Comments on: Netflix’s Freedom And Responsibility Culture

By: Corporate Culture (NetFlix) | Marketing.fm - Eric Friedman

Corporate Culture (NetFlix) | Marketing.fm - Eric Friedman — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 13:34:02 +0000

[...] Netflix’s Freedom And Responsibility Culture (steffanantonas.com) AKPC_IDS += "2201,"; Culture, netflix [...]

By: ryangraves

ryangraves — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 15:37:29 +0000

As I embark on a new adventure in launching another startup I'm definitely going to use these principles as we begin to build a team. Great thoughts from a great company who has obviously scaled well and kept the right attitude within the corporate walls along the way. I'm sure it's no easy task.

Thanks for bringing this to my attention.

By: Steffan Antonas

Steffan Antonas — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 15:22:29 +0000

Yep. Totally makes you want to work for Netflix. :). I love that there are
companies out there that recognize that elegant, nimble organizations start
with foregrounding values rather than enforcing rules for information flow
and hierarchical structure. Great teams operate organically. Anyone who's
been in the trenches knows that, when it comes down to it, we're all in the
business of problem solving, communicating and helping one another - that's
why allowing (and encouraging) employees (at any level) to form and interact
with their own self-made networks works.

One of the great lessons I learned working in Big Four as a consultant was
that the MOST important thing you could do to succeed was build a network of
experts who you could call for help. The best workers were those who were
excellent at identifying the root causes of problems and were able to
clearly communicate exactly what was happening to people who trusted
colleagues who could help solve the issue and move the project forward. Our
superiors often didn't have the answers - so we reached out horizontally,
below us and vertically above our managers for help and often got it
quickly. We survived by our networks.

By: JeffHurt

JeffHurt — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 14:10:52 +0000

Yes, Steffan, this resonates with me a lot. Wow, makes you want to work for Netflix, doesn't it?!?!

I believe that organizations, for profit and nonprofit, must develop new models of structure. Hierarchies and command and control approaches no longer work. We need to move to heterarchies and network models where the structure is horizontal, networked based on projects, and collaboratiion and collective wisdom is seen as a better way. We need to move from organizations with a bundle of rules, regulations, and norms governing the actions within its structure to, new institutions that think of themselves as mobilizing networks. Instead of one employee as a winner take all approach, it’s a cooperative form. Leaders, employees and volunteers are committed to a vision of the social that stresses cooperation, interactivity, mutual benefit, and social engagement. The power of ten working interactively will invariably outstrip the power of one looking to beat out the other nine. These are some of the first steps at designing new organizations to fit a digital and networked world.