World Economic Forum Book Club discussion

Chapter 7: Ohana: Redefining Corporate Culture

Only a few chapters to go and we'll switch to our December pick! We need more questions for Marc Benioff, don't forget to post them in the comments below!

Today's chapter is all about corporate culture. As can be seen in the title, Marc Benioff inspires himself from the Hawaiian term Ohana for his office/corporate culture. It means family, but can apply to extended family including those not related by blood. He believes colleagues and employees at Salesforce should feel as if they are working with family, and that they can bond over their shared values. Salesforce adopted many practices to help make it one of Fortune's "100 Best companies to work for". He believes having good people work together, instead of having a competitive work environment is better.

The first day for a new Salesforce employee is divided into two parts. The first half is for orientation, and the second part is devoted to community service. Employees get 7 days a year (paid) to go volunteer for the charity of their choice. It is a huge part of the belief system at Salesforce.

Psychological safety is a key part of working for Salesforce as well:

"Studies show that creating a culture of psychological safety - one in which people trust one another and don't fear speaking their minds - results in smarter risk taking and better problem solving."

What did you think of today's chapter? Let us know in the comments!