I recently read an article in the Harvard Business Review that spoke to the idea of “Creating a Signature Experience” for employees.
The idea is simple — what do employees experience as they work within the company?
I have worked as a consultant to several, and can think of a few examples of companies that left me with strong impressions. A few were so “strong” I have vowed never to do business with them again — this as a paid contractor.
For employees, some companies create the experience of chaos. Others are stingy. Some are challenging, with high standards. In others, anything goes.
I don’t think that any one experience is necessarily better than another, but I do get the impression that few companies actually give much thought to the experience they are creating for their employees.
This is too bad, as a good reputation leads to good people being hired, and vice versa. Also, some business results are better achieved by certain corporate cultures than others. For example, a culture of accountability is always a good thing — never bad.
Companies need to define the experience and its various drivers if they are serious about the destination they are headed in.