| Plexus Consulting Group | Success Stories | ||
| Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) |
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CEO: Gary J. Shapiro
Plexus Consulting Group, LLC |
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Vital Stats: The Consumer Electronics Association's membership includes 680 leading consumer technology companies. The Challenge | The Solution | The Process | Unintended Consequences | Unforseen Benefits | Measurements & Results | Lessons Learned
How "to get and keep good people" in a highly competitive market? Since 1990, CEA has grown from 80-860 members and 40-100 employees.
As the association at the forefront of the high-tech consumer electronics
industry, it routinely competes with local for-profit technology companies
to hire and retain the most talented employees in the field. For CEA
president Gary Shapiro, workforce development is a top priority. How
can a nonprofit organization compete with lucrative companies to attract
and retain top employees? To create a corporate culture that empowers employees, fosters creativity, demands accountability and rewards success. Four years ago, with the full support of the Board of Directors,
CEA began to institute radical human resources policy changes to create
a corporate culture that epitomizes "quality of life" in
practice as well as on paper. Since it established a policy of incentive
compensation, CEA has created a wide variety of "quality of life"
culture incentives that continue to motivate employees to high levels
of achievement. "If you have a good idea, you will probably have the opportunity to implement it." CEA's top priority is to foster a corporate culture that "makes a difference." Establishing quality internal communication and candid, timely feedback cycles are considered a top priority, and CEA is committed to hiring and supporting employees who share the association's sense of excitement about the industry and its mission of "making the world a better place to live." Part process and part philosophy, CEA's new workplace model has evolved as an incremental, continuous improvement exercise, with incentives extended to all staff. Since CEA's board and volunteer leadership are entrepreneurs, they know how to reward entrepreneurial behavior. CEA has a "smart board" that sets the overall strategic direction but avoids micro-managing the enterprise. According to Shapiro, a "good leader doesn't just decide. CEA has strong groups of staff that are empowered to decide 99 percent of the time and usually get it right. People have to know they can fail and a leader has to set the tone for the organization." Shapiro seconds Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorini's view that leadership is not just about shareholder value but about creating a better workplace. In developing its programs, CEA management sought input from private sector experts about what works. At the outset, CEA's interview process is geared toward evaluating the degree to which potential hires possess self-motivation and would welcome the opportunity of working within a culture that encourages and rewards it. CEA goes through several rounds of new hire interviews to make sure that every prospective employee fits within the culture. Once they are hired, CEA encourages employees to pursue public speaking and to become active in other organizations. Sales incentives are encouraged along with a team approach to sales goal setting. Of the 5 goals that CEA's Board approved for 2000, based on the input of employees surveyed via e-mail, Quality of Work Life remains the key to achieving each one:
Currently, CEA's standard menu of benefits and perks to achieve the
association's Quality of Work Life goal include:
Since the initial development of these benefit programs, CEA has also added the following:
In conducting an e-mail survey of employees to gather their thoughts
for the 2000 plan, CEA tapped into a core competency, research. In
fact, CEA built a handy million-dollar market research business on
the side and requests for e-mail surveys are pouring in. "Laughter in the halls is a sign of a good workplace." To achieve recognition as a top employer in the Washington, DC area, CEA set the following measures for 2000:
To illustrate one success story, CEA's new workplace model has helped
the association to achieve its goals with regard to the Consumer Electronics
Show. CEA takes pride in the fact that CES is the number one show
in its class, drawing 125,000 attendees each year. To support CES,
interdepartmental staff committees work together and most employees
attend the show each year. In particular, CEA's meeting training program
has contributed to the show's success. CEA continues to dominate for-profit
trade show companies who routinely attempt to poach CEA's employees.
For example, while the association can't offer equity, it does offer
employees unmatched visibility by allowing them to serve as industry
spokespeople. To encourage this, CEA hires media training consultants
on a regular basis to coach employees in public speaking and business
writing.
While CEA's workplace model may be considered beyond leading-edge for many associations, there is still room for fine-tuning. If CEA had to reinvent its new workplace model from scratch, it would have implemented a fitness program much earlier. While an open door policy is 'a given' throughout the organization and senior staff meeting minutes are routinely distributed to all employees, internal communication still remains a challenge, perhaps due to the association's size and the scope of its activities. For example, employees do not appear to fully understand or appreciate the time and financial resources that went into designing the pension program. "Technology is change so we are change-oriented by definition." As the leading association in a rapidly changing industry, CEA has
encountered no resistance in implementing cutting-edge programs to
establish a flexible yet accountable workplace culture. While the
will to develop a leading-edge workplace culture to the extent that
CEA has managed to do this is critical, the means are also essential.
The association's financial strength is a major plus and a key enabler
behind its diverse and overwhelming array of work-life benefits. |
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