WL Gore - a great exemplar company
Posted by Oliver Nyumbu
March 1st, 2010
WL Gore is an amazing company which seems to continue to thrive in times good and bad. Many things help explain this striking achievement not least what has been dubbed (by Director Magazine) its guide to management:
- Belief in the individual. If you trust individuals and believe in them, they will be motivated to do what’s right for the company.
- Power of small teams. They encourage fast decision-making, diverse perspectives and collaboration.
- All in the same boat. Associate stick plan means all staff share in the risks and rewards. It gives incentives to contribute to the organisation’s success.
- Long-term view. Investments are made for long-term success and fundamental beliefs never sacrificed for short-term profit.
I don’t know about you but I find much that inspires and challenges me in equal measure in these easy to understand (if difficult to implement) principles.
Tags: Director+Magazine, WL+Gore
March 6th, 2010 at 7:56 am
Oliver
I was involved with a company that used Goretex 15 years ago. Something I always admired about Gore was the way they maintained control of who used their product. They vetted designs and created a relationship with a company. More importantly they worked with those companies to create new product that matched the needs of innovative design. Interactions were always warm and they could be counted on to invest in and support novel thinking in design and marketing.