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A company that has seen 37 consecutive years of record earnings must be doing something right. The analytic software giant, SAS Institute was named the world’s best multinational workplace by the Great Place to Work Institute in November. Organizations that invest in more generous practices can usually expect a profitable reward. Generous practices such as pay increases and benefits play a major role in keep employees happy, but it may not be the key factor. Work philosophies, methods and intentions are also key factors to employee happiness. Understanding individual and organizational behavior can help a company determine the effectiveness of an organization.

Jim Goodnight, the CEO of SAS Institute, values worker- friendly programs, family and education. Goodnight has made family time easy to obtain by having 35- hour workweeks and onsite day care. He is committed to making education the focus of SAS philanthropy. SAS has a unique business model and a reputation for innovation. A quarter of total annual revenue is reinvested. One of the company’s strategies to keep employees motivated is to realize their employee’s creative capital and generate valuable products and services. Goodnight believes that innovation is the key to success and that creativity is the fuel for innovation. Jim Goodnight has stated that “Creativity is especially important to SAS because software is a product of the mind. As such, 95 percent of my assets drive out the gate every evening. It's my job to maintain a work environment that keeps those people coming back every morning. The creativity they bring to SAS is a competitive advantage for us." (Goodnight) Goodnight values creativity, education and leadership. His values are what makes his employees ...

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...with tangible things such as the healthcare facility, the piano player that creates a relaxing environment during lunch, financial planning services, as well as discounts on residential property. Each employee gets their own office instead of cubicles. Jim Goodnight believes that this increases productivity and does it because that’s how he would want his office space if he were just an employee. Every employee also has a sense of ownership with their office and can decorate it as they like within in reason. This provides a comfort level at work. Not all of the motivation is compensation related; SAS has structures in place that encourage teamwork. Employees can feel confident in knowing that they will get help when needed. SAS Institute has a reward system that encourages employees to work together. Everyone in a sales organization gets a bonus relative to target.

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