Bill Campbell’s Actions on Saving the Company
Bill Campbell was an example of a great CEO and manager. He worked for several outstanding organizations, and his wise actions were always highly esteemed by colleagues and people from outside the places where he was working. The key element of his decisions always was the social awareness factor. Campbell realized that his resolutions, as well as the decisions of his colleagues, had an impact on hundreds and thousands of people. Sometimes, when a person is in business for a long time, he/she starts disregarding the needs of the subordinates. Bill, however, was not such a person. He always managed to balance the benefit for the company with the prosperity of every single individual working for that company. It is no wonder that he acquired a nickname “coach” – he was always there, always ready to help out and support, and constantly willing to find an exit even from the most complicated situation. Bill Campbell’s exclusive managerial abilities were shown many times during his successful career, but the case with Inuit stands out and gives an opportunity to discuss his empathetic feelings and his wise decision-making.
Bill’s Empathy towards the Employees
One of the key issues discussed at our lecture was empathy (Margolis, 2017). It is a rare quality in people, and it is extremely scarce in those involved in the business. Empathy is an ability to percept other people’s feelings and emotions and talent to treat others in correspondence with their emotional feedback (Margolis, 2017). While some people consider that business is not a place for empathy, it is, in fact, a crucial feature for a good leader. Only by understanding his/her employees will a manager realize their attitudes and be able to convince them that his/her choices are beneficial for them.
Building empathy at a workplace may seem a difficult task, but it can be learned by practice. There are three key steps in developing empathetic conduct: paying attention to what people are trying to say, being aware of non-verbal signals, and being ready to face various reactions and responses (Margolis, 2017). In the case of Bill Campbell, the empathetic treatment of the employees was what saved the company at a critical point. Campbell used his empathetic skills to organize the process two times: firstly, in the situation with a layoff, and secondly, in the case with the manager who was insubordinate and contradicted his orders.
When Intuit faced the need for a layoff, Campbell realized that it would be a tremendous burden. Still, he wanted to save as much faith of the employees as possible, and he wanted to show them that the company really cared (Leadership in focus, n. d.). The people were in a culture shock – they found themselves in an entirely unknown situation, and they were not prepared to face it (Margolis, 2017). Thus, Bill did everything possible to calm down the people. He explained the hardships which the company was facing, and proposed a compromise. He guaranteed that the employees would be paid through the time of the layoff and that they would get their jobs back in four months. Moreover, Campbell confronted a manager who suggested two layoffs instead of one. Thus, we can see that Bill provided acculturation which allowed the employees to get accustomed to the new circumstances, and prepared the ground for a stable state in the near future (Margolis, 2017).
The second time Bill demonstrated empathy was in the situation with a manager who had been suggesting an unfair solution. She insisted on two layoffs instead of one. What is more, she proposed not to tell the employees that they would soon lose their places. Campbell was frustrated with the manager, but he did not fire her (Leadership in focus, n. d.). Empathy allowed Bill to understand the manager’s feelings. He understood that the woman did so because she felt it the right thing to do. If Campbell had no empathy, he would not have been able to percept the situation.
The Culture of Intuit: Strengths and Challenges
Every successful company shares some social experience and knowledge which build the behavior and outlook of the employees. Such knowledge is called organization culture (Margolis, 2017). When Bill Campbell was a CEO at Intuit, he created a strong basis for the company’s organizational culture which incorporated the best advantages and eliminated the disadvantages. The most common cultural strengths are promoting the desired attitudes of the employees, creating differentiation connected with workers’ identification, and establishing predictability and security within the company (Margolis, 2017). Campbell organized the culture of Intuit in such a way that the people were not afraid in a crisis (Leadership in focus, n. d.). Everyone had a belief that after a layoff, Intuit guaranteed them their places back, and people were united by a common goal to do everything possible to get the product to the market on time. The modern culture of Intuit continues to develop in the direction which Campbell set several decades ago. The company cares about its employees and provides them with the necessary freedom. At the same time, it is demanding and has high expectations for each worker (Thomas, 2013). People feel secure as they see how their leaders want to make them comfortable. Numerous perks and bonuses are available: sports courts and gyms, cafeterias, bicycles to get around the company’s territory. What concerns the work process, the company inspires the employees to be creative, innovative, and open-minded (Thomas, 2013). Along with promoting modern ideas, the history is not forgotten: the original kitchen table where the founder Scott Cook came up with the concept of Intuit is in one of the cafeterias and is available for brainstorming meetings (Thomas, 2013).
Along with having numerous strengths, Intuit’s culture faces some challenges. For instance, there is a problem of attracting similar people, and there are some difficulties in adaptation. However, these challenges are as eliminated as possible due to a fantastic job performed by the managing team. The staff is helpful and friendly, so there is always a way to get new people adjusted as soon as possible and diversify the activities (Thomas, 2013). Idea jams and “follow me home” programs make it easier for the employees to exchange opinions and deal with difficulties (Culture – Intuit, 2013).
Conclusion
Intuit is now one of the most successful companies in Silicon Valley, but it never forgets is history and the people who helped build its strength. One of such outstanding individuals was the former CEO, Bill Campbell. His rational approaches and empathy allowed him to save the organization in hard times and encouraged the employees to have faith in their management. The company’s culture meets some challenges, but they are overcome by numerous strengths. Intuit is a successful company with a rich history and a promising future.
References
Culture – Intuit. (2013). Web.
Leadership in focus. (n. d.). Stanford Graduate School of Business. Video file.
Margolis, J. (2017). Social awareness. BSCI 607.
Thomas, O. (2013, February 8). Inside the most successful Silicon Valley company no one ever talks about. Business Insider. Web.