Almost everyone in business is aware of Apple’s amazing product success and the extraordinary leadership of Steve Jobs. Some would say that it’s the corporate culture of the company that has allowed them to go from solely a computer company to being known for its ability to come out with path-breaking products. That culture has also been tied to the innovation created at Apple and how they became the pioneer of the “Work Hard Play Hard” ethic.
When Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 1996, he totally change the whole organization. With the help from his Human Resources Director, Jay Elliot, he reorganized the hierarchy of the company from the more traditional functioning vertical organization designed by the previous CEO to a flat organization, launching open communication policies and recruiting employees who were genuinely excited about creating products for the company (Shelly, 2011). Steve Job’s leadership skills and the principles for hiring the right people and developing management policies were the basis for Apple’s start and what has helped shaped the organization and defined their corporate culture.
Apple's human resource management attracts a quality workforce by attracting visionary people that think freely and can see the potential in different objects. It does this through excellent human resource planning, job specifications, recruiting and the selection process. It all begins with hiring the right people, so how does Apple go about finding the best people who are passionately committed to the brand and the customer experience? The company hiring managers start by gauging candidates based on some basic requirements. The first is whether the individual has the ability to perform under pressure – “Grit” as Apple calls it. The courage and confidence that the individual might not have all the answers but that they are determined to find the answer.