EE204: Business Management for
Electrical Engineers and Computer Scientists

Company Culture

Read

  1. Organizational Culture, Values and Fit in the Workplace: Making the Right Job Choices (HBS course materials)
    1. Based on the values identified in Exhibit 1, fill out this survey. Note: Do not complete the worksheets in the article. Choose only three responses for each question in the survey.
  2. Inside Amazon: Wrestling Big Ideas in a Bruising Workplace (New York Times)
  3. Jeff Bezos Responds To 'New York Times' Report on Amazon's Workplace (NPR)
  4. Leadership Principles (Amazon)
  5. Netflix Culture Slides
  6. Financials:
    1. Amazon
    2. Netflix

Class Summary

Reed Hoffman, founder of LinkedIn, often credits LinkedIn's culture as the critical element in their success. Recently, the New York Times looked deeply into complaints about Amazon's culture and wrote a widely-circulated article about Amazon's harsh environments. Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon, responded with his own memo to all employees, stating "this article does not describe the Amazon I know, or the caring Amazonians I work with every day." This class will review the articles to identify root causes of employee concerns, evaluate their seriousness, and assess appropriate actions for Amazon to take. Following Amazon, we will discuss Netflix and their published culture and values, asking the question "is there anything in Netflix culture that Reed Hastings, Netflix CEO, should be concerned about?"

Discussion Questions

  1. How successful has Amazon been with its customers, shareholders, employees and financially?
  2. What is causing employee unrest at Amazon as cited by the New York Times?
  3. Why does Amazon use tools like Anytime Feedback and support a Darwinian model for professional development?
  4. What is advantageous and disadvantageous about working for a company with a strong culture such as Amazon’s?
  5. What did Bezos hope to accomplish with his memo to employees and how do you think they reacted to it? Are there other actions Bezos take in response to the Times article?
  6. Examine Netflix’s Seven Culture Aspects. Do they lend themselves to the same intensity and demanding culture that Amazon has? 
  7. After reading "Inside Amazon" and the Netflix culture slides, is there anything in Netflix culture that Reed Hastings, Netflix CEO, should be concerned about?

Culture Survey Results

culturesurvey

Results as of 9:30am, 5/19