Agency

I was drawn to a post on LinkedIn this morning concerning Netflix employee retention policy. It seems there isn't one. There is a "Keeper Policy", rather like a sports team where at any point someone good is liable to be replaced by someone better, and in turn, that person by someone better still. If the reporting is right, no dialogue, just action.

The Performance Algorithm

It's the inescapable logic of the finite game. Clear rules, identity, timescales, winners, losers. In a company where the fortunes of those who run it are based on quarter by quarter performance, it makes perfect sense.

It also raises the question whether Netflix has an "infinite game" in mind, or whether it's here for maximum performance while the opportunity presents itself. Again, a perfectly valid strategy.

What interests me is the mindset of those who work for it. The "keeper policy" is effectively an algorithm, and if we expect an algorithm to enter into a dialogue, we'll have a very long wait.

Maybe working for …