Michael Burchell

Michael Burchell is a corporate vice president with the Great Places to Work Institute and a partner in the Institute's UAE affiliate. Prior to joining the Institute he focused on workplace development issues at W.L. Gore & Associates. Jennifer Robin is a Research Fellow at the Great Place to Work Institute. She currently teaches at Bradley University.

Articles by Michael Burchell

Leadership, Talent Management

Leadership Perspective: You’ll Fall Short Unless You Keep “And” in Mind

by Michael Burchell on Mar 7, 2011, 11:10 AM | No comments yet

By Michael Burchell and Jennifer Robin

Even if you have a great culture, a whip-smart strategy, and undeniable presence in the market, you will still fall short of great company standards if you don’t keep your focus on the and.

Leaders who get it right execute on a strategy that takes into account the needs of their consumers and the needs of their employees. They recognize the importance of creating a product that both consumers and employees can feel good about. They realize that employees are key to creating a strategy that works and a customer experience that keeps them coming back.

We interviewed dozens of leaders for this book, many of whom have appeared throughout its chapters. On your behalf, we asked for advice. Specifically, we asked: What would you tell someone about your role as a leader? What is the importance of building trust? What have you learned from mistakes along the way? Read more…

Culture, Talent Management

The Three Key Relationships Found in Great Workplaces

by Michael Burchell on Jan 26, 2011, 8:05 AM | No comments yet

By Michael Burchell and Jennifer Robin

People have a choice every day in how they mentally approach their work.

Though most of us ultimately work for some blend of financial goals and personal fulfillment, we each choose how we think about our work. People can consider work a necessity or a blessing, a burden or an opportunity.

While the choice is not as simplistic as that, putting it in stark terms does help you think more critically about how the decisions you make as a leader influence how your employees see their work.

We began asking people about how their workplace shaped their approach to work in 1980, when Levering and Moskowitz asked thousands of employees, “Is your organization a great place to work?” and “Why?” While the context in which people respond has changed quite a bit since then, their answers point to strikingly consistent experiences. Read more…

HR Insights, HR Management

Making a Difference: What Higher Purpose Does Your Company Serve?

by Michael Burchell on Jan 19, 2011, 10:10 AM | No comments yet

By Michael Burchell and Jennifer Robin

When employees believe that their efforts make a difference, they feel that their work has an impact on the organization, and that their personal presence in the workplace (independent of their job description) also makes a difference, we find that people take pride in their work and the accomplishment of organizational goals and functions.

Making a difference operates on two levels.

The first: employees believe they have an impact in their actual job or sphere of responsibility. As a Microsoft employee put it, “Microsoft is a really big company. When people think about working at Microsoft they don’t feel that they are going to have a lot of influence. The reality is, if you want to have a lot of influence, if you want to have a large project, that’s very possible.”

The other level: employees believe they themselves actually matter in the organization, beyond their narrow function. As employees at Camden, the community managers, offered of their leadership, “They figure everyone here is an important asset. It’s not just [the] work, but you feel like you are really a part of Camden and that every person really matters.” Read more…