Hewlett Packard is a 'storied' company and famous for its 'trusting' corporate culture. Here is one of the stories that created that culture.
Every company veteran knows the legend of how one of the company founders, Bill Hewlett, came in one weekend to work and found the equipment storeroom locked and how he broke it open with a fire axe and left a note insisting that it not be locked again because HP trusts its people**.
A story like this that shows how a leader behaves is worth far more than any corporate mission or values statements. Employees are influenced mostly by what leaders do not what they say or write.
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Company: HP
Source: https://alumni.stanford.edu/get/page/magazine/article/?article_id=42103
Story Type: Values
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For Story Students
The Setting: Dave Packard working on a project on the weekend canot access the required tools because the tools are locked up
The Complications: The equipment stireroom was locked and weekend staff could not work
The Turning Point: Bill Hewlett broke into the storeroom with an axe
The Resolution: The weekend workers could work but more importantly Hewlett left a lasting legacy about how HP people should treay each other.
The Point of the Story: The weekend workers could work but more importantly Hewlett left a lasting legacy about how HP people should treat each other.
How to use this story: When discussing corporate vales and trust
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