Company Culture: Keys To The Customized Enterprise
Looking for a relationship-based, collaborative team oriented, partnership focused work environment? Look no further than the Customized Company Culture!
I am in the process of publishing books to a few online book printing companies. I’ve written the manuscripts, formatted them in Vellum software, generated the files and worked with my graphic designer on the book covers.
I wish I could say the process has been easy, but each printing company has their own requirements that have frustrated my efforts to getting these projects done.
God bless my graphic designer, Stephanie. She’s talked me off the ledge a number of times over the past week. Her perspective is classic customer service: “We’ll do what it takes to make it right. Let me understand so we can fix this. I’ll get on that right away.”
Her company is the essence of a Customized Enterprise. This is the fourth (and final) article exploring company culture. If you missed the other three, you can find them here, over here and way over there.
The Definition of a Customized Enterprise
Firms like Stephanie’s graphic design business, as well as public relations companies, executive search firms and marketing consultants are all examples of an enterprise where a customized solution is what drives the promise to the customer and attracts a special kind of leader.
Her book cover designs come about from a partnership between the two of us. We’ve built a sound relationship over the years and I can count on her to provide solutions that are a blend of my input and her technical expertise.
In William E. Schneider’s book, Lead Right For Your Company’s Type: How to Connect Your Culture with Your Customer Promise, he has so far described the Predictable and Dependable, Enrichment and Best-in-Class Enterprises.
He goes on to describe the Customized Enterprise as one where, “The central focus is unique customer goal attainment. The customized solutions for customers means that each unique customer receives a different solution.”
It’s All About the Relationship
I have plenty more books ahead of me and I plan to rely on Stephanie for many covers in the future. At this point, she knows my preferences and understands the look and feel I’m going for with each unique book.
Schneider explains that this is one of the key traits of a Customized Enterprise. “This enterprise works to understand its customer in depth…builds a long-term, lasting relationship with each customer…grows with each customer over the long haul…keeps asking, ‘What else can we offer that would benefit our customer?’”
Many times I have changed my mind and gone in a different direction, requiring some fast footwork on the part of my designer. She’s flexible and happy to work with a new idea. I appreciate her ability to adapt and take the time to really understand my goals.
Schneider continues, “This culture lives and dies on trust and goodwill. It is highly action oriented, spontaneous, and centered on doing whatever it takes to deliver on the enterprise’s promise. Tolerance for ambiguity and frustration is important because so much ongoing adaptation with each customer is needed.”
Leadership Style in a Customized Enterprise
The participative leader fits well in a Customized Enterprise. They’re good at brain-storming, as well as being adaptable and open to the ideas of others. They have the ability to form teams who can collaborate with the customer. These teams respond well to a leader who guides the process rather than makes decisions for them.
Managing ambiguity is a necessary quality for teams and leaders alike in this company culture. It’s crucial for them to respond, iterate and deliver solutions based on customer preferences. They must also be skilled in conflict management, since preferences can shift, interpretations can cause confusion and misunderstandings can become an obstacle to decision making.
According to Schneider, these leaders, “…mobilize commitment by building and preserving trust among and within teams…they seek customer-focused solutions and ensure continual customer involvement and co-problem solving. They continually spur others to action.”
Think partnerships when defining a Customized Enterprise. But to establish and maintain trust they need well developed emotional intelligence. Relational skills, tact and empathy are a necessity.
I am confident Stephanie and I will have a lengthy and productive relationship. I feel she has my best interests at heart and will do her utmost to make sure I’m pleased with the results of our work together.
It’s a Customized Culture in action!
I feel such a loyalty to my own cover artist. I didn’t trust her instincts, which have been honed by the craft, and it ended up costing me.
Now I simply say out loud, “Really? Well alright, let’s see it perform.”