...values and explain how you think those values would influence the way employees do their work. A. Zappos list of 10 corporate values are: Deliver WOW Through Service, Embrace and Drive Change, Create Fun and A Little Weirdness, Be Adventurous, Creative, and Open-Minded, Pursue Growth and Learning, Build Open and Honest Relationships with Communication, Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit, Do More with Less, Be Passionate and Determined, and Be Humble. If I had to pick two values from that list they would be Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit and also Build Open and Honest Relationships with Communication. I believe that these two values would have the biggest impact in developing an organizations culture. Organizational culture has been described as the shared values, principles, traditions, and ways of doing things that influence the way organizational members act and that distinguish the organization from other organizations. Organizational culture has many characteristics but the book uses 3 particular words to define culture: Perception, Descriptive, and Shared. An organizations culture cannot be physically touched or seen, the organization is concerned with how members perceive the culture and how the describe it and finally individuals with different backgrounds or work at different levels of the organization can describe the culture of the organization in similar terms. When the key values are deeply held and widely shared a strong culture is born. When employees...
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...commandments that stand out in my opinion that would influence the way employees do their work. Be adventures, creative and open minded. Giving the employees the ability to take risk when doing their normal day task. For example, the call center workers are promoted to try new things to make the customers feel delighted and appreciated. Where as some jobs that offer a call center have their employees on a scripted dialogue, almost making them sound like robots. I think Zappos has faith in there employment by giving the employees an encouragement to make misstates because they are only going to learn from them. The second commandment that stood out to me was, create fun and a little weirdness in the work environment. I believe that this brings the workers closer together, because it actually shows peoples personality. In most work environments you always have to dress business professional and act accordingly. Zappos is bringing the aspect of being yourself in the work place. So if that means dressing in pajamas and having blue hair, that’s accepted at Zappos. They don’t mind people having fun while being the best at what they do. This type of commandment shows how confident this company is, because the results always show their success. Tony Hsieh said, “ I think it really boils down to our focus on a company culture” meaning your culture is your brand. One of the characteristics that Zappos culture is very high in would be having innovation and risk taking. Meaning...
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...work for are having a strong supportive culture. A strong culture offers mutual support, promotes trust, rewards employees’ efforts, and ensures that employees know their work is meaningful. Professional growth is a priority. Instead of growing employees’ skills to match the company’s needs, great companies look for ways to grow the company based on employees’ passions by asking employees what they are interested in doing and how they would like to see their career unfold. As an employee, it’s important to like the people you work with. Since we spend so much time with our co-workers, it’s important to like and respect them. Working with people who are supportive and understanding fosters personal connections and professional growth. Group cohesion – or connectedness – is integral to keep things productive within a group setting. It is considered vital in group decision making, group performance, goal attainment, social identity, and member satisfaction (Losh, 2011) One company that is of the top rated companies to work for on Forbes Great Places to Work is The Container Store. Some elements that appear to foster employee motivation and group cohesion among employees The Container Store has built their brand on the joyful conviction that their employees are our top priority, our most treasured asset. One of the company’s Foundation Principles says that 1 Great Person = 3 Good People, in terms of business productivity. The Container Store culture provides...
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...input from group members. Autocratic leaders typically make choices based on their own ideas and judgments and rarely accept advice from followers. Also group member are rarely trusted with decisions or important tasks. Authoritarian leaders like to keep control. Bill Gates required so much control that he even signed off the expenses of Steve Ballmer who was second in command! Microsoft’s organization structure has been a working process for them. They have been trying to slowly experience changes in power, culture, and innovation processes, some are self-induced while others are market induced. Microsoft have been adapting to changes of its management, culture, and product line. Microsoft’s company is in the works of a big culture shakeup. Bill Gates personality traits is that he is straight forward. He would tell employees what he wanted to be done, when and how. Because he worked very hard to build up his company he except for his managers and CEO of the company would work just as hard. He does not tolerate under performance. Even though people might say Microsoft is a tough place to work he always rewarded his...
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...Relationships can be improved through being Ethical and Socially Responsible 5 Strong Business Ethics will increase Efficiency 6 Social Responsibility will greatly increase our company’s Reputation 7 Recommendations 8 Conclusion 9 References 11 Executive Summary Ethics and social responsibility is on the mind of everyone in the world these days. We have all seen the effects of what happens when a company does not follow an ethical standard; it can lead very quickly to its demise. A strong ethical standard and being socially responsible is a must in the world of business. There are those who think that if they can get away with things, it can lead to higher profits and a bigger bottom line. This may be true in the short term but history has shown that those with strong ethics have the longevity and reputation to make it in the long run. The research for this report will show that not only is having strong ethics and being socially responsible the right thing to do, it is the smart thing to do for our company. In all we do, we need to have good relationships with those that we need in order to conduct business. We have vendors, suppliers, stakeholders and consumers that we have to maintain a good and strong relationship with. By having a strong ethical standard and good social responsibility, it allows us not only to maintain these relationships but to build and make them stronger. With the strong ethical standard we can work to strengthen these relationships and have...
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...A New Perspective on the Islamic Culture A Balti proverb says, "The first time you share tea with a Balti, you are a stranger. The second time you take tea, you are an honored guest. The third time you share a cup of tea, you become family,” this helped originate the title for this novel and is a main message that I believe is presented throughout the book by either direct or indirect means. When I first began reading “Three Cups of Tea” by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin, I had my own personal ideas about the people who practiced Islam and lived in areas of the Middle East similar to the Balti. I never believed that any story would change the perceptions that had become engraved in my mind since a young age and influenced by the harsh activities such as the attacks of 9/11. “Three Cups of Tea” is a story based on Mortenson's experiences in the area near K2 and especially the village of Korphe. The story begins with a failed attempt of reaching the summit of the K2 in order to put his sister’s necklace there to honor her death. However,the journey ends up becoming a bigger accomplishment. This story is the telling of one man’s dedication to build schools and help a group of people who struggle with poverty to become better educated, especially girls who are seen to not be allowed to privileges of education. Throughout the novel, there are different times in which the Balti people show fierce yet hospitable actions and within this essay I will fully discuss...
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...differentiation strategies, Tanglewood would continue its strong culture. Tanglewood must differentiate themselves from their competition; companies like Target and Kohl’s. Tangelwood can accomplish this by having the best staff that delivers a positive experience their customers, thus, making their store standout from their competitors. These strategies will help maintain a positive work atmosphere and build a strong relationship among employees, which will lead to successful job performances. Hiring or retain overstaff or understaffed, and external or internal hiring: As we look at these three decisions for the staffing levels, hire or retain, over staffed or understaffed, and external or internal hiring method we will see that Tanglewood Company is over-staffed. The mangers are cooperative with the employees’ suggestions regarding the company's operations, which need to be decreased. By decreasing employees and increasing the responsibility; staffing and training of departments will make the working environment stronger, and job performance to be improved saving both time and money for the company. Tanglewood should focus on retaining their employees and improving their expertise and skills rather than hiring new ones and develop a more flexible work place. Looking at Tanglewood’s culture and values we find that all employees do well in the family atmosphere, hiring external could affect this strategy. Employees coming from a different culture or with other perspective values...
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...become a big player. If you look at many of the products in your house, most of them probably say made in China. With China being a partner to a lot of US businesses we have to be sensitive to the culture and traditions in China. To put this simple China has a different way of doing business than we do and in order to become successful when expanding into China we need to understand and accommodate those differences. While there are many cross-cultural differences between the US and China I will look at three of them. Three of those cross-cultural differences you need to understand and accommodate before you expand into China are ethnic culture, priorities, and decision making. The ethnic culture of China varies greatly from that of the US. Chinese people are more focused on relationships and group work while Americans are more individuals. Chinese tend to be more courteous and create personal relationships with their co-workers. Americans tend to be more direct and put business above personal relationships. Because of these differences, Americans tend to put conflicts behind them quicker for the betterment of the business and Chinese tend to take things more personally and it takes them longer to put conflicts in the past. Chinese also respect people based on age and wisdom whereas Americans tend to respect success and achievement. When expanding into China you need to address the ethnic culture in order to build a strong team and work force. You cannot be as direct...
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...often experience fears and anxieties that create resistance. If you carefully assess and address these causes of resistance, you can streamline the adaptation process and increase the pace of the transformation itself. Recognize that transformation is a complex organizational process, not a one-off event. According to the best-selling business author and leadership expert John P. Kotter, there are eight key steps involved in an organizational transformation. And they each take time. He also says that you can't skip steps if you really want to succeed. So it's important to be patient with the process. Manage complexity with discipline, data and continuous improvements. Some outsourcing engagements today are more extensive in scale and scope than a merger or acquisition. And some involve multiple locations that cross national borders, bringing different languages, cultures and laws and regulations into play. To manage this kind of complexity, you have to have disciplined processes, data-driven decision making, and a firm commitment to continuous improvement. It also helps to have expertise in a proven management methodology like Lean Six Sigma. Get change management experts involved at the earliest opportunity. The best time to begin planning for a smooth transition is during the initial development of the contract itself. Early engagement helps change management professionals clearly understand the client's culture, goals and challenges so they can develop a comprehensive strategy...
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...many issues with the management levels. Tanglewood hasn’t been consistent with the management levels as far as not being consistent in how the original stores were built upon versus the additional stores built last. Every time new stores are founded, there have been changes in the management styles. So if Tanglewood acquires new talent, the new employees can bring their talents to the job. This way the new employees can come to the organization fully aware of the job position and wouldn’t need additional training. This would help with extra training since the new employees already have the skills. This method can insure a quick change and help maintain a solid productive workforce. The newly developed stores should now run smoothly as well with the help of new talent. Hire yourself or outsource I feel Tanglewood should use both methods. If you hire yourself, you can actually find what you are looking for in the candidate. In this case, you will know if the candidate is actually qualified or not. Since Tanglewood is continually increasing their locations. The company...
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...dreams can become reality, - The American Dream -, and in my opinion it is true. America has become a big destination for immigrants from Mexico, Spain, Africa etc. and in my opinion it is great because for a nation as big as America, it is important to have immigrants from different society to build an even greater society. The society as we know as America. Of course many people think it would be better to have one common culture, nationality or religion because then they might have the same habits, norms and the same sense in terms of policy, but I think they are wrong. I think they are wrong because in a country as big as America you will need many immigrants from different places for the influence of the culture and the people. The influence of immigrants is very good, because it is forming a strong society with a lot of different cultures, which means they get affected by each other in a positive way. The melting pot, also known as “the salad bowl”, is a synonym for a country build with a lot of different immigrants from different places, to build a strong society. Well we can definitely say that America is the melting pot, because of all the immigrants that have built such a strong and big country as America. It is not a surprise that there are many Immigrants in America, because America is a country where people, think that their dreams can become true and they want to secure their kids future. Most of the immigrants see’s America as the hearth of the world, well I do...
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...God’s Social Solution Strong Family. Strong Church, Strong Community! By Frank Sipps III (23734493) SOCI 201-D10 LUO July 10, 2014 Professor Mark Leadem Introduction What Is God’s plan in meeting the social problems of society beyond salvation? The answer lies within the family values and behaviors that God laid out in scripture. It was obvious in the early church; Social studies show these values and behaviors make a difference in the outcome of children. These values have made a significant impact on businesses when applied. We will look at what these values and behaviors are along with the impact in three areas the family, the church and the community. Therefore, the main concentration of this paper will be to bring out the Biblical teaching on the role of family individually and in the church and its affect. When a believer fully understands what biblical family is they will become strong as individuals, family and produce strong churches along with stronger communities. When reference is made to family the family concept of the bible is applied if not otherwise noted. What are the Strong Family Values and Behaviors? “By way of definition: THE HOME IS A SPIRITUAL RELATIONSHIP (INSTITUTION) ESTABLISHED BY GOD FOR MAN’S GOOD AND GOD’S GLORY” (Donnie S. Barnes, 2012). How to we build strong families “by paying attention not only to individual family members but to the family...
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...Please answer following questions: 1) Briefly define a monochronic culture. 2) Briefly define a polychronic culture. 3) What is meant by a Low Context Culture? 4) What is meant by a High Context Culture? 5) The basis of monochronic cultures is the time-line. What is the basis of polychronic cultures? 6) Explain what is meant by "monochronic cultures use short-term relationships". 7) What is meant by monochronic cultures tend to want "mastery over nature"? 8) How do monochronic and polychronic cultures tend to consider nepotism? 1) In a monochronic culture, people tend to place a high value on timeliness and schedules. They focus on the value of time, and therefore tend to have a very rigid interpretation of how to organize their schedules. Monochronic people generally prefer to do one thing at a time and to devote their full concentration to the task at hand, whether it be completing an assignment for work or school or having coffee with a friend. People belonging to this type of culture are also concerned about not disturbing others, and they follow the rules of privacy and consideration, they show respect for private property and are accustomed to short-term relationships. Cultures typically described as monochronic can be found in North America, Northern Europe, and parts of Asia. MONOCRONIC CULTURE CHARACTERISTICS (n an everyday life and in a business context) - sequential: do one activity at the time, follow initial plans, time is measurable, keep appointment...
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...Exam October 13, 2009 Managing Change in Aerospace: Organizational Behavior in Action An “Integrating Case Study” for Graduate Students Your Case Study Assignment You must scrutinize the case and identify the Organizational Behavior issues that are related to the topics we have covered in this course. There are many! Your best approach is to first use a highlighter for the rapid identification of some of these OB issues on the case provided above, and then to prepare a final list on an attached paper. You will not be graded on the number of OB-related issues you identify. The purpose of this exercise is for you to re-familiarize yourself with what “OB issues” are, and then to think in terms their potential damage to behavior in organizations, if not handled correctly. It is your responsibility to make pertinent cause-and-effect judgments for the three predicaments described above, and to prepare recommendations for their prevention and correction. Your Case Study products are: 1. A formal list of the OB-related issues you have identified. Do not explain each of these issues; just list them. For example, “Trust,” Management vs. Leadership,” and so on. Mutual Trust Management vs. Leadership Management/Leadership Styles Balance – People & Power Organizational Culture We vs. Them Syndrome Team Building Employee Involvement Pride in Ownership Buy In – Resistance to Change Team Building Organizational Identity Personalities ...
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...Urban Outfitters Continuing Case Study Part 5: Managing a Business Dr. Deborah Hill December 15, 2009 As businesses today is about passion and creating new things. The word fun has become a big element in the business strategy of many highly successful businesses. Make fun an important part of your corporate culture to enable relentless innovation and create an inspiring culture. 1. Explain how Urban Outfitters’ management ensures that no two stores are the same. Urban Outfitters ensures that no two stores are the same by knowing what is selling in the retail stores nationwide. In addition, Urban Outfitters has corporate directors which are in charged of what merchandise is brought and sold to the different stores. The store concepts, operations and products are very much integrated. Some stores are duplicated across the nation; Urban Outfitters does not have the same stores due to management and the company policy. John Kyees has stated that upper management is responsible for the mundane bones of the business, such as distribution and call centers, design at the store level. For example, director’s over sight the budgets for the store displayed at corporate level, but managers many of whom are artist and are very intelligent in interior design regarding specific store design. Moreover, in opening up new locations it demands that store managers and product developers are to be in teams to make sure each store is different. Their brand is to be unique even with the...
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