Building a Unified Culture Among Employees and Partners

"Customers don't care about organizational structure, they just want a great experience." Matt Purdy joins for a conversation on the importance of fostering a sense of belonging and unity among all employees and partners. He shares his experience integrating outsourced operational areas with the internal culture and values as Director of Career Services at Murray State University. Many of the university's operational areas, including dining services and grounds crews, were outsourced to third parties, resulting in distinct reporting structures. Despite this, Matt was astute enough to recognize that these employees contributed significantly to the university's public image. For Matt, the distinction between who was technically a university employee and who was not, held little importance to the customers. Instead, he believed in the collective responsibility of all workers to create a wholesome customer experience. This posed an interesting question for him: how could he foster a sense of belonging and unity among all employees, yet respect their distinctive operational structures. Listen to this episode as we break down the walls that divide and unite employees and partners. When there is a shared goal of delivering exceptional experiences then you will have a much easier time integrating diverse stakeholders. This conversation sheds even more light on the value of incorporating all stakeholders into the organizational culture and creating a shared purpose. Connect with Matt: Murray State University LinkedIn Matthew Purdy Connect with Dan: www.dancockerell.com About Dan - https://dancockerell.com/about/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/dancockerell/ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dancockerell/ Facebook - www.facebook.com/dancockerellspeaker Episode Highlights 00:00:55 - Matt's Background 00:04:14 - Matt's Question 00:07:08 - Epcot Example 00:13:48 - Building Relationships 00:13:45 - Dining Provider Feedback 00:14:36 - Onboarding Experience for Third Parties 00:16:46 - Everyone as a Recruiter 00:18:08 - Matrix Organization at Disney 00:23:09 - Inclusivity for Third-Party Employees 00:26:13 - Planning for the Future 00:26:40 - Importance of Social Experience