Shake your Grooves thing: A very tasty corporate culture

Successful organizations and people hold certain beliefs or values about themselves, their employer and the people with whom they work. For Dreyer’s, these are “the Grooves.” The company explains the Grooves culture in detail:

“They are our guiding principles and cultural values, the way we do things. They define who we are and how we relate to one another. We believe that only by truly empowering the individuals who work here can we sustain a high level of enthusiasm and personal satisfaction among our employees. “ We call this approach our ‘I Can Make a Difference’ philosophy.”

There are 10 individual Grooves:

Respect for the Individual: “This is the unifying concept of the Grooves. It is about demonstrating trust and respect for the unique talents and character of each Dreyer’s employee. Even when we disagree, we must be able to express ourselves and handle the situation respectfully. People who feel respected and valued enjoy their work and are motivated to do their very best. Valuing our differences “ in the interest of greater success is everyone’s responsibility.”

Management is People: “Dreyer’s believes that our people are the most important resource we have, as well as one of our key competitive advantages. Management is People means that hiring, training, motivating and dealing with ‘people’ issues are the most important responsibilities our managers have. We want people issues and concerns decided at a local level, with local management, as much as possible. It is for that reason that Dreyer’s doesn't delegate these matters to a traditional, centralized human resources department.”

Hire Smart: “Because people are our most important resource, deciding who we bring on our team is critical. Hire Smart ensures we invest the time and energy required to hire only the top 20 percent of all qualified candidates. We believe that if we hire well-qualified, highly motivated people who are “ a good fit for both our business and our culture, we need only to support their continuing growth, get out of their way and let them succeed.”

Ownership: “We believe that one of the best ways to enjoy the time we spend at work is the satisfaction that comes from being the best we can at what we do. The spirit of Ownership allows every Dreyer’s employee to find some aspect of his or her job at which he or she can be the very best. Owners set their own personal standard of accomplishment and are constantly re-evaluating how they can raise the bar. This is the cornerstone of our ‘I Can Make a Difference’ philosophy.”

Learn, Learn, Learn: “At Dreyer’s, we believe that a culture of continuous improvement is a key factor in our success. Good people know they are never finished learning and are always looking for opportunities to learn more, grow more and do more. Learn, Learn, Learn is being committed to learning and developing in ways that contribute to the growth of each individual while supporting the company’s goals and initiatives. It also means finding ways to contribute to the learning of those around us.”

Upside-Down Organization: “We know that the people on the front lines of our organization are in the best position to impact the business on a day-to-day basis. Dreyer’s success is dependent upon their ability to get their jobs done, satisfy the customer and win the consumer’s preference. Because we believe that the person closest to the job usually has the best perspective on it and can often make the best decisions, we try to minimize the number of policies and procedures that may get in their way. In the Upside-Down Organization, the role of corporate and management staff is to support their people by removing obstacles, providing resources and allowing decisions to be made by those closest to the issue.”

People Involvement: “We believe that harnessing the thinking, ideas and energy of a wide cross-section of people is the best strategy for responding to change in a dynamic and competitive industry. People Involvement invites individuals to involve their own personal thoughts, ideas and interests as broadly as possible with the company’s issues and opportunities. This not only contributes to the company’s goals, but it allows our employees to grow both personally and professionally.”

Ready, Fire, Aim: “Much of our success has been fueled by our ability to make change our ally. Being more flexible, agile and able to make decisions quickly has enabled us to consistently create quality new products and enjoy a speed-to-market unequaled by our competitors. We accomplish this by constantly challenging assumptions and learning by doing new things. Ready, Fire, Aim encourages all of our people to take intelligent risks to try, learn and apply those lessons without getting trapped “ in ‘analysis paralysis.’”

Hoopla: “Our people work hard to be the very best they can be. Hoopla is a core value because we believe people deserve to be recognized and rewarded for their contributions. Hoopla is the “ celebration of ownership and recognition of accomplishments, large or small, individual or team, formal or informal. The many and varied forms of Hoopla are limited only by our imagination.”

Face-to-Face Communication: “We want an environment where the open, honest and respectful exchange of ideas and information can happen freely. Each and every employee is expected to participate in this process by effectively giving and receiving appropriate feedback and by voicing his or her suggestions, ideas, concerns and questions of any kind. It is our sincere goal that every employee feel comfortable that he or she can talk to anyone else at any time about any subject without fear of political implications or reprisals.”

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