Vantaggi
Each of the Irvine Company’s five groups - Apartment Communities, Retail Properties, Office Properties, Resort, and New Homes - are led by different Presidents. Each group is very different in leadership style and management style. These groups report to and receive direction from the 9th Floor Executive team. Which group you work for will significantly alter your experience as an employee of the Irvine Company. I feel very fortunate to work with the Office Group, which is highly functional, with an inspirational and extremely competent leader + talented co-workers. Having a leader (as opposed to a boss) is key to the Office Group’s success. It’s a very collaborative environment.
Svantaggi
There are only a couple of true “leaders” left in the company. Sadly, the inspiring and straight shooter key executives in the company have all been fired. The company culture now favors a Machiavellian top down management style. The biggest issue comes from discordant leadership on the 9th floor. One third of the team is visionary, bright, and has high expectations. One third lacks vision but is an effective taskmaster and is efficient at administrating, checking off boxes and moving thru lists. The remaining part of the team, the community development component, is a triadic minefield of political spin and maneuvering, well practiced in buzz words, double speak & duplicitous communication, constantly maneuvering and readjusting the “newest message,” while exhibiting a first-rate talent for taking credit for others success and blaming or deflecting failures to others. Over the past couple of years, the culture and reputation of the company has changed markedly. The company appears to no longer value quality and is exceedingly bottom line oriented. Most company product is now disjointed, substandard and uninspired. Sadly, I am beginning to feel we’re now perceived as the Walmart of Development Companies.