Leadership

Amazon's no outlier: the science behind broken work cultures

Date:
5/17/2023
Min to read:

In a matter of days, The New York Times‘s 2015 exposé of Amazon’s “bruising” workplace delivered a blow to the company’s reputation. Many have joined the chorus—at least one person cancelled their Prime subscription, while others, including current and past employees, have echoed CEO Jeff Bezos in defending the organization.

Few organizations have figured out how to innovate, adapt, and create amazing things without burning their people out.

Along with with Netflix’s recent announcement of a full year of parental leave, the Amazon profile has breathed new life into the ongoing debate about workplace culture and what makes a great one.

The reality is that few organizations have figured out how to innovate, adapt, and create amazing things without burning their people out. Many of Amazon’s tech peers now suffer some of the same cultural handicaps as their Wall Street counterparts.

The quandary of how to create a healthy, high-performing culture affects many more companies than just Amazon. After decades without a deep understanding of how culture drives performance, most have arrived at a mix of good, bad, and ugly practices all jumbled together.

Read our full article in Fast Company to learn the 6 factors that define a motivating work culture.

Originally published at: fastcompany.com

Lindsay McGregor

Lindsay is the co-founder of Vega Factor and co-author of bestselling book, Primed to Perform: How to Build the Highest Performing Cultures Through the Science of Total Motivation. Previously, Lindsay led projects at McKinsey & Company, working with large fortune 500 companies, nonprofits, universities and school systems. She received her B.A. from Princeton and an MBA from Harvard. In her spare time she loves investigating and sharing great stories.

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Neel Doshi

Neel is the co-founder of Vega Factor and co-author of bestselling book, Primed to Perform: How to Build the Highest Performing Cultures Through the Science of Total Motivation. Previously, Neel was a Partner at McKinsey & Company, CTO and founding member of an award-winning tech startup, and employee of several mega-institutions. He studied engineering at MIT and received his MBA from Wharton. In his spare time, he’s an avid yet mediocre woodworker and photographer.

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