Over the next ten years, watch for the rise of the "corporate culture consultant." This person's job will be to reorganize a company such that its employees are more creative, that problems are reported more quickly, and that multiple departments synergize better.
What you see today is that certain industry leaders have uniquely claimed their spot because of their cultures. When you think of Google, Netflix, Amazon, and Apple, you think of companies whose excellent products are an expression of their excellent places of work.
And I think this is a new idea. I think there was a time, ten years ago perhaps, when idiosyncratic corporate cultures at places like Google were considered quaint. If you approached a CEO of the average, troubled, Fortune 500 company, and said, "in order to succeed, you need flat corporate hierarchies, exceptional pampering of developers, 20%-time, and free 5-star cuisine for grunts and execs alike," they'd all laugh.
But today, I think they're listening.
The big telecoms have spent billions of dollars to try to reach The Promised Land of meaningful mobile experiences. And now we see that its the hippies at Google and Apple who came out of nowhere and stole the show.
It may be the case that unenlightened companies can play catch-up. After all, Microsoft's Bing is often said to be nearly as good as Google. And we see HTC and Motorola catching up quickly to Apple's iPhone. But what if that's not good enough anymore. What if the increasing pace of technological change demands more than just catch-up. You need a company flexible and innovative enough to be there with the best-of-breed product right as consumer demand picks up. And you can't just buy innovation by throwing money at talented people. You have to give them a place where they can thrive, where they don't feel stifled by middle management or overruled by sales or marketing.
