In 2011, I wrote an article in Fortune called “Inside Apple” that explained the business processes of the iconic company. John Korpics, then Fortune’s art director, got it in his head that we should publish an organizational chart of Apple’s management, a tough task because Apple itself didn’t produce one. The org chart became one of the most talked about features of my article. Without Korpics, I never would have created the chart on my own. He was one of several people who made invaluable contributions to an article with my name on it.
I thought of this happy episode while pondering the successful IPO of Atlassian, the Australian collaboration software company. It raised $437 million Wednesday (after paying its bankers) by offering shares to the public at $21. The stock, whose ticker is TEAM, jumped another 33% to almost $28 on its first day of trading.
Atlassian is all about teamwork. Its IPO prospectus waxes eloquent on why. “We believe human advancement has always been driven by teamwork—from the great explorations of earth and space to innovations in industry, medicine, music and technology,” the company writes. “And while it’s common to celebrate the individual genius behind a breakthrough idea, in nearly every case there is a team of unsung heroes that actually get the work done.”
Atlassian, whose revenues are growing rapidly and profitably, is benefiting from the software-changes-everything movement. It believes its special sauce is that software developers can use Atlassian’s products to communicate with non-developers on their team. The company has five slogans that illustrate its corporate culture. I’ll leave you with them as you think today about how much your team means to you:
* Open Company, No Bullsh*t
* Build with Heart and Balance
* Don’t #@!% the Customer
* Play, as a Team
* Be the Change You Seek
This article first appeared in the daily Fortune newsletter Data Sheet. Subscribe here for a daily dose of analysis from Adam Lashinsky and a curation of the day’s technology news from Heather Clancy.
