What makes an organization a great place to work?

Team Unicorn (Group 9)

Good organizations are not hard to come by but truly great organizations are a rare
gem. As part of this project, we aimed to look for factors that can help an
organization stand out in a crowd of equally good, if not better, firms. To this end,
we carried out a short survey to understand what a modern day employee expects
from the company. The survey threw up several surprising results, providing us with
the first insights into what we believe will be a very detailed study of a modern day
work place.
HR Policies: More than half (51%) the respondents rated a 4 for flexible work
hours and around 42% respondents rated a 4 for perks like free health checkups,
health seminars, recreational activities etc. in the job. Its quite surprising that the
percentage of people who rated 4 on compensation (47%) is lesser than that for
flexible work hours (51%). Its also surprising to notice that there are few people
who felt that perks and flexible work hours are unimportant for them. However, the
average rating for compensations is higher than that for perks and flexible work
hours.
Organization values and culture: Majority respondents (approx. 70%) believe
that organisational values are important in driving the employee behaviour and
work culture of an organisation. This is based on the assumption that the
organisational values are implemented on the floor and do not remain merely on
paper. When asked about their perception of an organisation, majority respondents
(approx. 80%) confirmed that they perceive the employees as brand ambassadors
of the organisations they work in.
Leadership style: Our analysis of great work places was based on the premise that
leaders play a vital role in determining the direction in which a company evolves
and that their unique leadership styles influence organizational performance. When
asked about the importance of senior leadership, more than 50% respondents
claimed that for them people at the helm are very critical in choosing the
organisation to work for while 10% responded that the senior management is not at
all relevant in this decision making process.
Team and organization structure: In our survey conducted, we collected
responses from people regarding the factors which make up a good team. The
factors included were understanding the strengths and weaknesses of other team
members, compatibility and coordination among members and inclusion of every
team member. Around 68% of the respondents chose compatibility and coordination
among the team members as the key factor which is important for the effective
functioning of a team. Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of other team
members is considered important by 25 % of the respondents. Very few
respondents considered inclusion of every team member as a factor which
influences the performance of a team.

Human Capital Management - We listed out 4 factors and asked the respondents
as to how important are they while choosing to build a long term career in an
organization. We found out that availability of growth opportunities is the most
important factor for the respondents with an average rating of 4.48 out of 5.
Quality and impact of work came a close second with a rating of 4.33. Company
brand name somehow lagged behind with an average rating of 3.88 which could
be due to the popularity of the startup culture and propensity to value quality more
than quantity.
The survey results have provided us with the first pointers to the direction in which
we should take the project forward. In the subsequent phases of the project, we aim
to take a closer look at each of the factors and understand the role they play in
improving quality of work and life. We have scheduled to interview employees at
some the most cutting edge companies and learn how these firms continue to be
attract and retain the best talents, year after year. The final results will take us
closer to understanding these exceptional organizations than we have ever been
before.

Annexures:
Mid-term survey results