How we work.
At CleanAir, we don’t burden creativity with conventional hierarchy. We encourage hands-on innovation and discourage bureaucracy. We involve those closest to a project in decision-making. Teams organize around opportunities and leaders emerge. Instead of a pyramid of bosses and managers we have created a flat lattice organization built around teams. We are striving to eliminate chains of command, pre-determined channels of communication, closed doors and secrets. We communicate directly with each other and are accountable to fellow members of our multi-talented teams. These teams are encouraged to select leaders for safety, team metrics, team business, team technology, team business development, environment stewardship, customer feedback, recruiting, partnershipping, innovation advocacy and continuous process improvement.
How does this happen?
Teammates (not employees) are hired for general work area teams. With the guidance of their mentors (not bosses) and a growing understanding of opportunities and team objectives, each individual commits to projects and processes that match their skills and interests. Everyone can quickly earn the credibility to define and drive his or her own projects. Mentors help teammates chart a course in the organization that will offer personal fulfillment while maximizing their contribution to the enterprise. Leaders (defined by followership) emerge naturally by demonstrating special knowledge, skill, or experience that advances a business objective.
Being a teammate is a natural commitment to four basic principles:
Fairness to each other and everyone with whom we come in contact with;
Freedom to encourage, help, and allow other teammates to grow in knowledge, skill, and scope of responsibility;
the ability to make one’s own commitments and keep them; and
consultation with other teams before undertaking actions that could impact the reputation of the company by hitting "below the waterline".-
Some of the words and phrases we do not use inside CleanAir:
Budget (the B word which is a summary of C words which we are also trynig to stamp out) - Instead we have customer value targets, revenue or sales projections and also profit projections. Some have noticed that the B and C word could be derived by difference, but we don't go there.
NFG - We encourage helpful feedback.
Manager - We manage projects and systems but not people. We do therefore have Project Managers but not people managers.
Boss - We hire people for their brains and we expect them to use them. Our Leadership Model is everyone is a leader and leads every day.
Competitor - Most companies we may bid against are also our best customers and we are all working for the same ultimate goal, a better environment
Management - See manager.
Job Description - What ever it takes, just do it.
It's too late in the day. - Customers comes first so it how could it be too late.
I have to catch a train. - See, "It's too late in the day" in this list.
We also have our own CleanAir Dictionary.