S60 Open to new features

Being green is one current trend that many companies clearly believe is worth latching onto. Participation in environmental conservation not only brings positive PR, it can also help companies save on common utility costs. Among some of the more public green initiatives at Nokia are the “Unplug it” campaign and the WWF conservation campaign. Behind the scenes, Nokia has recently started an internal campaign designed to reduce each employee’s carbon footprint. On a voluntary basis, Nokia employees can now expense a contribution, relative to the number of miles traveled on each business trip, to an environmental organization. I know of at least one manager who has mandated that his employees offset each and every trip (not so voluntary in that case:)

At the same time, organizational policy and geographical location effect a company’s culture. How many layers of management separate the rank and file from the executive board? How easy is it for someone in contact with consumers to suggest a feature to someone in charge of product design? I’ve spent my share of time in Nokia’s Espoo headquarters and I’m often struck by how *quiet* it is in the office. I’ve remarked on this to my co-workers, and they say that quiet is part of the Finnish national character. I don’t doubt that - but when I’ve talked about the culture in Nokia with other Europeans, they correct me and tell me “What you are talking about is Nokia culture, not Finnish culture — those are two different things.”

An interesting article in this Sunday’s Boston Globe asks whether company culture affects national culture. The idea is that companies with enlightened management practices can change the societies in which they do business for the better. Nokia is the first big, multinational company for which I have worked, so I don’t know just how “Open” we are, but my sense from talking to friends at other companies is that our organization is relatively flat, and that Nokia does spend a lot of time and money making sure every day employee’s voices are heard.

My guess (based on personal observation and not empirical research) is that multinational companies like Nokia do have a positive effect on the countries in which they employ people. Not just in terms of environmental policy, but also in terms of involvement and engagement in everyday political issues. People that work for international companies tend to have international outlooks. And more often than not, an international outlook is one that includes a healthy tendency to 1) question authority, 2) view problems from a diverse set of perspectives, and 3) treat people from different cultures with deference and respect.