The quarter is winding down at Stanford, and my course assistants and I are busy grading some very creative final exams. In my course "Organizational Behavior: An Evidence-Based Approach," I give the students the final exam question on the first day of class, and it is due the last day. It is, "Design the ideal organization. Use course concepts to defend your answer."
It is really a hard question, but the best answers knock my socks off. I think of great ones over the years, like the paper on the ideal mosque, the one on the ideal honey company, the guy who was engaged and showed about how he would apply course concepts to building the ideal family, and this year, the student who did something like Alice-in-Wonderland, meets a start-up, meets behavioral research and somehow pulled it off perfectly. I asked students this question for years, but never tried to answer it myself until I wrote The No Asshole Rule. But frankly I would have failed myself for the answer, as I exceeded the 3000 word limit by about 40,000 words!
What is your ideal organization? You don't have to use all 3000 words -- in fact 25 words or less might be most fun. There are hints about aspects of my ideal organization that go beyond The No Asshole Rule on my list of "15 Things I Believe." But if I forced myself to stay under 25 words, I would say something like:
"A place where people are competent, civilized, and cooperative -- and tell the truth rather than spewing out lies and bullshit."
Right now, I am very tired of the lies and bullshit.
What is your answer?
"An organization where people are equally rewarded for asking for help and offering it."
It would be great to see some of the student answers that knocked your socks off.
Posted by: Zack Grossbart | March 19, 2009 at 05:50 AM
"The place where I will work tomorrow"
Posted by: thomas | March 19, 2009 at 03:20 AM
An organization implementing a virtuous circle that enhances work quality and the happiness of everyone involved in it.
(World peace sounds easier)
Posted by: Balau | March 19, 2009 at 01:33 AM
"A place where people work because they want to be there, want to reach for excellence, and share generosity, ethics, and team spirit."
Posted by: Sophie Lagacé | March 18, 2009 at 09:53 PM
Google.
Posted by: John Hunter | March 18, 2009 at 09:20 PM