HR is not typically the first group you think of being focused on making sure clients get value from our services.

At StarFish, People & Culture are focused on providing the people and the culture that supports this effort.

Our recruiting process is the first one that impacts our ability to make sure clients obtain maximum value from StarFish. Our process is more robust than most with candidates meeting with an average of 5 to 7 interviewers. For more senior positions, that number is even higher.

One of the key factors we are assessing is how well that candidate will interact with clients, whether they are applying for a position that has direct interaction with clients on a regular basis or if their customer is internal. This extended process benefits our candidates as well, allowing them to meet potential colleagues and experience our culture first hand, so they can decide if StarFish is the right fit for them. Ultimately our culture is highly collaborative and that means we need people who will excel in that environment.

Once someone is on board at StarFish, we need to provide a culture that enables them to be successful in providing services to clients.

Our CEO conducts a vision and values session with every new hire, as well as a client value session so that employees understand the unique journey a medical device takes from idea to commercialization, and how StarFishers help our clients’ companies get to commercialization with the most company value intact.

As a provider of medical device product design and manufacturing, the work we do is complex. Simple rules or guidelines are not sufficient for making sure employees do what’s right when they need to make a decision. To support them, we have a set of four guiding principles:

• We look deeper and solve the right problems. We solve the right problems. We get the fundamentals right and then build from the inside out. That’s a fundamental integrity core value. We’re not about the appearance of being good – we’re about being good.
• We are open and welcome accountability. We share information with team members well and across the company. We don’t deny our shortcomings and mistakes but welcome opportunities to improve. We point out the elephant in the room.
• We get better all the time. All the time. We learn and systematize so we don’t make the same mistakes twice.
• We cut to the chase. We don’t indulge in ineffective actions. We get things done. We’re efficient.

Another cultural program that supports making sure people are doing the best work of their lives is our SuperPowers/Kryptonite program in which employees determine both those things that put them in “flow” and what crushes their soul. We aim to have them use more of their SuperPowers and diminish any time they spend around their Kryptonite.

Our learning programs provide additional tools for our employees to use in making sure they stay client focused. Whether it’s training on our Quality Management System (QMS), technical topics, leadership, management, or other topics, it is all aimed at making sure our people are equipped to provide our clients with the maximum value for their investment.

As our employees’ careers progress, they may stay or move on. Those who move onto other organizations sometimes reach back out to us with ideas or connections that will help our clients. We are proud to say that even our alumni are still adding client value even after they have left us.