Over the past decade or so, we’ve been exposed to some of Apple’s deepest secrets. Whether it’s the little tidbits or leaked photos of parts or hardware – we’ve seen it all. At some point, the issue became too rampant, which Apple created team work Some kind to combat the problem. But because of this, Apple faced a tipping point that required it to re-evaluate and change some of its internal practices.
Chris Deaver, formerly a Senior Business Partner for Human Resources and a “Culture and People Leader” at Apple, gives us a rare look at his time there. Deaver joined Apple in 2015 and was immediately impressed. On the surface, it has seen some of the greatest minds, delivering some of the best hardware and software in the industry. But beneath its shiny exterior, there was a problem. A problem caused by the company’s penchant for secrecy.
““I began to wonder what all this meant. I was hearing new employee after new employee, brilliant people, asking the basic question: ‘How do I work this way?’ If I can only share information with certain people, how do I know who and when? I don’t want to end up being fired or in prison.”“
Apple has always been known for its secrecy, developing products and services in small teams. But, as the company expanded, this model caused a frustration – stifling innovation. Deaver saw the original AirPods development process as an ideal case study. As usual, the teams worked independently, converging only at the last minute. The result was a train wreck accompanied by frustration and tension. Despite this, Apple’s AirPods will hit the market and be a hit, giving the company another product line and revenue stream. While this development process worked, the real question was what could be done to make things better?
The result was a train wreck accompanied by frustration
Deaver saw this as an opportunity and in order to prevent history from repeating itself. He borrowed an idea from Pixar co-founder Ed Catmull. Catmull believed in the idea that being openly involved in a safe environment could yield the best results. This environment was called “mental trust” and was a means of true collaboration. Deaver will research hard and keep an eye on the company, eventually finding that the camera department has an effective mental trust. This kind of collaboration is what I needed to free Apple from the shadow of secrecy, freeing its employees while also increasing its capabilities.
Deaver will continue to create best practices for teams, with a key component being the ability to share openly. This led to the teams discussing in detail about the challenges they faced, where they were in the development stage and, most importantly, bringing in collaboration so they could succeed. According to Deaver, this change will lead to the development of AirPods Pro. Since that time, the company has continued to launch many innovations and products. While it’s unclear how much impact Deavers’ methods have had, it’s hard to argue when Apple had its most profitable quarter to date.
source: fast company
[ad_2]
