Organizational Culture - Apple

1. Short explanation about current Apple organization structure
   

Since Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 1997 he changed the culture and the structure of the company. He organized Apple like a start-up, with a lot of different project teams and no such things as committees. It was “organized on functional rather than product lines” (Burns, 2013) where the higher level executives had not only mangerial but also technical skills. Steve Jobs had a close team of 15 senior managers which were the only ones to have “detailed knowledge of the final product” (Burns, 2013). This centralized structure enabled quick decision-making of the board giving Apple the opportunity to react quickly when its necessary (Johnson, Li, Phan, Singer, & Trinh, 2012). The different project teams had no interaction with each other and were not allowed to share their product developments with colleagues of other departments. This shows that there was a culture of secrecy which permeated through the whole organizational structure. The possibly most remarkable thing about the structure was that the engineers and industrial designers were enjoying a higher status then other specialists (Lashinsky, 2012). This shows that the company under Steve Jobs was mostly technical and design oriented.

1. Short description about recent changes in Apple
   

Changes under Tim Cook

Since former COO Tim Cook in 2011 became the new CEO of Apple there have been some formal and informal changes within Apple. Tim Cook is making changes which were not possible under Steve Jobs. These changes are not only concerning the organizational structure, but also the culture. The culture of secrecy is easing up under Cook. He is not only more open to the public (e.g. visiting a foxconn facility) but also to investors. This is in line with the structural changes. For example where under Steve Jobs the engineering department was isolated from the others, Cook wants project management and supply management to be present in important engineering meetings (Lashinsky, 2012). In October 2012 Apple further announced their encouragement for collaboration across different departments like hardware, software & services under Tim Cook (Apple Press Info, 2012). It is notable that these changes may be strongly related to his former position as COO such that he is putting more emphasis on the operational functioning of the company.

1. Description about the technology market where Apple operates in and the downfall of several competitors (and the still standing ones like Samsung and Microsoft)
   

Apple, being the huge company that it is, is one of a few major players in the technology market. It is one of the most successful companies in the market for mobile digital devices and computers. Apple’s major competitors are Microsoft and Samsung. Microsoft is the leader in the market for personal computers, thus mainly competing with Apple’s iMacs. The market share of Apple’s iMacs is 7.54%, while 90.81% of the personal computers worldwide use Microsoft’s Windows as operating system.

Samsung is also a huge player in the technology market. They are Apple’s main competitor in the field of mobile digital devices, like mobile phones and tablets. Of the devices in this market 53.68% is an Apple product using iOS. The Android operating system has a market share of 29.42%. Nearly half, 47.5%, of these devices was made by Samsung.