Samsung Electronics (SE) has decided to remake its corporate culture so that is as innovative and flexible as a lean startup.
Last July, SE conducted an online discussion with its 260,000 managers and staff members to identify problems in its corporate culture, as well as potential solutions.
Towards its desire to establish a more horizontal corporate culture, SE announced that the company’s managers will work to get rid of the top-down aspects. The company will also reduce the number of ranks in its staff hierarchy and make its HRM system based more on jobs, merit, and responsibilities.
SE will cut out unnecessary meetings and develop an effective reporting system. The number of meetings will be reduced or meetings combined with each other, and 3 principles related to reporting to superiors will be introduced: information is to be shared between related departments; working-level staff can report directly to executives; and more flexible methods of reporting will be adopted, such as text messaging.
The company will also reduce the habitual long working hours and grand greater flexibility to employees in terms of using their vacation days. In this regard, habitual overtime work or holiday work will be reduced, and leave days for family or self-development will be provided.