CULTURE CASE STUDY: Insomniac Games Transparency and Trust Turn Employees into Brand Advocates as a Small Company Grows Up Company Profile INDUSTRY Video Game Developer HEADQUARTERS Burbank, CA EMPLOYEES 207 WEBSITE www.insomniacgames.com About When Insomniac Games increased its headcount by 150% over a Headquartered in Burbank, California, 2-year period, leaders kept an open dialogue with employees to help Insomniac Games is a video game developer founded in 1994 by President and CEO keep them engaged with their work. Employees not only stuck around Ted Price. Most well-known for its Ratchet – they helped grow the team towards results that have been nothing & Clank and Spyro the Dragon titles, the company has sold more than 45 million short of “explosive.” console videogames worldwide. Insomniac Games is proud of its independent spirit–they believe all their games have soul, humor and heart. More than 200 artists, programmers, The Challenge designers and creative thinkers work at the For years, Insomniac Games was a small, company’s business results was manageable company’s two locations in Burbank, CA and Durham, NC. tight-knit group of around 50 employees, when Insomniac was that small. However, where the Founder and CEO, Ted Price, a two-year, 150% employee growth spurt was involved in everything from setting and expansion to a second office across production schedules to approving vacation the country made it challenging to ensure requests. everyone in the team was rowing in the same Sharing information with employees and direction and continued feeling personally demonstrating how their work impacted the invested in the organization. "Transparency equates to fairness—this is the most transparent company I have worked for, and they genuinely try to improve in ways that surprise me.” –Insomniac Employee greatplacetowork.com ©2016 Great Place To Work®. All Rights Reserved CULTURE CASE STUDY: Insomniac Games Employees speak up The Solution & management listens Leaders realized that they needed to scale their personally answers every question, sometimes with transparent culture to engage employees in this the help of the leadership team. Price also offers all of employees say that management is time of growth. According to Chief People Officer employees the ongoing opportunity to meet with 90% approachable and easy to talk with. Carrie Dieterle, one way Insomniac has been able to him one-on-one. do this is rooted in the strong levels of trust at the Carrie Dieterle, also meets with each employee core of their culture. “As we have built a high-trust during an “Insomniac Future” (IF) touch-base to of employees say they culture we’ve really looked to our employees and can ask management any specifically ask for their opinion on the company reasonable question and said ‘share everything’…we don’t hold back unless 86% get a straight answer. and its culture—what they’re doing right, where we are contractually obligated to do so.” they could improve, and what keeps employees Insomniac renewed its commitment to foster a around. of employees say culture of trust and transparency that ensured Employees find out the impact of their suggestions management genuinely every employee at Insomniac felt like an important 86% seeks and responds to through a number of active approaches to informa- suggestions and ideas. part of the team. The studio instituted a variety of tion-sharing, such as “Daily Decisions” an e-mail programs to foster transparency, one of which is that summarizes key decisions affecting production, © called Ask Me Anything (AMA), borrowed from a Source: Great Place to Work® Trust Index as well as CEO walk-arounds to each department Survey popular Reddit feature. In this version, employees whenever the company has a major announcement. can pose questions about any aspect of Insomniac’s programs and culture. Founder/CEO Ted Price Insomniac reports their The Results efforts to build trust and transparency have also led to: According to Ryan Schneider, Chief Brand Officer, we’ve gained more respect in our industry and a the benefits of increased trust and transparency greater following because we’re authentic.” +79% during the company’s growth are evident. “When I Turning employees into advocates has paid off over Increase in knowledge sharing first started at Insomniac, we released one game a the long-term: The company has just 6% voluntary year. Now, we’re releasing up to five games a year full-time turnover (U.S. Average is ~26% according +53% and (this year) we have to BLS). Employees don’t just Increase in employee referrals a feature film coming "When people have the stick around longer – they want out. If we weren’t a information, then they can be others to join the family, as -32% trust-based organization, nearly 25% of new hires are Drop in benefit costs to we couldn’t have thinking [about] where they the company referred by employees. delegated responsibility want to steer the company, and to multiple different it can be explosive.” “When I think about the benefit +16% creative directors and of transparency and not holding Increase in studio morale –Carrie Dieterle, Chief People Officer anything back, I think that you and productivity department heads to [achieve this].” have just engaged an entire workforce in driving your business forward,” shared -3% Dieterle says that fostering a trust-based envi- Dieterle. “When people don’t know where you’re Drop in employee turnover ronment of transparency has also turned their headed, when they don’t know what the objectives employees into advocates. “People believe in are…that’s a challenge. When people have the Insomniac Games,” she said. “[Employees] know information, then they can be thinking [about] they have a voice, they know they have a say. We’re where they want to steer the company, and it can not hiding anything from employees, we’re not be explosive.” hiding anything from …our fans, and I think that greatplacetowork.com ©2016 Great Place To Work®. All Rights Reserved.