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Monday 7 October 2024

Upside-down management

UK retail chain, Timpsons, have roughly 2000 outlets throughout the UK, running on a philosophy reminiscent of Nordstrom in the USA: to delight the customer (Channel 4 News, 2024; Solomon, 2016). And - like Nordstrom - the management crap at Timpsons has been largely stripped away. In the words of CE, James Timpson, "we only have two rules: you put the money in the till, and you look the part; and the rest they [staff] can do whatever they think is right" (Channel 4 News, 2024, 0:18). This sounds remarkably like the simplicity of the Nordstrom staff rules (Nordstrom, 2024; Solomon, 2016), where they begin with "One Rule: Use Good Judgment in All Situations" (Nordstrom, 2024, p. 5). Nordstrom focuses on five further areas - customers, excellence, solution-focus, results, and connection - but the lack of clutter around their key deliverables makes it easy for staff to know what the 'right' thing to do is.

It seems that Timpsons too is able to focus with a similar laser-like precision. The CE explains the Timpson's recruitment process: people register on their website and enter their name and their date of birth (Timpsons, 2024). That's it. No CVs. If, when Timpsons interviews you, they like how you present, you get hired. For Timpsons it is about personality, with the skills being taught. 

The video below explores Timpsons work ethos in an interview with the CE. Timpsons take a very HRD-focused approach to HR - see here for more on this concept - probably because, as a family owned business, they get to decide strategy, rather than being answerable to shareholders (Channel 4 News, 2024), At 45 minutes, this is well worth a complete watch.

How did this business begin? In the CE's own words, "I don't know whether it's true or not [but] there's a story that the founder - in 1865 - he left his village in Northampton to go to Manchester to work with his uncle and to start selling shoelaces on his bicycle. And he got on the wrong train, 'cos he never been on a train before. [He] ended up in Sheffield, um on the train station. [He] slept the night on the station; didn't know what to do; didn't have any money. And this man came up to him and gave him some money to get to Manchester. So ever since then there's always been this philosophy: is you help people who who need support. And it sort of carried on... as a sort of a very much a family business looking after people" (Channel 4 News, 2024, 4:53)

Timpsons have 19 holiday homes purchased with profits, which their 'colleagues' - no staff at Timpsons - can book for holidays (Channel 4 News, 2024). Managers are on the move 75% of the time, checking in with their colleagues, taking a servant leadership approach to facilitating store success (Channel 4 News, 2024; Davis, 2009; Greenleaf, 1970).

I like their model: it is pragmatic, clear, and allows people both to thrive, and second-chances. 


Sam

References:

Channel 4 News. (2024, February 29). Timpson’s boss on upside-down management and business secrets. YouTube. https://youtu.be/W2jRUqE4fK8

Davis, G. (2009, December 21). View from the Top: Interview with James Timpson managing director of Timpsons. HRM Magazine. https://www.hrmagazine.co.uk/content/features/view-from-the-top-interview-with-james-timpson-managing-director-of-timpsons

Greenleaf, R. K. (1970). The Servant as Leader. Center for Applied Studies.

Nordstrom. (2024). Code of Conduct & Ethics. https://press.nordstrom.com/static-files/952f5e64-473c-47c2-a396-3ddb81b303db

Solomon, M. (2016, January 26). What Any Business Can Learn From Nordstrom Customer Service. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/micahsolomon/2016/01/26/what-any-business-can-learn-from-the-way-nordstrom-handles-customer-service/?sh=2f6c9b475b9e

Timpsons. (2024). Careers at Timpson. https://www.timpson.co.uk/about/careers-at-timpson

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