Tribal Knowledge: Business Wisdom Brewed from the Grounds of Starbucks Corporate Culture

Without question, Starbucks Coffee is one of the greatest business success stories of the past decade. Since going public in 1992, it has grown yearly revenues to more than $6.5 billion, achieved a stock price increase of more than 6,500%, and opened over 11,000 locations worldwide.

But for a company that has accomplished so much, outsiders really know very little about the Starbucks secrets to success. That’s because much of the company’s sage advice and weathered truisms exist solely in the hearts and minds of longtime Starbucks employees.

This so-called “tribal knowledge” includes pithy quotes uttered by Starbucks executives, mantras used by Starbucks project groups, learnings from failed pilot programs, and “ah-ha” moments from successful projects. It’s company stories passed down from one generation of employees to the next. It’s intense. It’s poignant. It’s thought provoking. It’s actionable. It’s a language of Starbucks “tribal knowledge” that has never been written – only spoken – and only within the Starbucks tribe.

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