QVC – “Putting the Quality back in the Q”

Pros

A high level of creativity. The company is tapping in-house creativity on a regular basis. The CEO is determined to improve corporate culture and has created a senior team more in alignment with his views. Our President of US Commerce is forming small pockets of creativity throughout the organization. Our Benefits department and SVP of HR are focused on attracting and retaining top talent. One approach they're taking is through a more flexible workplace including e-commuting, flextime and job share. Part-time professionals are becoming more commonplace. Attention is being given to the workplace to provide a comfortable and satisfying work environment. A CEO who regularly communicates his thoughts to the entire organization and takes the time to report on what's working and what isn't. A new willingness to look at legacy policies and procedures and make changes where needed.

Cons

Too many promotions where the rank and file are left scratching their heads. Getting so bogged down in processes that it takes forever to get an idea launched. Too many layers of bureaucracy and too many people afraid to take a calculated risk. Getting information on comparable compensation is on you. Getting jobs re-classed is a ridiculously arduous process. Senior Managers who do not model the behaviors of the CEO and Commerce President. Taking too long to get back to prospective hires. We lose good candidates because of our slowness, our often non-competitive salaries, and our short-sighted vacation policies. A talent management program that is ridiculously complex.

Advice to Senior Management

Don't just talk to each other. If you want to know what's really going on, start listening to your frontline managers and supervisors and do it in such a way that their truth telling doesn't come back to bite them. Eliminate some layers in project management, particularly in the approval process. If a Senior Manager is inappropriate in how they address their directors and managers, don't ignore it. Call them on it. And if their bad behaivor is in a public forum and in violation of our stated values, call them on it publicly...otherwise cynicism will grow.