How Apple Built a Culture of High Performance Over 50 Years
Forbes has ranked Apple as America’s ninth best large employer as a result of an employee-based survey. The survey asked employees to rate their employer on a number of different factors, including pay, career progression and the work environment.
This recognition comes as the company prepares to turn 50, with CEO Tim Cook sharing in an all-hands meeting reported on by Bloomberg that he has been feeling “unusually reflective”, as he looks back on the transformation that has taken place at the company.
He said: “We've been going back through the products, the services, the people, and I am struck by how much Apple has changed things, how much Apple has changed the world, how much Apple has given to the world.”
Much of this change has occurred due to Apple’s people strategy, with the company taking a thorough approach to acquiring top talent and ensuring employees have a high sense of ownership and pride in the work they do to facilitate success.
Acquiring and onboarding top talent
When it comes to finding high performing talent, Apple has previously said it looks for candidates who can demonstrate the “Three Es” – people with enthusiasm for the company’s mission, high levels of expertise and proven experience.
It assesses this through an intensive interview process that can last up to eight rounds. These stages can involve group interviews, behavioural questions and take home projects or tests – all to ensure prospective employees can demonstrate that key skill set.
In an interview with Fast Company, Tim said of this approach: “You're trying to pick people that fit into the culture of a company.
“You want a very diverse group with very diverse life experiences looking at every problem. But you also want people to buy into the philosophy, not just buy in, but to deeply believe in it.”
Once an employee is hired, the company makes culture a key aspect of their onboarding to help employees understand how to perform well in the context of Apple. Employees are taught about the company's history and values in their training to encourage them to "think like Apple".
Directly responsible individuals
To encourage employees to perform well, Apple has created a system of individual accountability within the company.
It does this by using the concept of a directly responsible individual, where one person is wholly accountable for the success or failure of a specific task.
According to Apple, this helps to build a culture of ownership and reduces the bystander effect, so tasks are not left for other people to manage.
Apple has also found that ensuring employees are connected to the company’s mission also helps encourage high performance.
When discussing the company’s approach to performance in an interview with CNBC, Tim said: “We can all perform at 90%, but to get to 100%, you have to be inspired by something.
“You have to be working for some greater cause. There has to be some reason for doing it that’s beyond just being excellent at something.”
To help employees feel inspired, the company encourages them to take ownership over their work by becoming more involved in projects and choosing their own devices to work from, which the company has said helps boost productivity.
