From Facebook to Apple: 6 Unique, Scalable Culture Traits of Top Big Tech Companies Here are six unique Big Tech corporate culture traits that can also help small businesses to succeed.
By Julia McCoy
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The most successful Big Tech companies are impacting the world in major ways. Behind every action and decision lies a clear vision for success. That vision is propelled by a company culture that inspires workers to strive for excellence. Through unique culture traits, Big Tech companies help nurture the innovation and flexibility needed to bring their visions to life. This secures their position as industry leaders and role models for companies across the world.
Company culture is important to every business, no matter their industry or size. Here are six unique Big Tech corporate culture traits that can also help small businesses to succeed.
Six unique corporate-culture traits scalable for small business
1. Hacker culture: finding creative ways to overcome limitations
Big Tech companies are faced with the unusual challenge of finding creative ways to overcome software limitations. This hacker culture requires flexibility and boldness, encouraging workers to quickly solve problems on their own before the issues escalate to upper management. It demands open communication channels and creates a freedom among employees to share ideas and brainstorm solutions to find the best outcome for the company and their customers.
Facebook thrives on hacker culture for creative problem-solving in devising social networking and cyber security solutions that keep up internet and technological advancements that are constantly changing.
Related: How to Create a Facebook Business Page in 7 Steps
2. Employee engagement: creating a flexible, fun environment
Employee engagement is a must in getting buy-in to your company's mission. Google creates a flexible, fun environment founded on trust that enables employees to think outside the box and make decisions for themselves. Workers gather in informal spaces to collaborate and share ideas. Failure is rewarded, which eliminates the fear of making mistakes. People feel free to brainstorm, innovate, and think outside the box without hesitation.
By fostering this kind of creativity, Google empowers its employees, gains their trust and loyalty, and develops incredibly creative solutions in the process.
3. Growth mindset: encouraging employees to individually practice this one
Inevitably, every company hits a roadblock. When this happens, a growth mindset encourages employees to learn more about the problem at hand to find a possible solution. Microsoft relies on growth mindset to instill a desire in its staff to be continual learners who have an insatiable curiosity to constantly seek information and gain knowledge. The company encourages their staff to experiment and think creatively, and, like Google, provides an environment where it's okay to make mistakes.
Trial and error is often the way valuable solutions are discovered, and a growth mindset allows that to happen.
4. No degree needed, learn our program instead: adopt tech giants' training systems
More and more, technological giants are realizing that not every tech-oriented skill is learned in school. Companies like Apple, Google, and IBM are focusing less on four-year degrees and more on hiring top-notch excellence. They're looking for people who excel in their abilities and creativity, and who can maintain the secrecy needed to protect proprietary ideas and help the company get ahead of the competition.
As for the tech know-how needed to perform the job, these organizations offer in-house training to provide the instruction employees didn't receive in college. By emphasizing the importance of skill rather than education, Big Tech challenges conventional standards and paves the way for innovation.
Related: Elon Musk Suggests in Tweet That Tesla Could Be Bigger Than Apple in a Few Months, Then Deletes It
5. Innovation-centric: never letting great ideas go to waste
A company that puts innovation first is more likely to develop state-of-the-art products that improve our everyday life and society as a whole. We see that with Samsung, who prides itself on instilling an innovation-centric culture by emphasizing its employees' knowledge, abilities and skill for developing superior products.
In doing so, the company creates opportunities for continual development in more than just its product and service line. It promotes personal and professional employee growth, encouraging employees to support each other in achieving their individual goals.
This lays the foundation for a workplace of integrity and ongoing change that strives for excellence.
6. Treat staff like family: you'll have them for life
People who feel they have equity in the company they work for are more inspired to work toward its overall success. Alibaba empowers its employees by encouraging them to give candid feedback, make valuable suggestions and (respectfully) criticize the company's leadership.
It promotes an environment of transparency, are open to new ideas, and include employee feedback in major decisions about the company and its products. In this way, Alibaba makes their staff feel valued, which builds a loyal workforce who stays with the company longer and continues to suggest new ideas.
Staff members who are treated like family have more buy-in to the company's goals and achievements.
Stand apart from the competition with a unique company culture
Businesses large and small all have one thing in common: a company culture can make or break their success.
By implementing these unique strategies, you can build a workforce that is passionate about your mission, loyal to your company, and free to brainstorm creative ideas that set your company ahead of the competition.
