We follow an open office culture with no support staff, and believe in operating teams where anyone can take the role of team coordinator. Our organization structure is square, a departure from the traditional pyramid structure; and new entrants join us either as beed-terns (beed interns), or aspiring-beed (a beed management program) before they graduate to become a beed.
Our hiring policy necessitates potential candidates to go through a written application as well as an interview, and we try to match the person’s profile with the brand personality of the brand beed. Brand personality is one of the ingredients of the proprietary tool ‘brand compass’ we use to create the brand vision for the organization. People need to tick off at least seven of the ten traits outlined as our brand personality traits. Integrity, ethics and values are at the core of the brand.
Disruptive structures question the status-quo; therefore, there is a lot of de-education required for people who have already been working. We, therefore, have been attracting more fresh and young talents who are willing to ride the rollercoaster ride as well as see their future in an organization that will pioneer many “first-time” ventures in Nepal. Nepali youths have a lot of energy, and the focus is to channelize those energies productively. While the general belief is that Nepali youths do not see a future in Nepal, we have been pleasantly surprised to house a large number of Nepali youth returning from the US and UK. If Nepali youth can make world class music videos and documentaries, the time is not far when Nepal will also start producing world class managers who can operate in different disciplines across different geographies.
We have been around for about a year now, but in the past two months, especially after we launched our first business, beed invest, Nepal’s first operational portfolio management company, we are receiving around ten-twelve resumes a week. We have found Nepali youth to be receptive to the idea of our organization that provides them a platform where they create their own identities. Our application forms do not have fields for father’s name, and we do not dwell upon the person’s family background, and we hire people as individuals and they get to begin life that is not associated with being someone’s son or daughter. This has really attracted many people. Further, young people like to learn and be mentored; according to the feedback we have received, our mentoring program makes people realize their actual potential; and within a couple of months, they see a great transformation in themselves. When peers notice their transformation, they then also desire to be a beed.
Along with the core work issues, we also help people understand the need for proper grooming, etiquette, and communication skills, apart from appreciating Nepal and its potential as a country that is not taught in conventional schools. Open structure allows lateral communication and builds confidence in people. Apart from being together at work, beeds do get together for lots of fun, where discussing work-related matters attract serious monetary fines! Initially, people find it weird, but then they get used to it as we feel work life balances along, while separating personal and professional life is very important.
Apart from beed management, our core management consulting and advisory business, we also run the not for profit Nepal Economic Forum (NEF) where the core beed co-founders volunteer. This allows individuals to get exposure not only in the corporate and business sector but also in the development sector and contribute to policy dialogues.
Surely, the diversity of work, the unique approach to solutions, and the environment filled with passion, and the opportunity to realize one’s own potential will continue to attract youth to beed.
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