Organizational Behavior and Communication Some may say, consistently maintaining profitable quarters over an extended period indicate a successful organization. If this holds to be true than what helps an organization become profitable? The obvious answer would be a superior product in need of high demand. However, the demand of a product or service alone is not enough to make the business profitable or successful. The stability and longevity of an organization relies heavily on its espoused/enacted values, the perception of these values and how the organization handles conflict.
To get a better understanding of espoused/enacted values, let us examine a successful retailer called Nordstrom. An organization espoused values consist of its mission, vision and value statements. The enacted values are the values the organization in reality implements. Usually when an organization enacted values differs drastically from its espoused values the organization culture is weak and has a difficult time surviving hardships and being successful. Nordstrom mission states “At Nordstrom, our goal is to provide outstanding customer service every day, one customer at a time” (Nordstrom.com, 2013). Nordstrom believes by providing excellent customer service and supporting employees in carrying out its goals than the company will be successful. Nordstrom does not give its employees a list of rules to follow but goals with the freedom and flexibility to make one’s own decision in attaining the organizational goals. For example one of the Nordstrom goals states, “Use your good judgment in all situations. There will be no additional rules” (Kopelman, Chiou, Lipani, & Zhu, page 12, 2012). My first job as a youth was working for Nordstrom as a cashier. People always wanted to return items outside of the policy. One day, a lady wanted to return a blouse with no tags and no