Robert Richman on Culture, Open Space and Improv

In Action with Wendy

Robert Richman is a culture architect and was the co-creator of Zappos Insights, an innovative program focused on educating companies on the secrets behind Zappos’ amazing employee culture.

Robert built Zappos Insights from a small website to a thriving multi-million dollar business teaching over 25,000 students per year. Through his work, Robert has been responsible for improving the employee culture at hundreds of companies like Procter & Gamble, Whole Foods and Amazon.

Previously a Zappos spokesperson and authority on employee culture, Robert is a sought after keynote speaker at conferences around the world and has been hired to teach culture in person at companies like Google, Toyota, and Eli Lilly. He has pioneered a number of innovative techniques to build culture, such as bringing improv comedy to the workplace.

His new book, The Culture Blueprint, is a systematic guide to how a workplace can help people grow, inspire amazing service, and ultimately drive revenue through amazing culture.

More information is available at his website, www.RobertRichman.com.

Culture

Culture exists when there are more than 2 people in the room.

Culture is about beliefs.

Impact beliefs by experience.

Strong vs Weak Culture

Not good or bad cultures — strong versus weak cultures

Weak culture is one in which there is not alignment between actions and values folds

Strong culture you can walk in and see the values in action without anyone telling them the story

Improv

Not improv for performance, but applying principles to a group

Agree and take to the next level

Start with the smallest of acts

Practice failing

Costs of Weak Culture

Unfulfilled promises to employees and customers

Lack of trust to bring best self to table

Subtle discomfort and insecurity

Results of Cultural Experience

Emotional Honesty — gives way to open communication

when someone is real with you, that’s when you can trust them

The Book

Improv and open space work best when culture already strong

Book is about getting tight into vision and values

Basic elements of culture — on boarding, creating leaders, teaching customer service

Successful Onboarding

Extend time for on boarding

Have several people start at same time

Create two-way conversations around expectations and what’s needed for success

Why Open Space?

Culture ownership needs to be on the leaders and the people

Open space is team building and strategy session at same time

Unlocking creating potential of company

If a place like Zappos who usually gets 10-20k calls a day can take a day and turn off phones to work on themselves, other companies can as well.

The Power of Stories

Story telling is “cultural currency”

getstory.com — power of somebody seeing themselves in the story

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