THE CHEVRON WAY

hen you think of a company's culture, what

comes to mind? Do you
think of office pets? Quirky, modern
furniture? Foosball tables? Or
ather strange perks, such as a personal, meal
planning concierge? It seems
as if the term organizational culture
has shifted, for many, toward an obses-
sion with uniqueness, trendiness, and
innovation and away from a more
general understanding of the system of shared meaning that it should
rep-
resent. For instance, consider Chevron. Chevron
employees, such as the
ones shown here in the Chevron House
building in Singapore, have rated the
company favorably and laud The Chevron Way: its mission devoted to
safety,
health, and support for one another, a philosophy which can be traced back
to the early roots of the
company. For an industry [oil and gas]
that nor-
mally gets abad rap, Glassdoor Career Trends
Analyst Scott Dobroski notes,
"Unlike other companies in that industry, they really
appreciate The Chev-
ron Way That's built into their culture, and it's specific for that
industry"
...

Chevron has managed to craft a positive organizational culture and offers

numerous perks related to its mission, such as onsite fitness centers and
free health club memberships. It also has a variety of programs to further
its health mission, including massages and personal training. The mission
is etched into the infrastructure, and rules
and policies mandating regular
breaks are enforced. As Jamie Hooker, a former employee, writes, "T love
working for Chevron... my favorite part, the fact that they demand we take
breaks every 45 minutes. They even installed a program on our computers
that locks it so that we have to take a 5-minute break." Chevron has many
 its value of mutual.
family support policies as well, further emphasizing sup-
for mothers, college counseling for emnl
port. It has nursing rooms new

ees' families and children, and an adoption reimbursement

ploy
program.

Sujan Patel, cofounder of ContentMarketer.io notes,

"Your company cultur
ure
doesn't have to be ping-pong tables and free beer. Simply providing emolau,
ees with a sense of safety and well-being and creating a policy where even
ery
one looks out for each other can easily suffice."
Overall, the leaders who developed the Chevron Way clearly articulated a
simple mission: "to be the global energy company most admired for its peo-
ple, partnership and performance. Along with this mission statement, they
have articulated many values, including (1) diversity and inclusion, (2) high
performance, (3) integrity and trust, (4) partnership, and (5) protecting peo-
ple and the environment. Leadership continues to propagate the Chevron
values and articulate the mission of the organization, posting speeches and
press releases on its website. For example, Vice President lan McDonald in
2012, at the Kurdistan-iraq Oil & Gas Conference, clarified the Three Pillars
of Partnership (persistence, collaboration, and integrity), values that Chevron
drew upon in facilitating a partnership with the people and government of
Kazakhstan. CEO John Watson also stresses the key role of leadership in set-
ting the ethical tone for the rest of the employees and in developing leaders
so that they serve as excellent role models of the Chevron Way.

Sources: Based on Chevron, The Chevron Way: Getting Results the Right Way (San Ramon,
CA: Self, 2016); J. Demers, "Why a Living and Breathing' Company Culture Isn't Always a
Good Thing," Entrepreneur, April 3, 2017, https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/292095; A.
T. Derr, "Managing Knowledge the Chevron Way" [Speech] (San Francisco, CA: Knowledge
Management World Summit, 1999); K. Dill, "The Top Companies for Culture and values"
Forbes, August 22, 2014,
https://www.forbes.com/sites/kathryndill/2014/08/22/the-top
companies-for-culture-and-values/#2a74e4d03b7c; I. MacDonald, "Three Pillars of Partnel
ship" [Speech] (Erbil, Kurdistan Region of Iraq: Kurdistan-Irag Oil & Gas Conference, 2014
B. O'Keefe, "How Chevron Creates Leaders " Fartuuna idaa td r n015 httn:(/fortune.