Pros
There are some great people at HNI. Talented, hard working, and customer-focused, but not empowered to contribute at a high level.
Cons
A toxic culture, which starts at the top. People are berated and humiliated publicly which leads to top management surrounding themselves with "yes men." They congratulate themselves on being dynamic and aggressive, and strong leaders because everyone is aligned; the reality is there is a lot of CYA going on and no one wants to be exposed to a beat down from the top. Management surrounds themselves with "like minded" people that are willing to play the game. Meanwhile the talent drain is evident with top management collecting their checks and retiring early and other talent either leaving on their own, or asked to leave. A classic example of the emperor having no clothes! Some stay because the people are good and it's easier to collect the paycheck and go through the grind vs. the alternative. The company delivers ok results because Stan is extremely smart with incredible bandwith and can drive the company; the cost is that the organization could be great instead of just OK if people were engaged and empowered. This model isn't sustainable for the long-term as there isn't a strong, collaborative leaderhship team as much as individuals who have successfully maneuvered the culture vs. delivered results. There is talk of "servant leadership" and transparency. In reality, Stan is the customer, not the external customers. It's a short-term, outdated management/leadership perspective.