Amazon’s Internal Culture
The following is written by Dave Murray, Senior Customer Experience Consultant for The DiJulius Group
I was as surprised as anyone when I first heard about the New York Times article reporting issues regarding Amazon’s internal culture. After all, the great service providers I have dealt with seem to be full of people that love their jobs and their companies. How could Amazon build this great service organization if the internal culture were driven by fear as opposed to growth and fulfillment?
Then it dawned on me, Amazon has built its service reputation on low price and speedy delivery – not building relationships and focusing on interactions (other than from a technology standpoint!)
The crux of the article (“Inside Amazon: Wrestling Big Ideas in a Bruising Workplace,” by Jodi Kantor and David Streitfeld) focuses on Amazon’s use of data and psychological tools to create what has been called a “continuous performance improvement algorithm” on its staff. Former and current employees recount seeing fellow employees cry regularly, illnesses such as ulcers as a result of stress, and employees being encouraged to forego family time for projects.
Now, we are able to take a step back and look for more lessons from what we have already learned. Many an HR expert has been interviewed since the New York Times article first appeared on August 15th, and one particular article published by Boston.com caught my eye. (“What Managers can learn from the Amazon debacle,” by Justine Hofherr). In the article, HR experts refute some of Amazon’s practices, stating instead that balanced feedback, frequent meetings and kindness mixed in with competition are best for maintaining a healthy workplace.
No one can argue the astounding level of retail success Amazon has achieved. The question becomes, can it maintain this level of success and continue to grow while withstanding the levels of employee stress and turnover that were reported? The majority of employee engagement and internal culture experts say, no. They say that true work/life balance and employee satisfaction are needed to sustain success and growth of an organization. Should Amazon soften its culture from here, or stay the course with what has worked this well so far? What do you think? Share your thoughts with me on our blog at: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/blog/
The Art of the Experience – This is the theme of the 2015 Secret Service Summit: “Customer experience is where process meets design and art. It is about creativity and innovation put into a system that allows you to build unique and memorable moments that people crave, and compels them to need to enjoy again. You have to be an artist to build an incredible Customer experience.”
Less than 30 tickets left – The 2015 Secret Service Summit is less than 3 weeks away, September 29 – 30th in Cleveland, Ohio, the Customer service capital in the world. There are not many tickets left (less than 30). This will sell out soon. Why?
- 600 people from all over the world come annually to attend the Secret Service Summit – #1 Customer Service Conference
- 15 amazing presenters who are world-renown best selling authors, brand executives from the top Customer service companies in the world
- Leaders attending the summit will leave with the ability to turn their businesses into brands Customers cannot live without and make price irrelevant.
