Microsoft's cultural transformation
PreviousCommitment and approach to values into actionNextMicrosoft's solutions for digital transformation
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This module is all about exploring how Satya Nadella has transformed Microsoft's culture in the last half-decade (since 2014). It revolves around discovering how culture shapes how employees within the organisation live, behave and work together - which attributes greatly to the success of the company.
Of this, the key value that Microsoft establishes is a Growth Mindset - and the four attributes that allow this value to flourish within the company. These four attributes are:
Customer Obsession
Diversity & Inclusion in everything Microsoft does and creates
Operating as one company (instead of scattered units)
Making a difference to all (fellow employees, customers and the world)
For this task I was provided with a slide deck containing information on the current state of Microsoft's culture and the attributes that define it. It has a neat design and goes over it quite concisely, given that this is probably used in presentation to educate onboarding employees about Microsoft.
To understand Microsoft and where it is now, the best thing is to go back and retrace the story of the organisation; this story covers the past (how Microsoft came to be), the present (how Microsoft is now) and the future (where Microsoft is headed). This is covered in detail on their website located .
Microsoft's culture begins with believing that the company can always learn and grow. It's with this mindset that the company continues to move towards the future to their mission "to empower every person and organisation on the planet to achieve more". So this growth mindset is applied to everything that Microsoft does;
When interacting with customers, Microsoft is thinking: how can we better learn and adapt to the needs of our customers?
When making the workplace more diverse and inclusive, Microsoft is thinking: how can we improve our current culture and continue to apply diversity and inclusivity in other areas?
When working together as one, Microsoft is thinking: how can we unify the different departments within our organisation to strive towards our mission?
When trying to make a difference, Microsoft is thinking: how can we make more of an impact on the world to enact positive change in areas that need it the most?
A growth mindset stems from the belief that everyone still has room for improvement and with this mindset will develop and mature for the better. Satya has brought this idea into the workplace of Microsoft to bring out the potential of each and every employee in order to nurture their potential and bring out the best in them.
This means that every employee needs to be always learning and insatiably curious about things that they are passionate about. For me, I feel passionate about learning, technology and problem solving. Helping others and making an impact on people's lives is something that I want to achieve, so by continually learning and growing I hope to be able to support anyone who I come across.
For Microsoft employees, always wanting to learn and take on new challenges is what they are all about. Trying to empower every person and organisation on the planet is no small feat, so it is expected that there are risks involved. Especially when talking about new technology and places that have been untread. As such, employees need to be agile, and recover quickly when making mistakes and be willing to learn from their experiences.
This is because mastery can only come about from recognising your countless failures. Sometimes you can only succeed after thousands and thousands of tries. People interview at Microsoft countless times before they even get let in. It's those who take what they experience and learn from it who eventually succeed and become better because of it. It's not that the standards of the company gets lower and lower over time, in fact it's quite the opposite. The individuals who have a willingness to change and grow are resilient and steadfast in becoming better people for the organisation.
Moreover, this speaks true towards Microsoft values brought up earlier - of Respect, Integrity and Accountability. Not only should you be willing to learn and grow yourself, but also supportive and respectful of the opinions of your colleagues and the people around you. It's human courtesy that Microsoft upholds - treating those you interact with; be it customers or colleagues with respect and integrity and holding yourself accountable for the decisions you make is what makes a Microsoft employee. Where the success of yourself should encourage you to keep going forward, the success of others should not diminish and does not devalue your own worth.
Microsoft employees don't know it all, nor do they claim to know everything. In fact, that's the whole meaning behind having the growth mindset. In the case of a customer, an employee won't try to shove Microsoft products down your throat and try to convince you to buy them all. Rather, Microsoft is all about listening to the customer with an open mind and open heart - learning what they need and accomodating for them based on their feedback.
The world is filled with people who are all different and unique. As such, there's no one-fits-all solution that will cater to every individual's needs. Microsoft understands this, moving itself towards trying to serve everyone on the planet by being open and constantly adapting, using all the resources and different minds at the company. Moreover, Microsoft isn't just holding Diversity as a simple value it displays on the mantle but rather actively seeks out differences and invites them as opportunities to solve unique problems for minorities. As a result, Microsoft has thrived in creating a culture that has nurtured innovation in its products, coming from human-oriented experiences that better serve customers.
As Microsoft is over 150,000 strong, it's important as a company to unite them under a common objective. In this case, Microsoft brings its employees together through their single, shared mission. To try and empower every individual and every organisation on the planet is no small feat - so bringing together the ability of every person within in the company makes it all the more possible to help others achieve more. It is through collaboration as a cohesive unit that the team at Microsoft can deliver the best experience possible to its customers.
Bringing all these values together: being customer focused, becoming more diverse and inclusive and working as one organisation, Microsoft can gradually work towards making a difference to the world and achieve their mission to empower every person and every organisation on the planet. Continuing to grow and mature, Microsoft is developing a mindset that will spur the company on for years into the future, staying relevant and impactful always.