect the company from inappropriate risk. Whilst employees are given wide latitude to pursue entrepreneurial opportunities, no one can initiate projects involving significant corporate financial commitments without thorough review and participation by qualified associates. An individual starting at W.L. Gore is assigned three sponsors. A starting sponsor helps get the associate acquainted with W.L. Gore. An advocate sponsor makes sure the associate receives credit and recognition for their work and a compensation sponsor makes sure the associate is paid fairly. One person can fill all three sponsor roles. Compensation is determined by committees and relies heavily on evaluations by other associates as well as the compensation sponsor. Download 0.52 Mb. Share with your friends:
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