

Jeff Bezos Works In Kentucky Distribution Center For A Week - brandonkm
http://www.businessinsider.com/henry-blodget-jeff-bezos-works-in-kentucky-distribution-center-for-a-week-2009-3

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catone
Admirable, certainly. It's nice to see a CEO who is keen to experience his
business from every angle.

From observing the workplace of my girlfriend, who has recently worked in
retail for a large, national corporation, I can tell that the particular
company she works for definitely doesn't. Very often they get instructions
about how to rearrange the sales floor that anyone actually working there with
the customers would never in a million years think was a good idea -- usually,
a few weeks later, they're told to change back to what they were doing. My
guess is that's how it goes in most big companies. Eventually, the suits don't
touch the nitty gritty parts of the business, and they end up getting way out
of touch.

That said, I doubt if Bezos, by virtue of the fact that everyone will know who
he is, will run into the rumored "sweatshop" conditions at some Amazon distro
centers (if those rumors are at all true, which is impossible for anyone who
hasn't worked in one to say):
<http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10123835-93.html>

EDIT: Also, does Jeff Bezos have a blog? His is one I would really love to
read.

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dbul
Yes! This is what more CEOs of large companies need to do. If you are a CEO,
you need to understand what is going on in the company first hand, not by
playing whisper down the lane with the chain of command. (This is my
philosophy, hopefully reality one day.)

~~~
staunch
He's going to get a very sanitized version of the experience. What would be
really amazing is if he disguised himself and went to work in the warehouse
unannounced. Although I'm sure there would be plenty of self righteous outrage
if he actually did.

~~~
dbul
The important thing is that he is going to be at the same level as those
employees. He can ask them questions such as, "What needs improvement?" He's a
bright guy so I would imagine he can figure out a way to make the employees
feel comfortable enough to be dead honest with him. While you are right that
there will be some cleansing, in general the employees can show him what they
are talking about in a way that some feedback form just couldn't accomplish.
(I must note that even dishing out a feedback form to employees once or twice
a year is a giant step for many companies.)

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michaelbuckbee
Here's an interesting example of the insights and changes he's made as a
result his time spent at the fulfillment centers.

[http://www.shmula.com/987/jeff-bezos-5-why-exercise-root-
cau...](http://www.shmula.com/987/jeff-bezos-5-why-exercise-root-cause-
analysis-cause-and-effect-ishikawa-lean-thinking-six-sigma)

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brandonkm
From the stories I've read over the years on Jeff Bezos, this is perfectly in
line with his management style and persona. If it was anyone else I would
probably questions motives a bit more, but this seems to simply be wanting to
experience the work and environment on the ground level. Its gaining valuable
perspective that helps effective CEOs run their companies better.

~~~
fortes
All managers at Amazon above a certain level are required to work in a
fulfillment center once a year.

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wolfish
I think this is a pretty interesting gesture. It is possible that Mr. Bezos
will learn something that will help him improve working conditions and
efficiency within the company. But who will be the CEO while he is busy
working in the distribution center? It seems like an inefficient use of his
time. Does this show a lack of faith in lower management?

~~~
jbarciauskas
A good CEO should be able to delegate day to day activities for a week - how
else would he ever get to go on vacation? In fact, a good CEO should probably
be able to delegate all day to day activities he might be involved in, in case
of an emergency, in case he's hit by a bus, or just so he can spend a day
thinking strategically.

~~~
wolfish
Good point. I guess the question is: in the long run will Amazon be better of
having Jeff Bezos performing his usual duties as CEO 3/23-3/27 or acquiring
first hand the experience of working in a distribution center. The net
difference is probably de minimis. Although it does make for good publicity
and employee moral. So net-net I think this is a decent one-off gesture, but I
don't think it belongs in every CEO's playbook.

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Xichekolas
I disagree strongly.

Just because he is moving boxes doesn't mean he isn't providing value as a
CEO. Presumably he is learning things that will empower him to improve the
company somehow, which seems like a valuable thing to have your CEO do. I'm
sure Mr. Bezos is smart enough not to go AWOL for a week if there were more
critical things to attend to.

Also don't underestimate the value of improved employee morale and good
publicity. Your company is vastly more productive with happy employees,
because they will work harder and go the extra mile for something they believe
in.

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redhex
Now, I am wondering how will those IT guys at Amazon can do a A/B test of how
effective this move by Jeff Bezos will be.

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sketerpot
I was expecting to hear what he learned from the experience.

~~~
Zev
The week isn't over yet.

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goodgoblin
I was wondering where Jeffy-B had gone to. I stopped getting personal emails
from him a while back and I had started to get worried.

