Why does Tom Peters say IDEO is the only other place hed love to work?
DK: I’m not sure that as he got closer he’d actually believe it! On the surface he loves the kind of chaotic playful stuff, and IDEO exudes that, but I think that what he sees and likes is the fact that everybody is treated alike. We make concessions for everyone’s personalities. Most companies have organization charts and people have to fit into their slots, but we don’t do that. We do it the opposite way—given that this person is good at this, and really likes to do this, then we ask what or who else do we need in the group to complement these individuals. People here are operating in the area they want to be in. You can tell a large percentage are happy to be there, enjoying themselves. They don’t have their heads down. For instance, we have a guy who is a real content person, but doesn’t want to be a manager. So we’ve figured out a way to have him not do the people management but instead to team him with a manager and use his talents that way. I think he [Tom Peters] feels that eve
