Organizational Culture of Ann, Inc.
An Organizational Culture Profile (OCP) can be used as a tool to measure the culture of an organization through seven distinct values. Those values include detail-oriented, team-oriented, people-oriented, outcome-oriented, stable, aggressive and innovative. The sum of these values characterizes an organization’s culture. By identifying values that make up a company’s culture, managers can steer the principles, values and beliefs of the company more effectively. At Ann, Inc., the parent corporation of Ann Taylor and Loft stores, the culture of the corporation is described as follows, “our high-performance culture offers rewarding possibilities that fit perfectly into your own version of success.” (Ann, Inc., 2013). More specifically, the culture of Ann, Inc. can be discovered by delving into some of the specific dimensional values of the OCP framework. According to Carpenter, Bauer and Erdogan (2013, p. 210), “companies that have innovative cultures are flexible, adaptable and experiment with new ideas.” Customers that shop at Ann Taylor and Loft stores on a frequent basis notice that new clothing is introduced when the seasons change and when trends change. As further evidence of this cultural value, Ann Inc.’s website mentions “innovation is constant” (Ann, Inc., 2013). In fact, in 2010, Ann, Inc. launched a move to replace its outdated large Ann Taylor stores with smaller stores that make women feel like they are at home, walking into their dream closet. As a corporation focused on selling to women, Ann, Inc. must be people-oriented in order to be successful. From the top managers of the corporation, to the sales associates in the stores, pleasing the customer must be their number one goal. “People-oriented cultures value fairness, supportiveness, and respecting individual rights” (Carpenter, Bauer and Erdogan,