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Bmw Culture

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1. How would you describe the culture at BMW?
2. What model of leadership is illustrated at BMW? How does this impact BMW’s culture?
3. Using the concepts illustrated in the job characteristics model, analyze why employees derive high job satisfaction at BMW.
4. What attributes of organizational creativity are fostered at BMW?

SOLUTION

1. BMW has an entrepreneurial culture that is characterized by high levels of risk taking and creativity. There is a commitment to experimentation, innovation, and being on the leading edge. Effectiveness means providing new and unique products and rapid growth. Individual initiative, flexibility, and freedom foster growth and are encouraged and well rewarded

BMW’s entrepreneurial culture is rare in corporate Germany where management in Germany is usually top-down. BMW’s 106,000 employees are a network of committed associates with few hierarchical barriers to hinder innovation. From the moment they set foot inside the company, associates are overcome with a sense of place, history, and mission. BMW’s human resources department receives more than 200,000 applications annually. Those who make it to an interview undergo elaborate daylong drills in teams that screen out big egos. For the lucky few who are hired, a Darwinian test of survival ensues. Individuals from all levels of BMW work side by side.

2. BMW uses self-managed teams with team leaders. Self-managed teams are highly interdependent, competent, and empowered members who work together effectively daily to manufacture an entire product (or major identifiable component) or provide an entire service to a set of customers. Multiple leaders may exist in a team because it has both relations-oriented and task-oriented goals. Informal leaders are important in determining

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