We've invested many "man years" of time in developing our philosophies, covenants and systems. In our industry all we have to sell is our time – so this was a significant investment. It probably was more expensive for us than for agencies that follow us in adopting this method of organization. (Please, learn from us. The basics we learned from years of trial and error are right here in this book. Feel free to replicate the culture or processes in areas where you believe they will improve your organization.)
Then there's the cost of orienting and training new associates who come from top-down hierarchies, and the expense incurred when companies need to remodel their physical environments to accommodate the new working style.
We designed and built the interior of the The Phelps Group’s building to reflect our working style. We have "The Ballroom" for our BrainBangers' Ball™ and "The Wall" to expose our work to feedback. (These mechanisms are explained in detail in later chapters.)
Since our beginning in 1981, we've had no individual offices. We cluster our open workstations in teams, not functional departments. Our PR people sit next to media, producers next to promotions people, etc. This accelerates learning about each other’s disciplines and breaks down barriers to better communications.