Gabe Newell is a major name within the video game industry. In addition to being behind some of the medium's enduring classic titles, as well as Steam, an "iTunes for games"-type system that has helped bring the PC up to speed with competitors, the man's company, Valve Software, has become somewhat famous for its unique corporate structure.
But despite what it may seem, even the most radically different companies might need to work with management recruitment professionals to fill key positions.
Games Without Frontiers
If you've heard of Valve in recruitment circles, it might be as one of "those" companies that eschews the traditional roles and titles in favor of a more fluid work environment. While this might scare or confuse outsiders, Newell said in a recent interview with the Washington Post that it actually makes operating simpler and more efficient.
In addition to not forcing employees to log hours or vacation time, Newell extends a greater sense of mobility to workers there and encourages development of different skills, so that they don't feel like being locked into a "track."
"There's advantages to be[ing] able to attach a tag to somebody's name and say they do X — but we've found that there are disadvantages to that in the long run and the people who are most successful at creating value for our customers are the people who respond best to being able to contribute in a bunch of different ways," he said.
To Newell, this goes hand in hand with important company-wide values, like honesty, loyalty, innovation and flexibility.
'Flatland'
Anyone can access Valve's website and look at its Employee Handbook. In it, the company's setup is described as "Flatland" due to its even playing field. Accompanied by cute stylized diagrams and drawings, the wording of this document makes the message extremely clear: Newell's status doesn't make him the end-all be-all of Valve.
"We don't have any management, and nobody 'reports to' anybody else," it reads. "We do have a founder/president, but even he isn't your manager. This company is yours to steer—toward opportunities and away from risks."
From the inside, Newell's vision sounds like a functional dream, and as he tells the Post, there's nothing preventing the company from growing just because they lack the typical pyramid structure of a more "average" business.
Natural Rankings
All of this is well and good. However, even in specifically tailored environments like this, upper levels of management have to be taken seriously. Harvard Business Review contributor Harrison Monarth says exactly that in a piece on these kind of unconventional workplaces. He uses the term "holacracy" to describe a place that doesn't insist on a more established pecking order, and argues that just erasing the names doesn't mean that power plays will disappear.
"In a holacracy, the titles disappear, but human dynamics won't," he writes. "In an environment where everyone is a leader, some other mechanism needs to be put in place to ensure that everyone can maintain and optimize the tenets of fairness, trust and transparency so the entire organization can move forward."
So even if you've decided you're a company that marches to your own drum, you might need the services of a global executive search firm to bring in the talent you need to keep some sort of order. In fact, the work of a firm like YES Partners could be particularly important here, since whoever enters your business will need to be an especially good fit to your style.
Outside consultants can help you grow your organization without giving up the aspects of your unique business model that are working for you.
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