» 2008 » March » 27 Melina Murray

WSJ’s Top Small Companies- Commonalities

March 27, 2008

Yesterday, the HR Daily Advisor wrote about a partnership between The Wall Street Journal and Winning Workplaces to select 15 top small workplaces.

The list of commonalities is worth noting:

Clear values and a sense of mission and vision that permeates the culture

Values that extend beyond the workplace and impact the larger society

Honest and transparent communication that creates trust, enhances commitment, and encourages innovation

Extraordinary focus on the customer and on building long-term relationships

Strong sense of community

Long view with a focus on sustainability

An understanding that their competitiveness is tied to the talents and commitment of their workforce

Belief that most of their future leaders are already working for the company

Constant hunt for new ways to improve employee experience

Structure around teamwork, minimizing hierarchy, and maximizing goal achievement

Does your company have a mission statement? Values statement? Does everyone know the focus and goals? And, does everyone know how the work they do contributes to those goals?

Noting that none of the items on the lists requires a financial investment, only time and commitment, what can you do today to make move your company closer to being a “top small company”?