Free Essay

Culture

In:

Submitted By rkuykendoll
Words 1122
Pages 5
Integrating Culture and Diversity in Decision Making:
The CEO and Organizational Culture Profile

Rebecca Y. Kuykendoll
Dr. Phyllis Parise
BUS520
April 29, 2013

Integrating Culture and Diversity in Decision Making
I began my research based on things I love, which are to travel and buy shoes. I finally settled on Zappos. “In The Beginning - Let There Be Shoes” Zappos was created in 1999, by Nick Swinmurn who was walking around a mall in San Francisco looking for a pair of shoes. One store had the right style but not the color and vice versa. Nick, walking from store to store, and finally went home empty-handed and frustrated. Nick also tried looking for his shoes online and was again unsuccessful. Long story short, Nick decided to quit his day job and start an online shoe retailer... and Zappos.com was born!
The original idea was to create a web site that offered the absolute best selection in shoes in terms of brands, styles, colors, sizes, and widths. Over the past 9 years, the brand and aspirations have evolved, and in addition to offering the best selection, with the goal to be the company that provides the absolute best service online -- not just in shoes, but in any category.
Zappos vision:
• One day, 30% of all retail transactions in the US will be online.
• People will buy from the company with the best service and the best selection.
• Zappos.com will be that online store.
Zappos believe that the speed at which a customer receives an online purchase plays a very important role in how that customer thinks about shopping online again in the future, so at Zappos.com, they focus on making sure the items get delivered to customers as quickly as possible. In order to do that, they warehouse everything that they sell, and unlike most other online retailers, they don't make an item available for sale unless it is physically present in the warehouse. (http://about.zappos.com/zappos-story/in-the-beginning-let-there-be-shoes, 1999-2013)
The culture of Zappos is Individualism-Collectivism. Individual because the creator was one person who had a bad experience and based on that he formed a business to help others. Tony Hsieh joined as an advisor/investor in 1999 and later became the CEO of Zappos. The business has evolved over the years and they join with amazon.com in July 2009. Both companies main focus is the customer service experience. Collectivism because Zappos join forces with another organization to achieve a goal. "Zappos and Amazon sitting in a tree..." - Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com, Inc.
Zappos number one core value is Deliver Wow through Service. Zappos restructured along with Amazon May 1, 2010, into ten separate companies under the one family umbrella. Regardless of the structure, Zappos wants to be the online service leader and get the customer to automatically think of the Zappos brand. They started with shoes as the main foundation, but feel their standard of service will allow them to expand into any other category.

The factors that caused this organizations culture to be successful is they believe in workforce diversity. Zappos uses a universal design which is the practice of designing products, buildings and public spaces and programs to be useable by a number of people. In a recent article written by Quentin Hardy, (March 2013) New York Times. Tony Hsieh says "You want to get all these creative people in a statistically small space," The article entitled instilling a culture in Zappos made comparisons to Yahoo employees returning to the office. It discussed creativity and connectivity. If you instill a culture than no matter where the office is located or constructed you get the best of your employees.
Factors that cause the culture at Zappos were the planning which included setting goals and objectives for the business. The organizing of the company and its realization to join with another group to dominate as the online retailer. The leading from the creator and the CEO to make sound business decision to move the company forward. I also believe that the controlling aspect helped this organization be successful. The leader separated the business into departments and each focus on their core area and merge together to form this great organization.
I believe that Tony Hsieh is the best type of leader for Zappos because of his focus on inclusion of his staff. He instilled core values in every employee that allows them to Embrace and Drive Change, Create Fun and A Little Weirdness (monthly recognitions in departments), Be Adventurous, Creative, and Open-Minded, Pursue Growth and Learning (company Library), Build Open and Honest Relationships With Communication, Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit, Do More With Less, be Passionate and Determined all while remaining Humble (Zappos.com, 1999- 2013). This leader is fearless and has Technical skills (sold a company to Microsoft for 265 million), Financial skills (in 1999 no profit – 2013 over 1 billion), Human skills and the conceptual skills which I feel can help an organization run smoothly.

Integrating Culture and Diversity in Decision Making allows us to understand a shared way of thinking and acting among a group of people or society and acknowledging the difference in those individuals. I also learned the importance of diversity in family, school and work life. This paper will discuss work place cultures, diversity and how it affects the other aspects of our lives. I chose Zappos as my organization and will dive into its, culture, its products and services. I completed detail research using several sources and I found that this company offers so many great core values. Zappos CEO is energetic and knowledgeable and associated with providing high satisfaction for his customers, his teams and the organization. My initial reason for selecting this organization was because of my love for shoes, but after research not only will I purchase form them, but I love the organizations culture and concepts.

References
Intuitive Decision Making Based on Expertise May deliver Better Results than Analytical Approach Michael Pratt (December 2012). Boston College.
In Office of News & public affairs. Retrieved from http://www.bc.edu/content/bc/offices/pubaf/news/2012-nov-dec/trust-your-gut.html

Bureau of Labor Statistics & U.S. Department of Labor. (2013). Mortgage Bankers. In Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012-13 Edition. Retrieved from http://www.bls.gov/ooh/sales/mortgagebanker.htm

Bergsman, Steve. (April,2013). Money Players. Mortgage Banking Magazine, 1-7. http://www.mortgagebankingmagazine.com/files/ArticleSnippets/2008/MB-Feature2.pdf Davis, Kevan. (2006). Interactive Johari Window –take the test online-Kevan www.kevan.org/johari Mind Tools. Essential skills for an excellent career path, 1-3.
http://www.mindtools.com/CommSkll/JohariWindow.htm

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Culture

...Culture 1. Introduction to Culture 2. How culture affects managerial approaches 3. Trompenaar’s Cultural Dimensions 4. Geert Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions 5. Cultural challenges when entering a new market 6. Pros and Cons of entering a new market with an adapted/standardized product 7. Characteristics of culture 8. Conclusion 9. Values in Culture 10. Value Similarities and Differences across cultures Introduction to Culture There is no doubt that the international marketing process do face a large set of variables as it take place over different countries and it does act in different environments. One of the most determinant environments to the success of the international marketing process is Culture, which hold the reason for many human acts and behavior. Reaching to that point international marketer should study deeply culture treaties of a country the company is planning to act in. so that special amendments in the organization overall plans and actions is made to act in accordance with the new market variables The role of culture in international business and marketing Culture is a distinctive element of international marketing. While factors besides culture are present, culture could be a key determinant of most overseas relationships. Researchers agree that exchange processes within business networks can only be understood by conducting studies in different countries and cultures. For example, studies...

Words: 3276 - Pages: 14

Premium Essay

Culture

...Business Communications Culture, The Business World, and Me Reflection Paper The way that you communicate is profoundly influenced by the culture that you were raised in. This cultural influence gives you the understanding of the meaning of words, gestures, time and space issues as well as rules of human relationships in your culture. Intercultural communication is not just translating a message from one language to another but rather understanding how people from other cultures, communicate and comprehend the world around them. Culture plays a significant role when it comes to communicating in the business world. All over the world different countries conduct business in a way that reflects their national norms. For instance, a gesture from your culture may be considered respectful, but for another culture it may be considered a sign of disrespect. Recognizing cultures that are different than your own when communicating in business is very important, the lack of knowledge and understanding of a culture can inhibit you from developing relationships. To become more efficient in business communication you have to accept multiple culture and adapt to their terms. Countries that have deep rooted beliefs will reject sudden changes in values when pressured from foreigners. I define culture as a logical shared system of attitudes, beliefs, values, and behavioral norms. When adapting to any business culture, never assume that the people in the culture will act the same way...

Words: 490 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Culture

...Culture, Groups and Social Behaviors 1. Concept and characteristics of culture Culture is that complex whole which consists of knowledge, beliefs, ideas, habits, attitudes, skills, abilities, values, norms, art, law, morals, customs, traditions, feelings, and other capabilities of man which are acquired, learned and socially transmitted by man from one generation to another through language and living together as members of the society. * Culture is learned. * Culture is socially transmitted through language. * Culture is a social product. * Culture is a source of gratification. * Culture is adoptive. * Culture is the distinctive way of life of a group of people. * Culture is material and non-material. * Culture has sanctions and control. * Culture is stable yet dynamic. * Culture is an established pattern of behavior. 2. Components of culture * Norms- a rule or standard of behavior expected of each member of a social group. * Folkways the ways of living, thinking, and acting in a human group, built up without conscious design but serving as compelling guides of conduct. * Mores - the essential or characteristic customs and treaties of a community. * Positive mores or duty or the “Thou shall behavior” * Negative mores or taboo or the “Thou shall not behavior” * Laws – formalized norms enacted by people vested with legitimate authority. * Ideas, Beliefs, Values *...

Words: 1817 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Cultures

...There are many cultures that differ from one another, each characterized by their language, values, ideas, material objects, and behaviors. Two types of cultures are subcultures and countercultures. A subculture is a smaller group based off the same culture with different religions and beliefs. Culture is one of the most basic concepts of life. Beliefs and behaviors are passed from one generation to the next. You’re raised to believe what your culture does is the “right” way of doing things. To distinguish other groups you look at the type of clothing they wear, jewelry and their art, known as material culture. Non-material culture is the way a group thinks; for example their beliefs and assumptions about the world. Culture shapes the society you live in, it gives you a language to speak, religions to believe in, and the things we value in life. We evaluate every thought process according to the criteria we were born in. when cultures clash together, you experience something called culture shock. You’re no longer able to depend on what you think is “normal”, instead you adjust yourself and follow what the other culture believes to be “normal”. We believe the way we do things is the proper way and when we see other groups with opposing viewpoints, we judge them, this is known as ethnocentrism. Subculture is a smaller group from a larger group, made up of people who went thru experiences that changed their outlook on life. People in these groups have distinctive styles of dressing...

Words: 416 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Culture

...Culture Culture is the most important and basic concepts of sociology. Culture is a blueprint to how each group will live their lives. In sociology culture has a specific meaning. Sociologist believe every human being is cultured, every human being participates in a culture. According to Tischler (2014) Culture is defined as all that human beings learn to do, to use, to produce, to know, and to believe as they grow to maturity and live out their lives in the social groups to which they belong, (p. 50). Culture is a product of society and it is shared by the members of society. There are so many topics culture hits on, some are: Culture and Biology, Culture Shock, Ethnocentrism, Material Culture, Nonmaterial culture, Language and Culture, Symbols of Culture. Culture is an individual choice. Culture determines and guides us through life. Culture is transmitted from one generation to another is a learned behavior and not inherited biologically. We are raised the way our parent’s culture would raise their children for example; Catholics when the child is new born they get baptized, live their communion, confirmation, get marry and so on. We are programmed from young to this way of living. Other religions or cultures way of living is different. (Culture and Biology). From young we grow accustom to our way of living our culture. So when we travel to other countries we expect to continue our normal daily activities. But we experience culture shock when we aren’t able to...

Words: 483 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Culture

...Introduction to Company 4 Organization Culture 5 IBMers – Values and Ethics 9 Value 9 Ethics & Business conduct 9 Culture @ IBM 10 About IBM Culture Traits 10 Diversity 10 People orientation and Team Orientation - Freedom & Responsibility 11 Outcome Orientation - Context, not Control 12 Knowledge sharing - High Collaboration using technology 12 Risk Averse to Risk Taking 12 Innovation - Learn from mistakes (or near Mistakes) 13 Aggressiveness for duties, goals, and assignments 14 Culture & Climate Survey 15 Culture impact Business Performance 16 IBM Leadership Framework 16 Online References 17 Executive Summary Our charter is to determine culture at IBM & how it impacts business performance. Corporate culture is significant in that it “influences the behavior of everyone within an organization and, if carefully crafted, can have a significant positive effect on organizational success”. Louis Gerstner (2002) comments “I came to see, in my time at IBM, that culture isn’t just one aspect of the game-it is the game. In the end, an organization is nothing more than collective capacity of its people to create value. Vision, strategy, marketing, financial management- any management system, in fact- can set you on right path and carry you for a while. But no enterprise- whether business, government, health care or any area of human endeavor – will succeed over the long haul if those element aren’t part of its DNA.” The culture of the company can determine its...

Words: 1675 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Culture

...Methodological Issues Subunit 1 Conceptual Issues in Psychology and Culture 12-1-2011 Article 8 Dimensionalizing Cultures: The Hofstede Model in Context Geert Hofstede Universities of Maastricht and Tilburg, The Netherlands, hofstede@bart.nl Recommended Citation Hofstede, G. (2011). Dimensionalizing Cultures: The Hofstede Model in Context. Online Readings in Psychology and Culture, Unit 2. Retrieved from http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/orpc/vol2/iss1/8 This Online Readings in Psychology and Culture Article is brought to you for free and open access (provided uses are educational in nature)by IACCP and ScholarWorks@GVSU. Copyright © 2011 International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology. All Rights Reserved. ISBN 978-0-9845627-0-1 Dimensionalizing Cultures: The Hofstede Model in Context Abstract This article describes briefly the Hofstede model of six dimensions of national cultures: Power Distance, Uncertainty Avoidance, Individualism/Collectivism, Masculinity/Femininity, Long/ Short Term Orientation, and Indulgence/Restraint. It shows the conceptual and research efforts that preceded it and led up to it, and once it had become a paradigm for comparing cultures, research efforts that followed and built on it. The article stresses that dimensions depend on the level of aggregation; it describes the six entirely different dimensions found in the Hofstede et al. (2010) research into organizational cultures. It warns against confusion with value differences at the individual...

Words: 11045 - Pages: 45

Premium Essay

Culture

...omission. In other words, this elitist definition of culture has enormous social, economic, and political implications. It is because cultural artifacts, practices, or traditions that are not legitimized by museums, the media, or cultural elites tend not to have much exposure and can then be forgotten easily. In addition, this traditional notion of culture has tended to be static, that is, it assumes that "culture" can be put into distinct categories or within set boundaries. A good illustration of this notion is the fact that there are still many people in society insisting on preserving certain traditional "cultures" passed down through the generations as if such "cultures" do not change over or "with" time. Now we come to our second important conception of culture which is quite different from what has been discussed above. The second and what can be regarded as the "sociological perspective on culture" came into being in such fields of study as sociology and cultural anthropology. For example, Raymond Williams defined culture in his 1965 book, The Long Revolution, as "a particular way of life which expresses certain meanings and values not only in art and learning, but also in institutions and ordinary behavior. The analysis of culture, from such a definition, is the clarification of the meanings and values implicit and explicit in a particular way of life, a particular culture." According to this conception, culture refers to people's everyday sense-making or meaning-making...

Words: 274 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Culture

...Journal of Business Research 60 (2007) 277 – 284 Hofstede's dimensions of culture in international marketing studies Ana Maria Soares a,⁎, Minoo Farhangmehr a,1 , Aviv Shoham b,2 a School of Economics and Management, University of Minho, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal b Graduate School of Management, University of Haifa, Haifa, 31905, Israel Received 1 March 2006; received in revised form 1 August 2006; accepted 1 October 2006 Abstract Growth of research addressing the relationship between culture and consumption is exponential [Ogden D., Ogden J. and Schau HJ. Exploring the impact of culture and acculturation on consumer purchase decisions: toward a microcultural perspective. Academy Marketing Science Review 2004;3.]. However culture is an elusive concept posing considerable difficulties for cross-cultural research [Clark T. International Marketing and national character: A review and proposal for an integrative theory. Journal of Marketing 1990; Oct.: 66–79.; Dawar N., Parker P. and Price L. A cross-cultural study of interpersonal information exchange. Journal of International Business Studies 1996; 27(3): 497–516.; Manrai L. and Manrai A. Current issues in the cross-cultural and cross-national consumer research. Journal of International Consumer Marketing 1996; 8 (3/4): 9–22.; McCort D. and Malhotra NK. Culture and consumer behavior: Toward an understanding of cross-cultural consumer behavior in International Marketing. Journal of International Consumer Marketing 1993;...

Words: 6682 - Pages: 27

Premium Essay

Culture

...Culture Culture is the common denominator that makes the actions of the individuals understandable to a particular group. That is, the system of shared values, beliefs, behaviours, and artefacts making up a society’s way of life. Culture can either be represented fin form of material or non material culture. The definitions and specific traits of each of them are discussed below. Material culture is a term representative of the physical creations made, used, or shared by the members of a certain society; it is the society’s buffer against the environment. The components of material culture are all the creations (objects) of the human kind and mind, for example, cars, faucets, computers, trees, minerals just to mention but a few. The transformation of raw material into useable forms through the employment of knowledge is paramount in the achievement of material culture. For example, we make living abodes to shelter ourselves from the adversities of weather and for our own privacy at the basic level, beyond this we make, use, and share sophisticated, interesting and essential items relaying our cultural orientation. For instance, the types of clothes one wears reflect so much into the culture we subscribe to like school, religion, or where the last vacation was spent. Non-material culture on the other hand is the abstract or un-seen human creations by the society fashioned towards the behavioural influence of the said society. The components for the non-material culture...

Words: 312 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Culture

...been argued that barriers between different cultures have diminished (Nordström, 199 1, p. 28ff). Cultural integration has thus been in focus and several researchers have argued that the world, especially within the business community, has become more and more homogeneous (see e.g. Vernon, 1979, Porter, 1980, 1986; Levin, 1983, Ohmae, 1985). A recent trend, however, is to stress heterogeneity rather than homogene@. Not least the animated discussions during the last few years about the future of the European Union shows that cultural differentes still exist. Such differentes are of special interest in MNCs, whose most characteristic feature is that they tonsist of units located in many countries. A number of researchers (see e.g. Bartlett, 1986, Ghoshal and Bartlett, 1990, Hedlund, 1986, Ghoshal and Nohria, 1989, Gupta and Govindarajan, 199 1, Nohria and Ghoshal, 1994, Prahalad and Doz, 1987, Rosenzweig and Nohria, 1994) have pointed to the fatt that units within multinational firms are not identical. According to Ghoshal and Nohria (1989, p. 323) the MNC is the quintessential case of the dispersed firm with different national subsidiaries often embedded in very heterogeneous environmental conditions (Robock, Simmons and Zwick, 1977). Thus, MNC urrits are located in different cultural milieus (Hofstede, 1980) and people with different nationalities, belonging to the same tirm. have to cape with each other. When people from different cultures work together, misunderstandings are likely...

Words: 934 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Culture

...When Culture (Latin: cultura, lit. "cultivation") first began to take its current usage by Europeans in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century (having had earlier antecedents elsewhere), it connoted a process of cultivation or improvement, as in agriculture or horticulture. In the nineteenth century, it came to refer first to the betterment or refinement of the individual, especially through education, and then to the fulfillment of national aspirations or ideals. In the mid-nineteenth century, some scientists used the term "culture" to refer to a universal human capacity. For the German nonpositivist sociologist Georg Simmel, culture referred to "the cultivation of individuals through the agency of external forms which have been objectified in the course of history". In the twentieth century, "culture" emerged as a concept central to anthropology, encompassing all human phenomena that are not purely results of human genetics. Specifically, the term "culture" in American anthropology had two meanings: (1) the evolved human capacity to classify and represent experiences with symbols, and to act imaginatively and creatively; and (2) the distinct ways that people living in different parts of the world classified and represented their experiences, and acted creatively. A distinction is current between the physical artifacts created by a society, its so-called material culture and everything else, the intangibles such as language, customs, etc. that are the main referent of the...

Words: 971 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Culture

...Be aware of the ways your own culture influences your expectations of children. Consider the cultural backgrounds of the children in your setting and their community. Learn about the cultures from which the children in your program or school may come. Use your basic knowledge of the culture to talk with each family about its values and practices. Build on what you have learned from each family. Infuse the curriculum and classroom environment with a rich variety of materials from the cultures of your children as well as other cultures. Culture is illustrated daily when the doors of the school are opened. The youth enter into the environment with all the happenings going on at home to a safe environment of school excepted to detach and focus on school. The culture of the school varies from year to year depending on the population. For example, a teacher could have a classroom of 25 students. 15 of them can be females and 10 can be males. 5 could be White, 6 Hispanic, 3 Black, and 11 White. But the next year her entire cultured could be altered because her population has changed. As a teacher I have to be flexible and get to know my students. By doing this I will be able to become aware of the students needs and be able to service them better through the curriculum. Learning the culture of the school and the neighborhood in which I work helps the school to develop better programs and issue better support to their students. When you know the culture your students feel the buy...

Words: 268 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Culture

...which is a Swedish based company, gave me an opportunity to humble myself to many of their different cultures. IKEA prides their self on focusing on nine points of business that shapes our culture as coworkers. The nine points are as follows: 1. The product range: our identity "We shall offer a wide range of well-designed, functional home furnishing products at prices so low that as many people as possible will be able to afford them." 2. The IKEA spirit – a strong and living reality "... the art of managing on small means, of making the best of what we had; cost-consciousness to the point of being stingy; humbleness, undying enthusiasm and the wonderful sense of community through thick and thin." 3. Profit gives us resources "…The aim of our effort to build up financial resources is to reach a good result in the long term (IKEA Culture, 2011).” 4. Reaching good results with small means “Before you choose a solution, set it in relation to the cost. Only then can you fully determine its worth (IKEA Culture, 2011).” 5. Simplicity is a virtue "Simplicity and humbleness characterize us in our relations with each other, with our suppliers and with our customers (IKEA Culture, 2011).” 6. Doing it a different way ...

Words: 626 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Culture

...An Investigation of How Culture Shapes Curriculum in Early Care and Education Programs on a Native American Indian Reservation ‘‘The drum is considered the heartbeat of the community’’ Jennifer L. Gilliard1,3 and Rita A. Moore2 This article investigates how culture shapes instruction in three early care and education programs on the Flathead Indian Reservation. Interviews with eight early childhood teachers as well as classroom observations were conducted. The investigation is framed by the following research question: How does the culture of the family and community shape curriculum? Data analysis suggested that ongoing communication with parents and community about teaching within a culturally relevant context, building a sense of belongingness and community through ritual, and respecting children, families, and community were essential to defining the Native American Indian culture within these early learning programs. KEY WORDS: culture; in; tribal; early; education; programs. INTRODUCTION Instruction informed by children’s home and community culture is critical to supporting a sense of belongingness that ultimately impacts academic achievement (Banks, 2002; Osterman, 2000). American school populations are increasingly diversified with immigrants and English language learners; but American teachers are over 90% European American (Nieto, 2000). Educators who are from different cultural perspectives than those present in the families and communities of the children they...

Words: 5663 - Pages: 23