09/19/2009 09:22:32 AM 
While communication and ad agencies may believe they can turn around a company with a brilliant campaign, so often, their best efforts are hampered by internal politics and a general lack of understanding that "everything is the brand".
Zappos, on the other hand, owes it's success to a fundamental belief that a positive internal culture is everything. Creating a happy organization is so importantfor them because they know it has a knock-on effect to business performance. Delivering a unique service experience, (customer service agents have no time limits or scripts), is something that gets talked about and builds business.
All this is covered in an excellent piece on Zapos by Alexandra Jacobs in the latest issue of The New Yorker. Jacobs clearly spent a lot of with the frontline customer service staff and the CEO.
"Zappos may not be a cult, but working there seems akin to sitting in a sports arena; you have to be prepared to stand up and do the wave at any time. Upstairs, the tour stopped in the office of Dr. Vik, an on-site life coach and retired chiropractor. The doctor was out, but Fedel insisted that everyone take turns selecting a tiara or a crown, sitting on a giant leather throne, then submitting to having a Polaroid photograph made. She told me later that job candidates taking the tour are closely observed; those who are brusque to the Help Desk personnel, for example, are weeded out immediately. All new hires sign a document verifying that they’ve read and understood the Core Values, then undergo a hundred and sixty hours of customer-loyalty training. At various points in the process, they are offered two thousand dollars in cash to quit. Workers who want to progress into management positions are required to take a hundred and forty-five more hours of classes, in subjects such as “tribal leadership,” “performance enhancement,” and “happiness.”"
This might seem extreme for many people, but I don't believe just hanging a new mission statement in the lobby is going to cut it any more. Developing strong and positive internal culture is a new discipline, one that's part art and part science. It's something that needs not only leadership, but the imagination to develop dynamic programs that get the best out of employees and keep them motivated.
If companies can get this right and find people to help them, of which I believe ad agencies could be playing a bigger role, ironically effort here would lead to less time effort on communication, because the experience would do the talking for them.
Perhaps the most challenging thing in all of this is getting companies to realize they need to take the first step. This is where agencies and consultants can help. Usually, the efforts of these groups are focused externally and looking outward or at business processes, but this needs to change. Companies need help not just understanding what's wrong with their internal culture, but instead require an on-going dynamic plan that shows them exactly how to fix it.
Posted by Ed Cotton
It appears you don't have Flash installed.