W.L. Gore's innovation culture and non-hierarchical organizational structure

Wl Gore

The organization that I have chosen to study is WL Gore. The company specializes in one technology -- a fluropolymer -- and finding adaptations for that technology to create consumer products, which it then either produces or licenses. The company's best-known product is Gore-Tex fabric, which is used in winter clothing and ski apparel, but there are many other products as well including guitar strings, Glide dental floss and synthetic vascular grafts (Hamel, 2012).

Unique Culture

WL Gore has a unique corporate culture, based on innovation. Using what they call a "lattice structure," the company has a non-hierarchical system based on interconnection between associates. There is a high level of individual accountability within the company. Innovation and creativity are two of the most important elements of the organization's strategy and therefore they are two of the most important elements in the organizational culture as well (WL Gore, 2014).

Leadership

In this of organization, a servant leader is by far the best type. Gore doesn't really have managers -- it has an incredibly flat hierarchy. What this means is that the leader does not really need to perform typically leadership roles in terms of allocating resources and providing direction. The only thing leaders at Gore really do is stay out of the way of the associates and pursue their own projects -- the leaders arrived at their position through a succession of high quality contributions to the company, and by no other way (Festejo, 2012).

Servant leaders play the same role that leaders in Gore do, they facilitate the work of others. Russell and Stone (2002) note that by focusing on the needs of others, servant leaders empower those other workers. Some of the traits normally associated with this leadership type are listening, persuasion, conceptualization, foresight, stewardship, building community and commitment to the growth of people. In many organizations this type of leadership would not be as effective because even if power are empowered by their leader they remain constrained by institutional boundaries. At Gore, such institutional boundaries do not exist, so when an associate is empowered they are basically entrepreneurs at that point. The leader that can facilitate success in as many individuals as possible will ultimately have the highest innovation totals and contribute the most to the company's success. Moreover the associates with recognize this and it will be reflected in the leaders compensation. Everything about the organizational culture at Gore demands this type of leadership.

I do not imagine that if there was a decline in demand for the company's products that there would be any change in the culture. Gore would simply continue to innovate and find new products that it can market to replace the ones that are on the downside. The company has always relied on innovation and that is the best way to break the organization out of a declining market, so no change in culture would be needed.