Creating an Organizational Culture

Creating an Organizational Culture

Geoffrey Hames

Rasmussen College

Author Note

        This research is being submitted on September 10, 2016 for Professor Michael Heard B440/GEB4220 Section 02 Managing a Diverse Workforce course.

Introduction

         An organizational culture is a commonly held set of expectations for how people within that organization should behave. “Cultures may be observed as a set of norms or implicit rules of behavior, which reflect the central values of the organization and dictate the appropriateness of attitudes and behaviors” (Spataro, 2005). A company’s culture shapes much of what occurs within the organization, including how individuals interact with each other, what people pay attention to, how they respond to different situations, how they treat their customers and how they socialize new members and exclude those who do not fit in. In other words, an organization’s culture can be viewed as a control system which reflects the values of the company. Further can be said for the “congruence between individuals and the organizations they belong to,” and can be a determining factor to the overall success of the company (Spataro, 2005). Therefore, an organization that values diversity as part of its core culture usually creates individuals who celebrate the differences in each other as well what makes their customers different. Consequently, an organization that struggles with diversity as part of their culture, may inevitably find that they cannot relate well to any one particular market.

First Company Researched

Since its inception in 1999, founder Tony Hsieh has attempted to do things a little differently at Zappos.com by developing a unique work culture through ten core values the company refers to as the Zappos Family core values. After steady initial growth, by the end of 2003, Zappos moved its headquarters to Las Vegas, and by 2005; Zappos was on track to beat its yearly sales goal of $300 million. In 2009, the company was acquired by Amazon for $1.2 billion in an all-stock deal. Zappos’ success has always been found to stem directly from those ten core values, and they are sprinkled all over their website which gives their brand the image of a very accepting employer. Their other strength comes from their overall commitment to accepting their patrons as well. Customers are encouraged to participate in blogs and social media to promote their own unique behavior. However, a company’s culture that is based entirely on their commitment to diversity can appear too contemporary or modern, and can actually have adverse effects on an elderly shopper that is just looking for a simple website to purchase shoes. In addition, ageism can also be a sign of a more liberal motive thereby deterring conservative shoppers. A culture that is geared towards the celebration of individuality may inadvertently repel those with a conformist outlook.