How Qualtrics Makes the Workplace More Human

When it comes to debates on the Qualtrics team, there’s no such thing as being right — it’s all about the freedom to get it right.

“Luckily for me, I’ve never been right a day in my life,” said Senior Manager of People Insights and Operations Alexis Lopez.

At first glance, never being right may seem like a surprising facet of workplace culture, but for the Qualtrics team, the concept of “getting it right” over “being right” is the north star that keeps them focused as an organization. As Lopez described it, the idea that anything is right or wrong isn’t helpful — instead, decision-making comes from a holistic, group-oriented perspective.

“There are always many different paths you can take: How do we pick the path that best fits where we’re at?” said Lopez.

Embracing a culture of getting it right comes with additional benefits outside of easier decision-making — it allows for a wider degree of flexibility and challenges Qualtrics employees to remain open to other perspectives that may have previously been quickly overlooked or disqualified.

 

“There are always many different paths you can take: How do we pick the path that best fits where we're at?”

 

Aaron Colak, director of machine learning, knew from his first day that this aspect of Qualtrics’ culture was an opportunity to think differently and take big risks. By uniting under this mindset, employees aim for the cutting edge collaboratively — and sustainably.

“It's about feeling supported in whatever you do,” said Colak.

This open-ended support has resulted in positive improvements for some of the various SaaS products that Qualtrics provides. One example is the development of Predict iQ, an intelligent tool that assesses customer survey data to determine the probability of future churn. When a valued customer pushed the Qualtrics team to take the new tool in an unexpected direction, they embraced the opportunity to work together in a way they hadn’t previously imagined. What resulted was a sophisticated intelligence suite that more accurately served the customer.

 

 

Unmistakable Impact as One Team 

Complementing Qualtrics’ focus on collaborative decision-making is the company value, “One Team,” which emphasizes the value of diverse ideas and the importance of bringing out the best in one another.

Alexandra Nation, a manager of solution engineering, described her career journey at Qualtrics as one directly inspired by steady support during challenging moments of growth. Six years later, Nation makes it a personal mission to pay that support forward to the employees she manages.

“As an individual contributor, it was all about me — now as a leader, it’s all about my team,” said Nation.

 

“As an individual contributor, it was all about me — now as a leader, it’s all about my team.”

 

Nation highlighted getting it right as a collaborative process: As coworkers come together to solve problems, the door should always be kept open to alternative ways of working things out. While the team’s overall vision may be clear, the way the team gets there remains flexible to the working needs of the individual employees driving towards that shared vision.

“I’m a big fan of the expression ‘strong convictions, loosely held,’” said Nation.

On a companywide scale, the “One Team” value shapes complicated cross-functional debates into understandable and productive discussions. As a solutions engineer, Nation noted that her role includes a close partnership with revenue leaders and a shared goal of quarterly sales numbers to hit — one that carries significant potential for stressful conversations. By embracing unity, however, teams remain open to alternative perspectives and cross-functional discussions remain low-stress. 

Nation recalled a shift in sales methodology proposed by a sales leader at a quarterly team offsite. Initially, Nation had reservations about transitioning to a different sales model. She credited her colleague’s proposal, which included room for a brief debate — an embodiment of the “One Team” value — as the reason the team ultimately moved forward with the idea.

“I appreciated his willingness to consider different perspectives,” said Nation, who added that the decision ultimately resulted in an immediate positive shift — and the team achieving their quarterly goals. 

 

 

Career Growth With Steadfast Support

Taking risks and finding teamwide support is a regular refrain in the career journeys of Qualtrics employees. From his first days on the machine learning team — one that is using and exploring some of the newest AI applications in the market today — Colak felt encouraged to work outside the box. 

“This is a disruptive technology; it requires a different way of thinking,” recalled Colak. “My leadership and peers were always supportive.”

Stretching to tackle new challenges also rings true for Lopez, whose decade-long tenure at Qualtrics has included frequent promotions and new areas of responsibility, many of which were presented as opportunities by team members who encouraged her to stay mobile and rise to new challenges. While she describes the experience as “both fortunate and terrifying,” Lopez attributed her curiosity as a driving force in her career at Qualtrics — a journey directly supported by her team members and an iteration-centric culture.

“I’ve always felt stretched and challenged to a point where I genuinely think, ‘Whoa, I cannot believe they’re trusting me with this,’” said Lopez.

 

“I’ve always felt stretched and challenged to a point where I genuinely think, ‘Whoa, I cannot believe they’re trusting me with this.’”

 

For Nation, the career journey from individual contributor to management can be measured in challenges reshaped into opportunities for growth. Early in her onboarding experience, Nation was thrust into the deep end, covering an onsite consultation for an experienced colleague on paternity leave. The early challenge, given hand-in-hand with universal support from the Qualtrics team, galvanized Nation into growing her career milestone after milestone. 

“Expectations and pressure are high, but the supportive environment from my leadership and colleagues makes work fun,” said Nation.

The later shift from individual contributor to management came at a coincidentally tumultuous time in Nation’s life: Fifteen minutes after she learned she was pregnant, her dream leadership role opened for interviews. With years of management experience now behind her, Nation feels confidently backed by colleagues — as a professional and person.

“I truly feel that Qualtrics has embraced me in every season of life,” said Nation.

 

“I truly feel that Qualtrics has embraced me in every season of life.”

 

 

Building a More Human Business

On a mission to make business more human, the Qualtrics team has made a serious investment in cultivating a thriving team. As they continue to expand, carefully considering how a candidate can contribute to that culture is a top priority.

“I look for people open to multiple perspectives willing to admit mistakes and iterate to get better,” said Lopez.

In a similar vein, Nation emphasized the importance of candidates who can add to Qualtrics’ culture, rather than fit it. Yes, candidates will need some baseline skills for the roles they apply for, but an ideal Qualtrics employee is one who brings new perspectives and elevates the team around them — a special trait that’s hard to find and even harder to develop.

“We can teach tech. I’m looking for the intangibles that are much harder to cultivate,” said Nation.

 

“We can teach tech. I’m looking for the intangibles that are much harder to cultivate.”

 

When asked about the most important element of Qualtrics’ culture, Colak noted that, by finding ways to elevate one another and their customers, employees continuously discover new, worthwhile reasons to dig in and accomplish great things.

“The culture at Qualtrics is about making meaningful impacts, not just for the company but for society.”