CULTURE + VALUES
MIT Enterprise Forum, May 20th, 1999
In starting new companies we mostly think about creating new products and technologies that address unmet market needs. But we must also be explicit in thinking about the human side of enterprise and about creating a culture and environment that achieves employee satisfaction and motivates ambition and productive behavior. At Analog Devices we adopted the Theory Y style of management that takes a positive view of human nature, believing that people want to do the best job possible and develop to their full potential. Our goal was to develop trustful relationships through openness, honesty and integrity and by a commitment to employee well-being and their personal success. We stressed conversation competence as a skill to improve the quality of relationships and effective coordination of work.
Ray Stata, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, May, 1999
On a panel for a philosophy class at MIT, Ray Stata defends Ayn Rand’s philosophy of ethics as articulated in her book, The Virtue of Selfishness. He answers the question posed by a faculty member, “How do you reconcile your commitment to selfishness with the generosity of your commitments to MIT?”
Harvard University, June 4th, 2003
Businesses practice high ethical standards because it works as it does in personal life. In the high tech industry success depends on hiring and retaining the best and the brightest. The most talented people want to work for companies they trust and respect and that genuinely care about their well-being and personal success. Trust is built by leaders who exemplify openness, honesty and integrity in all that they do and who make it clear through training and coaching the behavior they expect with customers, suppliers and fellow employees. Sound ethical business practice is a requirement for survival and success in a competitive market since you not only have to fill employees’ pocketbooks but also win their minds, hearts and souls.
Analog Devices, August, 1984
This Human Resource Philosophy describes Analog Devices’ management principles and policies and the company’s beliefs about people and their aspirations from which these principles and policies were derived. This philosophy emphasizes that company success and the success of its individual employees are closely linked and that organization development and career development are two sides of the same coin.
Analog Devices, May, 1991
Analog Devices’ Corporate Objective is a statement of the purpose and goals of the firm. The success of the company is measured by the degree to which the company satisfies the needs and aspirations of those stakeholders, namely, employees, customers and stockholders, who share a common long-term interest in the progress and achievements of the firm. The Corporate Objective in this format was last updated in 1991, but by other means the basic purpose and goals of the company have been updated as the scope of business has evolved.
MIT Enterprise Forum, November 2nd, 1996
Ray shared with the Forum some of his experience in building a high performance organization. He emphasized employee satisfaction as the key driver of business success. If you have talented, motivated, happy employees and great leaders, the rest will take care of itself. He outlines ways to achieve employee satisfaction and to develop leadership skills. Purpose and values play a major role in creating a culture and environment where people come and stay and do great things.
