Abstract

This case describes the organizational culture and human resource management practices at Genentech Inc., a major biotech company based in the US. In 2006, Gene-ntech was the ranked as the best company to work for in the US by Fortune magazine. The company was recognized for its culture, which encouraged employees to pursue projects that interested them and to have fun at work. Genentech had been one of the few companies for which academicians opted to work in its early years in the 1970s. The company continued to maintain the same university research lab atmosphere even in the early 2000s. Genentech was also one of the rare companies in the biotech industry that held parties on campus and encouraged employees to have fun. The company also had a generous benefits program and the HR practices encouraged employees to achieve work/life balance. The case also talks about whether Genentech’s culture could come under threat as the company increases in size.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Examine the organizational culture and HR practices at a company that was recognized as one of the best companies to work for in the US
• Study the positive elements in the company’s culture and to understand how they contributed to employee morale
• Ana-lyze the benefits and drawbacks of cultivating an academic atmosphere in a research oriented corporate entity
• and Analyze whether the company’s culture could be put at risk as it grew in size.

Keywords

Genentech Inc., Organizational culture, Arthur Levinson, Biotech industry, Horizon 2010, Quasi-academic culture, Employee-oriented culture, Diversity in Action, Diversity Network Associations, Internal transfers, Corporate Bonus Program, Genenchecks, Ho-Hos