At ANAB, we believe that our culture sets us apart from other accreditation bodies.
A company’s culture is the system of shared assumptions, values, and beliefs that governs how its people behave. It’s based on shared attitudes, beliefs, customs, and written and unwritten rules developed over time and considered valid. These shared values shape how our people respond to one another and perform their jobs.
ANAB’s culture is defined first and foremost by the assumption that ANAB exists to serve the needs of customers (stakeholders of all types) and customers are the focus of everything we do. We value above all our people, who, after all, are ANAB’s only real assets. And our primary belief is that if we focus on customers in all we do, we will be successful.
Our culture is based on teamwork. We have a relatively flat hierarchy and our people are encouraged and expected to work effectively as a team. While the president and CEO is at the top of the hierarchy, he is not the sole decision-maker. Rather, he holds the management team accountable for making decisions as a team and ensuring that company objectives are achieved through teamwork. Each person has a voice and is expected to contribute to continual improvement at ANAB.
ANAB values transparency. Employees are encouraged to share information to the greatest degree and as broadly as possible so that everyone (including stakeholders as appropriate) is aware of where the company is headed, why, and how it plans to get there. Employees need to be aware of objectives and intended results to understand and realize their parts in attaining them. ANAB also believes in making its processes and documentation as transparent as possible to customers and stakeholders.
This kind of transparency fosters trust. When we trust others to be open and forthcoming with information, we’re more willing to cooperate in achieving shared goals. Although each position has a unique job description, employees are expected to support each other and work for the good of the team regardless of their specific responsibilities or authorities.
ANAB’s “product” is credibility, so it’s essential to our culture that we are dedicated to sound practices (based on standards), integrity, and impartiality. To enrich our culture, our people must care – about their work, our customers, each other, and helping one another.
ANAB demonstrates its culture through the way we conduct our business and how we treat each other, customers, and the broader community. We encourage our people to make decisions, develop new ideas, and express themselves. We believe power and information should not reside with one or a few individuals but should flow through our organization. We want all of our people to be committed to our strategic direction.
ANAB’s culture is both the glue that holds the organization together and the compass that provides direction.
Our logo reinforces ANAB’s position as the American accreditation body in the use of the torch, which recalls the Statue of Liberty, and the patriotic red, white, and blue. The torch is further intended to symbolize ANAB’s holding the torch as the leader in accreditation.