A company without a corporate culture is a house of cards: blow on it and witness the structure crumbling down under its own weight, people screaming for help in the ruins, the clouds of dust wreathing above the ground, and thundering noises filling the air. I digress.
The presence of corporate culture, first and foremost, is an acknowledgment of the fact that a company should create meaningful value.
People are a breed of creators who adore proving themselves and the world that they are capable, skillful, and worthy craftspersons and/or artists. Therefore, any healthy organization should provide an atmosphere that encourages workers’ creativity and desire to contribute to the world.
KindGeek’s co-founders, Anton Skrypnyk and Yuriy Gnatyuk developed the ethical foundations of the company during the very first week of its existence so any newcomer could feel that he or she is a part of a meaningful community.
KindGeek’s corporate culture lays upon four primary pivots: trust, transparency, social responsibility, and sense of beauty.
These values are our four elephants, the ethical and moral foundation of the company, that carry KindGeek through the restless savannas of the Ukrainian software development market.
1. Trust
Trust is KindGeek’s first and primary value: a leader of our small and cozy “elephant herd.”
You don’t build strong partnerships without trust. There should be trust between the company and its clients as well as between employees within the organization. No deception, no convenient lies will be tolerated at KindGeek.
There is not much you could say about trust; this elephant trumpets for itself.
2. Transparency
Transparency comes second. It complements trust and stimulates development.
We state that without honest feedback growth is impossible.
In a company, employees should be able to share their ideas, visions, and remarks without the fear of being misunderstood or punished for their honesty.
Perhaps, you think that our CEO did something wrong during the call with a client? Go and tell him about it afterward. He will value your transparent approach and try to not make the same mistake in the future. Do you think you know how to improve some working processes? Go and express your ideas – they will be appreciated and implemented if possible and relevant.
The same is with our clients. We strive to achieve complete transparency in our partnerships.
For example, we had a client with a limited budget who already had an MVP that KindGeek developed. We should have started working on a new feature, but we declined the work because we knew that the client had a limited budget, and the development of the new feature would harm the product’s marketing.
He asked why we would not work on the feature for which we would get paid. We answered that it would be much better for him to invest his money into the promotion of the working product, and only after the new round of investments would over, we would continue working on the project. Otherwise, the risks of the project collapse would be too high. We wanted the project to succeed and understood that it would be better to promote the MVP first and proceed with the software development second.
– The example from the “Growth of the Company” interview.
Transparency elephant is frantically straightforward but yet a gentle creature. Don’t consider him rude, he just wants what is best for our partnerships.
3. Social Responsibility
This elephant wants to take a brush into his trunk and paint some benches in the park, help the elderly to get across the street, wash some dishes, and finally ensure that his actions benefit society and the country.
Being Socially Responsible is acknowledging the fact that the company’s actions affect society, so KindGeek should use its capabilities for the good.
Being Socially Responsible means that our employees should care about the comfort and well-being of their colleagues.
Being Socially Responsible also means that KindGeek acknowledges the struggles of its Mother country, Ukraine, and does its best to benefit the state and its citizens.
4. Sense of Beauty
Last but not least kind of an elephant. The one who wants all the other elephants to fly and dream of wonders.
People love creating, but especially they love creating something beautiful. At KindGeek, we encourage the idea that we do not just develop software but try to make it as aesthetically appealing and pleasing as possible.
Software development is as much of a craft as art. The final product can be beautiful, the code can be beautiful, the approach to solving certain issues can be beautiful, and when you smile it is beautiful. Our fourth whale believes that our employees are always able to find the most beautiful option and make it a beautiful reality.
KindGeek’s values, these four stable elephants, provide a foundation on which we build our company and community around the idea to make our world a little more convenient place to be.
