What is the GCP company cul-
ture?
CM:
Late in 2011, with the help
of Instinct®, we as a group created
our company brand foundation, a
one-page document outlining who we
are as a company and what we expect
from one another. Since its inception,
it’s had a tremendous grounding effect
on the organization.
GM:
To work at GCP, you have
to check your ego at the door. Conflict
is not acceptable; disagreements, yes,
but conflict? No. The company culture
and office is open, where everyone is
accountable. Plus, no one is hidden out
of customer view, so we all have to be
consistent in how we handle things.
Our reputation is all we have. I’ll
risk money before I’ll risk reputation.
The core purpose of the organiza-
tion is to make the world we operate
in better for our stakeholders and our-
selves. If we can’t do that for our ap-
proved suppliers and customers, and if
we can’t provide the right type of en-
vironment within the company where
people can be challenged to grow, well,
we’re not fulfilling our purpose. And
the entire team understands this.
As a company we believe in plan-
ning: from our daily wins and weekly
activities, through to establishing the
company’s Annual Operating Plan
(
AOP) and 10-year vision. These plans
and meetings have helped position ev-
eryone in the company to know GCP’s
ambitions and strategies, while pro-
viding an outlook to what their role is
now, and what it can be in the future.
We make sure everyone knows they
have a place in GCP’s future.
We also have a performance-
based reward program in place. Based
on the profitability of the company, all
full-time employees with two or more
years of service are eligible to earn up
to 25 per cent of their base salary if the
company reaches its profit targets. This
is not a guaranteed payment, and it is
not factored into the determination of
the individual’s annual salary. But it
ensures every individual has a signifi-
cant stake in how well the company
performs, because it impacts personal
income. This program does require
management to share financial infor-
mation with all employees, which we
do on a quarterly basis.
Can you give our readers a sense
of your international presence?
NP:
One aspect that has made us
successful internationally is our real-
ization that to sell or source globally,
it’s important to have someone on the
ground with a good understanding of
the business environment in that re-
gion. For GCP this includes our sales
reps throughout the U.S., and our of-
fice in Suzhou, China.
GCP
