If you have ever stumbled upon a Netflix website about their own culture, you will see that their culture seeks excellence. And by that, what does that mean? If you scroll a little further below, they state that “We model ourselves on being a professional sports team, not a family.”
Challenging the Notion of Companies as Families
The statement questions the idea of companies being like families. We have all heard how a company calls itself a family. While it sounds positive since it is about giving support for each other, it can always be misinterpreted and misused. Here are some potential issues that could arise:
Blurry lines between professional and personal live
Lack of boundaries frequently happens in this type of atmosphere. Keeping personal privacy could be a challenge when your team members are seen as “family.” Potential strain between team members could happen when the other party does not want to reveal information that they want to keep private. Also, it can be hard to maintain a work-life balance when both of these are mixed together.
Overemphasis of the word loyalty
While the word loyalty means that individuals should be committed to and supportive of the organization’s goals, it can also mean the opposite. Being willing to assist others is important, but not to the point that it impacts someone’s well-being, such as by working unreasonable extra hours or on projects that are unrelated to work.
Struggling to trust employees when working remotely
In remote work, where people don’t see each other in person, trust is super important. If a company talks about being like a family, it might be harder to trust that everyone is doing their job well when they’re working from home.
Netflix’s Company Culture
So, what is Netflix’s company culture? It is definitely not in the criteria above. Here is what seeing themselves as a professional sports team means:
Pushing Each Other to be the Best
At Netflix, they really want their employees to do their best. They have a test called the “Keeper Test” to see who’s doing great at their job. They only want to keep the people who are doing really well. This makes everyone want to work hard and improve all the time.
Caring About Your Teams
Netflix wants its employees to feel free to make decisions and take charge of their work. They believe that when people have the freedom to do their job their way, they do it better and it costs less. They also think it’s important for everyone to keep learning and talk openly with each other, so teams can work together really well.
Focus on Performance
They are all about doing a good job. They make sure everyone knows what the company wants to achieve and that everyone is working towards those goals. They pay their best employees really well to keep them motivated, and they give feedback often to help everyone keep getting better. This focus on doing well helps Netflix succeed as a business and keeps its employees motivated.
Netflix sets itself apart by viewing its organization as a professional sports team focused on performance rather than unconditional love. This unique approach emphasizes excellence and pushes employees to strive for their best, similar to athletes aiming for peak performance.
