Editing SAS Institute (section)

===Structure and culture===
SAS has a limited corporate hierarchy<ref name="fortysix"/> and an [[Egalitarianism|egalitarian]] culture. As the company grew it created new divisions, instead of layers of management, creating a [[Flat organization|flat]], simple organizational structure.<ref name="fastc"/><ref name="hbrjp"/> According to professor Jeffrey Pfeffer from Stanford, there are only three levels in the organization and CEO James Goodnight has 27 people who directly report to him. The organizational structure is fluid and employees can change roles rapidly.<ref name="StratBus">{{cite web|last=Joel|first=Kurtzman|title=An Interview with Jeffrey Pfeffer|url=http://www.strategy-business.com/article/19215?gko=3ee5a|publisher=Strategy+Business|date=July 1, 1998|issue=12|access-date=April 10, 2014}}</ref>

Managers are involved in the day-to-day work with their employees.<ref name="fastc"/> Employees are given a large extent of autonomy<ref name=fastc>{{cite news |url=http://www.fastcompany.com/36173/sanity-inc |title=Sanity Inc. |newspaper=Fast Company |date=December 31, 1998 |last=Fishman |first=Charles}}</ref> and developers are encouraged to pursue experimental product ideas. Input from customers guides the company's marketing and software development.<ref name="jane"/> According to SAS, 80 percent of suggestions for product improvements are incorporated into the software.<ref name="fastc"/> The dress code is informal.<ref name=fastc/> According to ''Fast Company'', employees describe the environment as "relaxed."<ref name=fastc/>

Employees are encouraged to do volunteer work and the company makes donation to non-profits where employees are involved.<ref>{{cite news|first=Anthony|last=Shields|url=http://www.minyanville.com/sectors/consumer/articles/Good-Business253A-Corporations-with-Great-Ethical/2/16/2013/id/48045#ixzz31rW6SsJa|publisher=Minyanville|date=February 16, 2013|access-date=May 16, 2014|title=Good Business: 10 Companies With Ethical Corporate Policies|archive-date=February 5, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200205000100/http://www.minyanville.com/sectors/consumer/articles/Good-Business253A-Corporations-with-Great-Ethical/2/16/2013/id/48045#ixzz31rW6SsJa|url-status=dead}}</ref> The company primarily focuses its philanthropic efforts on improving education. It funds pilot programs for new education models, donates laptops and provides free online software for classrooms called Curriculum Pathways.<ref name="penn"/> The company is a founding partner of the Watt Family Innovation Center at [[Clemson University]], providing funding, access to software, and research.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Krystofik |first=Mark |date=2017-03-21 |title=SAS analytics to power Clemson's big data and cyber efforts |url=https://news.clemson.edu/sas-analytics-to-power-clemsons-big-data-and-cyber-efforts/ |access-date=2024-04-14 |website=Clemson News |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Risser |first=Miranda |date=2022-02-21 |title=SAS makes $3.3M gift to Clemson University to aid in education and research |url=https://news.clemson.edu/sas-gift-to-clemson-2021/ |access-date=2024-04-14 |website=Clemson News |language=en-US}}</ref>