Intel

Competitive environment focused on performance metrics. Generally, the high-level CSI (Critical Success Indicators) are well chosen and focus on the business outcomes, so teams are focused on the "corporate good." This is critical to keep the large teams (hundreds to thousands of employees) targeting their attention on what needs work (yield, cost, cycle time, product development cycles, employee satisfaction, safety). You know what to focus on to affect your bonus. The HR policies/standards are generally good and are not influenced by the "flavor of the month" trap that smaller or dysfunctional corporations can fall under.

Competitive environment focused on performance metrics. At a lower layer, the mantra of "what gets measured gets done" can lead to excessive measures of tangible micro considerations. The difficult-to-measure intangible performance considerations are too frequently ignored. The combination can create a culture of "turning red boxes green" which actually don't matter to the business.

Leaders of valuable cultural attributes can easily become whacked in the review process, especially when managers change frequently (I've averaged 1.5 managers/year, not counting two in-box managers of my work).

This can result in team members being rewarded for the wrong behaviors. Also, the individual performance evaluation (focal ranking and rating process with forced distributions) leads to dysfunctional team dynamics (political, backstabbing behaviors). When your livelihood is on the line, individual morals become fully revealed over time.

Over my service, I believe I have seen at least six headcount reduction actions, split pretty evenly between "voluntary" and "involuntary" actions. Given forced distributions, there is always the chance that a bad review year will combine with an involuntary headcount reduction. Many good folks are being let go this time around, and Intel's competitors will benefit from the skilled people being released.

In this environment, exempt employees can expect to work +60 hours/week minimum.

Give managers the latitude to evaluate their employees on their more intangible results that generate significant value to the organization's capability.

The extensive erosion of retirement compensation is noted by the employees. When I joined Intel, the contribution to retirement was 12% of base pay, which could cover a wealth of other weaknesses. Now it's 6%. The full retirement medical contribution is a joke. Without a stack of cash in retirement accounts, experienced employees will make decisions that are not in the best interest of the corporation. Good people are leaving to work elsewhere before it's too late to accrue retirement medical benefits.