Utilising the video case study of ‘Egg Finance’ (Slave Nation, Channel 4), critically examine the extent to which corporate culture is used as an effective tool for the achievement of organizational goals.
Corporate Culture is widely used in many organisations and has a variety of definitions. It has been defined by Koozes, Caldwell & Posner cited by Moorhead/Griffin, (1989:494) as:
“a set of shared, enduring beliefs communicated through a variety of
symbolic media, creating meaning in people’s work lives.”
The argument to be taken in this essay will identify the usefulness and necessity for corporate culture to gain organizational success. In order to do this the argument will be utilized by supporting the theories of Emile Durkheim, Carol Axtell Ray, Terrance Deal and Allen Kennedy.
Qubein (1999:2), cited by Sadri and Lees, states that,” corporate culture encompasses several key elements.” He adds, “It is fostered not merely by a mission statement, but by a clear corporate vision which is a mental picture of the company’s desired future.”
It is not only the managers who should have this clear vision, the employees ought to perceive this as well. They should feel the need that they want to help to achieve the organizations goals.
When organisations follow corporate culture, they try to make their employees feel that they belong and are accepted for who they are, thus making them want to work for the company. Attempt is made to make the employees feel that their organisation is their religion. This has been clearly demonstrated in Egg Finance. Corporate culture has been extensively used in Egg Finance, and in doing so have captured the hearts and minds of their employees.
Each employee working for Egg Finance feels that “Egg” is their life. They feel safe and secure and feel that they are affiliated to the company. Carol Ray (1994) agrees with this as being part of corporate culture as she states that:
“a corporation’s culture has an important purpose to promote
a sense of belongingness to the employees.”
This has definitely worked for the employees at Egg. They even go to the extent of calling themselves an “egg person.” This ties in with the corporate cultural belief of Emile Durkheim and his approach.
Egg Finance have tried to create an “Egg World” for their employees. They have many out-of-work...
...cess of the company.
As Edgar Schein portrays it,
“The right kind of culture will influence
how effective organisations are.”
(Edgar H. Schein, 1992, Organisational Culture and leadership)
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• Channel 4 Productions, 2000, Slave Nation, Egg Finance.
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• Sadri, G., Lees, B. 2001, “Developing corporate culture as a competitive advantage.”; The Journal of Management Development, vol. 20, no. 10, pp. 853-859.
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• Ray, Carol in Clark, H et al, 1994, Organisation and Identities, Chapmen 2 Hall.
• Schein, E.H. 1992, Organizational culture and leadership. 2nd ed, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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(Merriam-Webster) In the corporate world, Good name or Image is seen as a major element of an organization’s attribution alongside and included in financial performance and innovation. Image is the perception of constituencies on how an organization actually presents itself (Van Riel, 1995) in front of its audience. Literature says corporate image plays a crucial role to generate loyalty among consumers. Other than corporate image, service quality and customer satisfaction are also viewed as key drivers of customer loyalty (Lai et al., 2009) and research generally tends to consider the links
(Article) This means they are continuously looking at engaging the entire labor force, stakeholders, and the company as a whole. CSR has developed into the dominant concept for business movements. Within this model, companies are attempting to position beliefs and ethical debates at the soul of the corporate culture and business model. Both individuals and employers have to collectively come together and stage and internalize the concepts. So in this sense, the values to establish and maintain organizational culture has to promote community and not focus on selfishness or just the individual.
Corporate Culture and Organizational Behaviour
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Corporate values are used to define corporate culture and drive operations found in “strong” corporate cultures. Boeing, Johnson & Johnson, and Bonar Group, the engineering firm I work for, all exemplify “strong” cultures. They all have a shared philosophy, they value the importance of people, they all have heroes that symbolize the success of the company, and they celebrate rituals, which provide opportunities for caring and sharing, for developing a spiri... ... middle of paper ... ...nd presumably like it, or they would have removed themselves from it. The existentially compelling question of culture in organizations is well documented, but suggested answers for it are many and constantly fluctuating. What can be known is that corporate culture is a powerful force that affects individuals in very real ways.
These are related to Corporate Social Responsibility. The CSR plan can increase shareholder value as well as boost employee engagement and brand recognition. The Human Resource departments play a huge role in ensuring that the company adopts the Corporate Social Responsibility programs. Human Resources can manage the CSR plan ... ... middle of paper ... ...te causes and opportunities, consistently communicating a simple strategic message will add value. This means integrating the CSR message with the core branding strategy externally to consumers as well as a clear consistent message internally to the employees and externally to potential employees, suppliers, retailers, governments and communities.