The Face Game at Zappos
Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos, has made the company culture the number one priority at Zappos. For them, building community is what it is all about. It has become part of their brand. As he writes in
Building Happiness, that while some of the things they do have grown organically, there are a few things that have been more purposeful and planned. One way to help build community is an internal game they call,
The Face Game. He writes:
In most companies, logging in to the computer systems requires a login and a password. At Zappos, an additional step is required: a photo of a randomly selected employee is displayed, and the user is given a multiple-choice test to name that employee. Afterward, the profile and bio of that employee are shown, so that everyone can learn more about each other. Although there is no penalty for giving the wrong answer, we do keep a record of everyone’s score.
We’re always on the lookout for ways to improve our company culture, no matter how unconventional or counterintuitive the approach may be.
Comments
What a smart way to help build an organizational culture! Thanks for sharing!
Posted by: James Strock | May 26, 2010 10:03 PM
I can't understand why more businesses don't understand that spending time to create the community pays off wholeheartedly in the long run. Caring about people translates to caring about work well done. Thanks for highlighting this.
Posted by: Lisa Ludwigsen | May 27, 2010 06:34 AM
What a fantastic idea...culture is so important in business today...
Stuart Crawford
Ulistic Inc.
Calgary Search Engine Optimization
Posted by: Stuart Crawford | May 27, 2010 10:51 AM
How unique. I have been with my company for 22 years and in that time we have grown tremendously. People know my name because I am part of the senior management team, but I know very few of the current employees. An e-newsletter goes out quarterly with new employees'names and faces, but if I don't interact with them on a regular basis, I won't remember them. Thanks so much for this information. I may suggest that we try something like this.
Tony
www.upwardedge.com
www.faithscape.net
Posted by: Tony Crisp | May 27, 2010 01:05 PM
Building community, what a concept. As an educator in the field of early childhood education, the ideas and practices needed to lead others in current times require a brand of innovation and creativity not present in many mangement or leadership handbooks. Giving attention to relationships, such a simple thing. Bravo to Zappos!
Posted by: Geri | May 28, 2010 02:58 PM
This is really interesting! I have heard about the tremendous success at Zappos, but didn't actually know about their "Face Game".
As a leadership consultant, I believe building community definitely ties into increasing employee morale and engagement.
Thanks for posting!
Posted by: Martha Forlines | May 28, 2010 08:42 PM