The fish market cut no corners - the best fish flown in daily, careful training of staff in product, hard skills (cutting, cleaning),...
And the work was hard. 10-12 hr shifts, starting as early as 4am (hard when you are a teenager), non-stop work on weekends.
Ever since, I've worked hard to find or develop this type of culture in workplaces with which I've been involved.
A few years ago, I came across an opinion piece by David Brooks in the NYT...
The article goes on to describe many of the elements found in a thick organization. Its not foolproof, but its a start...
- cramped physical locations w/ face-to-face contact
- collective rituals
- shared tasks
- occasional overnights ("so that everybody can see each other's real self")
- a sacred origin story
- a common ideal/motto
- a unique and idiosyncratic culture
- initiation rituals, especially if they are difficult
- their own jargon
- uniforms, emblems
Have you experienced this type of culture?
Next tweet has the article link
I hope you find it as meaningful as I did when I first read it.
Thanks @nytdavidbrooks and thanks @MonahansSeafood