By M Johnson
Random House, 2005
$32.95
By any account Flight Centre Limited (FCL) is a phenomenal corporate success story and this study of its thirty year life is an interesting read. And as a former head of FCL’s HR, conferences and systems – one of the company’s six-person Australian leadership team Johnson is an author Australian HR professionals should take notice of.
Family Village Tribe: The Story of Flight Centre Limited provides many answers to how two 23-year-old veterinarians with no business experience succeeded. The founders, Graham Turner and Geoff Lomas structured the company as it grew into families, villages and tribes. This hunter-gather group system is based on the idea that people work best in their preferred environment within the larger organisation rather than trying to fit them into the company’s mould.
The creation of a unique system of remuneration has also worked to the company’s advantage. It provides incentives based on outcomes. For example, a national leader who earned $130,000 in one month did so by implementing policies that improved each individual’s monthly commission figures for instance.
The company has certainly experienced setbacks and has its own flaws, but it has matured gradually and Johnson tells the tale of FCL’s coming of age in a very balanced way.