Law | unorthodox advertising | Ericsson | Tata Steel

And if all of this sounds like the perfect structure for the creative, often unorthodox advertising business, but perhaps not applicable to your average widget-producing factory, some of the companies which Law looks upon for inspiration should prove that there's room in any organization for the kind of employee-driven business that has made St. Luke's so remarkable. Law points to Ericsson; IKEA; and Tata Steel of India, where the company's entire grounds are a conservation area, and employees are offered public education and private medical treatment. Among other things, Law credits these companies for making human capital their most important asset, behind their products, and, even to an extent, their customers.

"People are looking for some sort of satisfaction from the workplace they're in," says Law. That includes giving the employees a voice about not just what goes on in the company, but also about the products the company produces.

Law's brand of corporate utopia isn't without its problems. Law realized from the onset that they were liable to be trading yesterday's management problems for today's.

Oddly enough, for an agency revered for its treatment of employees, finding and hiring talent has become a huge challenge. Because of the "curious nature" of his office, Law admits it takes a certain type of person to work at St. Luke's - someone willing to accept the criticism of his peers and willing to evaluate his work constantly. At St. Luke's, there's no hiding behind power or a lofty title. This has made the hiring process at St. Luke's a grueling series of upwards of seven interviews.

"We can actually only grow as fast as the quality of people we find," says Law. "So what we cannot do is take on a big account and then just go and hire loads of people."