Idea of a Company Culture

So there are great companies nowadays and has been since ages where working is fun and makes you feel fulfilled. However I am trying to hypothesize some basic philosophies that I learnt and admired, and would love to witness or incorporate in a company. I have had a sixth sense, so to say, for Empathy. I take it personally and seriously. As a user experience designer is also in my job description to be empathetic. And since I am reading this amazing book by Frans De Waal’s Age of Empathy Empathy is on the top of my list along with how to execute it. Here it goes.

1. The team/organiaton/company has to be a Tribe. Tribe because it lies in the cross section of primate sociology and human evolution. Tribal members are more human, more empathetic, more defensive of their tribal member at the same time don’t lack aggresive behaviour when needed.

2. Duty or karma. Drawing from the Hindu religious book of Bhagavad Gita, Karma is one of the most important social activity. When in a community, one has a definite job and hence a relentless devotion to the job is not only one’s ‘duty’ but also one’s ‘moral obligation’. Tribal members, primates or animals in communities/social animals often have places in the society and a job. There are seldom any free-loaders.

3. Karma in turn inculcates Trust. A strong sense of Trust is another vital component to the environment. When you know the person who has to deliver you XYZ so that you can do ABC will do his best and strive and care empathetically for you and your work then you can be rest assured and give your own 100% to the work. Such strong sense of trust is often seen in the military. Marines are often heard saying that they are fighting to protect the guy next to them and not themselve. Imagine, trusting someone else with your else. I don’t think there can be greater form of trust than this. Now imagine the same sense of trust in a company and among co-workers.

4. Trust of the above kind fosters Empathy or Compassion. Compassion keeps the atmosphere moist and comfortable so that people don’t feel they are at war everyday rather they’d feel at home or at work in their tribe.

I feel this is a very succinct recipe of great culture.