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Integrating Culture and Diversity in Decision Making

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Integrating Culture and Diversity in Decision Making: The CEO and Organizational Culture of
XEROX
Tamico Little
BUS520 Leadership and Organizational Behavior
Professor Laura Jones
Strayer University
October 28, 2013

Integrating Culture and Diversity in Decision Making: The CEO and Organizational Culture of XEROX
Company Overview
Xerox is an American multinational company with its headquarters in Norwalk, Connecticut. The company was established in 1906 as a photographic paper and related equipment company under the name The Haliod Photographic Company. In 1958, the company changed its name to Haliod Xenon and later to Xenon in 1961. The name Xenon was derived from xerography which refers to the technology of dry printing. Xerox has a joint venture with Fuji Photo Film Company. Xerox also has subsidiaries like Xerox India and NewField IT. The company is presently engaged in a wide range of document and technology solutions including photocopiers, printers, document supplies and office technology consultancy services. According to Hoover's (2013) Xerox has grown from just a document company to both an information technology and document outsourcing company.
Xerox's Organizational Culture
In my view, Xerox has embraced the culture of diversity, opportunity and inclusion (Xerox, 2009). Xerox believes that employees bring to the organization different ideas and perceptions. These assets help employees from a diversity of backgrounds and cultures to create innovative solutions that promote the company's mission and attain its objectives of continuous improvement of its products and services.
Evidence of Diversity Culture
There are many indications that diversity, inclusion opportunity and continuous improvement is the organizational culture of Xerox. Xerox in its 2013 Summary Report on Global Citizenship reported that 39.4 percent of its employees represent minority groups like African Americans, Indian Americans, Asian Americans and Hispanics. On the other hand, its executive board has 13.6 percent of minority groups. In US alone, 52 percent of Xerox's employees are women. In top management, 26 percent are women including the current CEO Mrs. Ursula M. Burns. Mrs. Burns is the first African-American woman CEO to be in charge of a Fortune 500 company. The statistics shown above only focus on USA data (Xerox, 2013b). Elsewhere, the employee diversity representation is still reflected. In Europe for instance, the regional HR director is Mrs. Louise Fisher. It is important to note that women also constitute a minority group in corporate management. On continuous improvement, Xerox has demonstrated a committed to a number of eco-friendly programs aimed at reducing carbon emission and e-waste. Carbon emission was reduced by 42 percent by 2012 compared to 2002. Non-toxic waste was recycled at 93 percent by 2012 (Xerox, 2013b).
Factors that Caused Xerox to Embody Diversity culture
Historically, the founder of Xerox Joseph Wilson was very social with deep convictions on social convictions (Xerox 2013b). Wilson developed the core values of Xerox in 1960. These values focused on employees, customer safety and satisfaction, innovation and excellence. Most importantly he emphasized the need for the company to be a leader in responsible corporate citizenry. Previously, Chester Carlson who invented xerography dedicated his time and effort in discovering ways of increasing office efficiency. In his words, his objective was "to make office work a little more productive and a little less tedious," (Xerox 2013a). Ever since, although innovative changes have been implemented, the company continues to pursue these ideals. Apart from historical factors, the company operates in a highly competitive and dynamic industry of information technology. This makes it paramount for Xerox to attract fresh talent and maintain experience in order to stay on top.
Type of Suitable Leader
The best type of leadership for Xerox should be young, social and dynamic with knowledge and skills in the IT industry. As pointed out before, the IT industry is very dynamic and competitive. A visionary dynamic leader will enable Xerox to anticipate change and design strategies that will embrace changes in technology. Since Xerox emphasizes on diversity, a sociable and charismatic leader will be best suited to lead the corporation in effectively implementing changes. Also the leader needs a clear understanding and appreciation of different cultural background of various groups of people including employees and customers. This way, the leader will be able to respond appropriately to the needs of employees and customers.
Organization Culture Change
A decline in demand of products and services supplied by XEROX can be triggered by a number of reasons. It may be due to stiffer competition, lower consumer spending, employee dissatisfaction or competition from substitute products. Based on the cause, Xerox would need to review its strategies hence change the corporate culture. The cultural change that I would suggest in response to a decline in demand would be one that focuses on customers rather than employees. Research has shown that customers’ purchasing behavior is strongly influenced by cost and quality. Lower cost of products and services can lead to higher demand while quality and demand have a strong positive correlation (CommonSenseEconomics.com 2013). The other factor is customer satisfaction. By balancing out this in a profitable way, Xerox’s culture could change from a focus on a diversity of employees to customer’s satisfaction through quality and competitive pricing as well as developing a closer relationship with the clientele.

References
Center for Industrial Production (2013) The Influence of Organizational Culture on the Use of Quality Techniques and its Impact on Performance. Aalborg, Denmark: AalBorg University Press.
Choa, I., Joseph K., Kima l., & Heejun P, (2013) The Relationship between Organizational Culture and Service Quality through Organizational Learning Framework. Total Quality Management & Business Excellence, 24 (7-8) 753-768.
CommonSenseEconomics.com (2013) Demand, Supply and Adjustment to Dynamic Change. [PDF] Retrieved from http://commonsenseeconomics.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Demand-and-Supply-CSE-2010-w-Price-Controls-Reading.pdf
Hoovers (2013) Xerox Company Information. [HTML] retrieved from the Hoovers A D&B Company website: http://www.hoovers.com/company-information/cs/company-profile.Xerox_Corporation.aefe0d67664e64fb.html
Xerox Corporation, (2009) Xerox Diversity: Different Ideas, Diverse People, Dramatic Results. [PDF] Retrieved from Xerox Website: www.xerox.com/assets/pdf/Xerox_Diversity_Brochure.pdf
Xerox (2013a) Online Fact Book. Xerox at a Glance. Retrieved From Xerox Website: http://www.xerox.com/go/xrx/template/019d.jsp?view=Factbook&id=XAG&Xcntry=USA&Xlang=en_US
Xerox (2013b) Summary Report on Global Citizenship. [PDF] Retrieved from Xerox Website: http://www.xerox.com/assets/pdf/partners/studiocom/GC_Report1_2013.pdf

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