V-236 2/12/14

Case 1

Zappos has 10 different commandments that they abide by on the everyday basis. There are two 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 the employees is there to try and make new ideas and always trying to grow the company. Without being innovative and taking risk, there would be no room for improvement. In my opinion when a company has that much faith in their employees to allow them to take matters into there own hands builds great culture in the company. Another organizational culture that Zappos focuses on is there approach on outcome orientation. My view of this is they don’t mind how they get results as long as they get them ethically. So if the employee’s want have fun and have a little weirdness then more power to them, as long as they achieve the results then why not have fun while being the best. This company also exhibits people orientation, by letting their employees express themselves in the work environment. Zappos doesn’t want the workers to experience the traditional office settings. Zappos seems like the type of company that would make decisions and have there workers in mind when doing so. If I were an employee at Zappos and had this type of culture to work for as they do, then I would be over jubilated with joy to be doing something I love to do. The culture all began with Tony Hsieh, he had a purpose when he started his company and wanted to be customer service base. He believed that customer service shouldn’t just be a department but how it should be the entire company. The culture is built from the ground up. It all starts from the hiring process. There are two interviews that the candidates must make it through. The first initial interview is done with the hiring manager who is looking for relevant experience, the technical ability, and also to see if they can fit with the team. The second interview is done with the HR department to see if these people fit in with their culture that is an important aspect to work for Zappos. Even if candidates passed the first test with flying colors still doesn’t mean they’ll get the job. After the hiring process the next step is training. Everyone in the whole company goes through this training regardless of what your rank is and what you do for the company, its mandatory. Then at the end of the four-week training process the whole class is given an offer for $2000 to quit. This whole process of two interviews and training helps Zappos maintain their culture. The right culture with the right values will always produce the best organizational performance. I agree 100% with this statement. There are three things that culture implies; perception, descriptive, and the different backgrounds that individuals have, which are the shared aspect of culture. The perception defines what the employees experience in the work place and how they are treated. If the employees are treated fair and are encouraged to reach new heights with no fear of making a mistake, then in my opinion they would actually try harder. The descriptive implies how the employees feel about the culture of the company, not if they agree with it or not. So if companies have a welcoming environment more people will be intrigued to work for a company with strong cultural values. Getting together the right people for the culture that you want your company to retain is critical. Having the employees in a state of mind where they are comfortable to express themselves while meeting there goals would make any business perform at its best. Other companies could learn a lot from Tony Hsieh viewpoint on how customers should be treated and the importance of what a strong culture can provide for your company. Tony Hsieh explains how having a good brand name and having a strong culture falls on the same side of the coin, meaning they have equal amount of importance. When companies realize the significance of how to build a strong culture from the ground up, they can all be successful as well.