WorldBlu List 2009
Profile
Founded: 1991
Headquarters: Washington, DC
Number of Employees: 188
Public/Private: For-profit
Website: www.touchstone.com
Years on the WorldBlu List: 2009
About
Touchstone is a strategy management consulting firm that helps leaders develop, launch and manage their strategies. Their clients include state and local governments, non-profits and private organizations.
Why
"We practice democracy in the workplace because we believe democracy is the foundation for all civil liberties and personal freedoms. We believe democracy instills trust, new thinking, and entrepreneurship in our staff. At Touchstone, people are not focused on their own personal agenda; they take responsibility for themselves and their neighbors." — Tony Summerlin, Vice President and Director of Consulting
BLUNOTES :: SELECTED BEST DEMOCRATIC PRACTICES
On DECENTRALIZATION...
Touchstone has a "Bubble" structure, which means that any person at any level can lead a group of staff. The leader can ask for and receive whatever level of talent he or she needs to achieve the mission. One result is that senior staff sometimes ends up working under a less-senior staff person that is managing a given project. The leader is in charge of the deliverable, and has the freedom to develop and implement the project as he or she sees fit.
On TRANSPARENCY...
At Touchstone, the company hosts an open forum every two weeks that belongs solely to the employees. Employees can ask anything they like, and all questions are addressed. Touchstone practices open book management, openly talks about goals, makes everyone's billable time completely transparent to other staff members, and takes into consideration staff feedback about raises and promotions.
On REFLECTION + EVALUATION...
Touchstone commonly engages in "Hotwashing", which is inspired by the practice of hosing down armored tanks after battle before the mud hardens. Teams participate in this practice after every client meeting in order to extract lessons learned. The company's culture also encourages a lot of honest feedback on an ad-hoc basis, and feedback is formally incorporated into performance appraisals. In addition, each employee also has a "CaPP," a Career and Performance Partner with whom they meet periodically.
