IT SEEMS obvious that, for a company to succeed, it needs the right products. But many people believe the right culture is just as important. Creating that culture has been the holy grail for managers ever since Tom Peters and Robert Waterman focused on the issue back in 1982 in their book “In Search of Excellence”. The idea is back in fashion today.
It is easy to sense some wish fulfilment in these archetypes: the Silicon Valley tycoon, armed only with a spreadsheet, seeing himself as the modern equivalent of a historical warrior. That sense is heightened when Mr Horowitz talks of the contrast between “wartime” and “peacetime” chief executives, an analogy seemingly drawn from “The Godfather”, a movie about the mafia.
Toussaint Louverture was notable for his strong ethical code and his willingness to forgive his enemies; he even allowed slave owners in Haiti to keep their land, provided they agreed to reward their workers properly. Shaka Senghor also imposed a strict code of behaviour on his prison gang. Leaders set the tone. If they lie, shout or swear, then others will do the same. The corollary is that if they want to encourage good behaviour, they have to get involved. Companies may want a diverse staff but all too often, Mr Horowitz says, they try to achieve this by appointing a “head of diversity” or hiring consultants. At Andreessen Horowitz, managers are required to consult more widely by asking, for example, African-Americans what talents they would be looking for in a new candidate.
A bit of rape & pillage?
I think somebody is selling hot air and the buyers are fools. You these guys who spend all their time at a computer screen and in meetings and they want to pretend to be warriors
the best business culture is a democtratic culture with no bosses
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