The slides list a few small steps which could be adopted to bring a more open, startup like culture at your workplace

1. 1
Bringing it back
How to bring a start-up culture in your office
Vinod Desai

2. 2
A better
workplace
provides
A higher sense
of ownership
There seems to
be freedom
And it allowed
you to make
your own
choices.
So now you own
your choices and
their outcomes.
People know the
choices they
made will make
a difference
This sets in
accountability
and ownership
Higher
awareness
Folks are more
plugged into the
big picture
More honest
conversations
Everything and
everyone seems
approachable
And open to
feedback

3. 3
Influencers
are key to
bringing
about any
change
Managers, &
influencers need to
be the first to adopt &
show the way.
This new culture then
automatically gets
permeated down to
lower levels.
This can’t be stressed
enough.

4. 4
Their utility bill
went up a lot
for some
reason
aware of
the little
things.
They were
paying too
much rent
The dishwasher
is broken.
Folks in
start-ups
typically
more
And that the
amount of time
they spend in
office doesn’t
really matter
are
The only reason
they need to
swipe the ID is
so the door
could open

5. 5
Suggestion bag

6. 6
Adopting an informal tone in communications.
Makes you seem friendlier and more open to a
conversation.
We are pleased to inform you that the
Blood Donation Camp organized on 8th
& 9th of October 2014 at our Cafeteria
received a good response from
everyone.
It was amazing to see so many of you
participate in the blood donation drive.
What you did will soon help save
someone’s sibling or a friend or a parent.
Kudos! A big hurray to all of you! You’re
already heroes to us.
VS

7. 7
Highlighting people – Not committees.
Committees are faceless.
Social committee is organizing a cycling
event this Saturday to promote cancer
awareness. To participate, please
register by sending an email to
TeamSocial@xyz.com
David, Tom and I are organizing a cycling
event to raise awareness on cancer and
we really need more people to join. Just
talk to any of us if you’re keen. If you
write to ‘TeamSocial@xyz.com’ you can
reach all of us together. - Linda
VS
A committee name is only good for having an email alias. People are now looking for David, Tom or Linda. And not for a
committee. This further increases familiarity.

8. 8
Creating a
platform for ideas
• Organize annual TED like conferences.
• The best company relevant ideas could be
selected and showcased again at an annual
all-site TED like conference.
• Ideas for improvement from front-lines will
let the top stay connected to the ground.
Employees get to talk about any topic; whether of interest to them or of
interest to the firm. Runners can speak of how to train to become one,
finance hobbyists can talk of global economy etc.

9. 9
Less Guidelines | Less Rules | More Trust
Please ensure the items in the showcase
are returned promptly and without
damage. It is also expected that this
does not impact your work. A full list of
Do’s and Don’t’s has also been published.
We’ve finally opened up the showcase. It
took quite an effort to get this together
so we’re really hoping you take great
care of the items. So go ahead and
explore.
VS

10. 10
Encouraging
upward
feedback
• An employee’s major work interaction occurs
between him and his supervisor.
• You need to encourage employees to start
talking. There should be no repercussions of
speaking up.
• HR could advise employees to talk to their
managers first to resolve issues directly.
• If that fails, they need to be assured of a
confidential meeting and a patient ear by HR.

11. 11
Provide a mix of
workspaces
As a trial, allow teams to
request for an open plan
seating arrangement.
Many types of work get done faster with collaboration. Some teams may find it
highly beneficial to be in an open plan.
Private pods/cubicles can exist in parallel. We’re only targeting a mix of
workspaces.

12. Financial growth
numbers aside
12
• Occasionally, as part of informal event,
showcase recent accomplishments of the
company.
• You could provide new partner
announcements, product launch coverage etc.
• This will help employees stay plugged in.
• Many could even find it inspiring.

13. 13
A younger,
parallel, site-specific
ground-zero
‘board’
Setup a ground zero
‘board’ comprising
solely of employees
who are leads or less.
This young group will
help throw light on
ground-zero issues,
grad attrition causes,
simple improvements
etc.

14. 14
Have IT enable
profile pictures in
Outlook.
This will help people know the faces behind the words. In a small organization, it
can immediately increase familiarity and make people seem like friends when
they finally do get a chance to meet.

15. Thank you.
15