State Farm’s success story

What happens when a company defies conventional thinking, puts people first, and takes risks with their trust?

For State Farm in Charlottesville, good things happen.

State Farm has a reputation for encouraging its employees to find and express their individuality within the corporate culture.

This is the antithesis of the cookie-cutter, cube-farm mentality satirized in much of corporate America. There, two forces have combined to produce a bland, dehumanizing culture:

— A belief that reducing workers to interchangeable economic units saves money and improves productivity.

— A fear that allowing workers to be individualistic will somehow offend others and lead to costly internal strife or, worse, potential lawsuits.

State Farm is known for allowing employees to develop in the direction of their gifts. Many forward-thinking companies do that, knowing that employees who grow into their gifts also add value to the business.

State Farm also takes the riskier stance of allowing people to openly express their religion, their culture, their opinions within the corporation.

At least, conventional wisdom pegs it as risky.

State Farm demonstrates that, instead, this strategy produces a vibrant, creative corporate culture that adds value not only to the business but to the community beyond.

The company trusts its employees to respect each other’s opinions, cultures and religions. And in an atmosphere of trust, people are able to express themselves without an inhibiting fear of misunderstanding or reprisal.

The Daily Progress reported on one result of that policy in its look at an African-American gospel group. State Farm not only allowed the group to organize within the company, it sponsors the singers and enables them to perform inside the corporate halls and outside in the community.

Many companies would be afraid of allowing people to express religion in such an open way.

State Farm understands that black gospel is a cultural and historical as well a religious expression. Gospel is solidly integrated as part of the black community.

But the music also transcends cultures. “There is a power and a feeling that you can share through gospel music,” said group member Geraldine Shelton. “There’s healing in the music that comes through, no matter who you are.”

For this kind of openness to work inside corporate culture, employees must have the support of the company and the trust and respect of their peers.

A working appreciation for diversity must be extended to all groups — even encouraged.

State Farm trusts its employees to exercise mutual respect. In a sense, the company creates a self-fulfilling prophecy. While an atmosphere of acceptance and respect must first be in place for such an experiment to succeed, it is also true that a successful experiment encourages more openness and trust for the future.

It is a radical departure from conventional wisdom to allow gospel singing in the halls of corporate America. Beautifully radical.