Two of my favorite british bloggers Johnnie Moore and Dave Snowden recently blogged about Deloitte’s Little Blue Book. A book given to US employees, containing so-called Deloitte values and beliefs. Pretty interesting (and tragicomical) seeing organizations in the 21st century making a move like that. I just wanted to re-distribute a few quotes from the FT article that started all the fuzz:
On the second last page there is a check-list of 10 points to see if you are “living the strategy”, including “I reach high” and “I make things happen” and “I fuss over the grey areas”. Only this last did I tick with conviction, thinking we were back on hairdos again. But then it turned out to be referring to an obsession with integrity, which I don’t suffer from quite so badly.
There is much to marvel at in the Little Blue Book but the pièce de resistance is the page entitled Our Pledge. “The promise of our brand. To that we pledge allegiance,” it says.
Comparing Deloitte’s Blue Book to the Mao’s Red Book:
Apart from the difference in colour, the two books have much in common. Both came with the instruction that they should be carried around and referred to often. The red book was a tool for brainwashing and torture. The blue book is also a tool for brainwashing and torture, though the brainwashing is not terribly likely to succeed and the torture is suffered by business logic, taste and style.
I can understand the intention behind Deloitte’s move, but really I am having a hard time figuring about why they chose to communicate their values like that. I am seeing a big boring glass-office in my mind, with “values” written on the walls to remind the people of the organization why they are really there. Sigh.
If we can agree on the intention of getting some common ground on corporate values, what should Deloitte then have done? I think it would have been pretty interesting experimenting with some collaborative storytelling methods, like e.g. photosharing groups.
RSS feed
In the old days, the 80ties, David Ogilvy wrote the book Ogilvy on Advertising which was his story, case stories and what to do and what not to do in advertising.
For example he advised always to ask the consumers as he himself had worked as a surveyer in the beginning of his career. In general, he advocated for workable advertising that would sell products. In short: Results.
He also said never to use white text on black background which I think it not exactly an in advice today, but does carry some logics to it because people won’t continue reading a long text on black.
He said many things in there and it was well written. He lso said never to lie and always to ask the client questions and to tell them the truth, even if it would put the account at risk.
Anyhow, then that book worked as the bible for the people at Ogilvy’s offices worldwide and established the Ogilvy & Mather brand as the agency with the top notch, creative and workable advertising solutions.
Not because the book said that one should always carry it about and read in it frequently. But because it was a well-written story about a rich life, with lots of workable solutions to make sane advertising that would sell your products.
10.07.07 (d.m.y) at 7:17 am (CET) | ThorstenThat’s a pretty good story, and a good example Thorsten. Just to make it clear I don’t think all employee “manuals” (Ok, I really don’t like that term - anyone got a better one?) are bad. It’s just that 98% is, and I have seen a lot of bullshit in the advertising business especially. I won’t point fingers at any agency, but let’s just say most top-10 agencies in this country rely on Deloitte-like employee manuals - and put all their faith into them. And then the writings on the wall. Seriously, how do you make your employees more sharing, by painting it on the wall?
But really, it’s a good story and I remember hearing about it some years back. Do you remember where you heard about it? There must be an article or a book citing it somewhere?
11.07.07 (d.m.y) at 6:56 pm (CET) | Jacob Bøtter[…] David Ogilvy’s Ogilvy on Advertising (a book that is also mentioned elsewhere on this blog): “The consumer is not a moron, she is your […]
27.07.07 (d.m.y) at 5:50 pm (CET) | Quote of the day - Heute denken, morgen fertig.