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¶ … administered a culture survey (e.g., the OCI) to all store employees (a.k.a. "crew members") and management, do you think espoused culture as described by management would match the culture expressed by the employees? Why or why not?
I think it likely that the espoused culture as described by the management of Trader Joe would match that expressed by the employees as a whole since, as the article indicates, employees receive intensive training during which they are likely imbued with culture expectations on n overt and covert level. More so, Trader Joe has its culture explicitly delineated and customer service is emphasized. The employee of Trade Joe who wishes to retain his or her position - and who does not given the attractive compensation, the difficulty in retain a job today, the opportunities 'at the end of the tunnel' and Trader Joe's fun and positive working environment -- would seek to produce his or her best, collaborate with the 'team' and epitomize the Trader Joe culture.
Trader Joe's culture also reminds me of that of Zappos and this parallel is informative in answering both questions in this essay.
Zappos provides a leadership that is not managerial (namely, 'bossy' as described in comparison to corporations in the article) but rather consists of providing purpose, meaning...
Zappos attempts to motivate and please their employee realizing that their laborers are their most valuable resource. Trader Joe does the same. Zappos too provides detailed training and exact directions of its employees by coining its 10 values outlining expectations for its employees: Trader Joe does this too (although not to the same extent as Zappos does). Zappos focuses on happiness (using positive psycholgoy0 as atmosphere of its workplace. Employees love to work there (with 93% selecting to forego the $3,000 incentive to drop out after having received training). The fun atmosphere and dignity accorded employees is well-known and attractive. Trade Joe has that same reputation. Both Trader Joe and Zappos too have an understanding of cultural issues that includes the facts that people value independence; how the culture relates to power issues; how the culture views gender; and other issues relevant to the specific culture. Both companies also experience minimal overhead. This alone indicates the fact that employees would agree with managers in depiction of their culture. Trader Joes, through its Leadership Development Program, emphasize employee autonomy and encourages employees to make their own decisions. It accords employees independence within reason. Given that they fuse this with…
Bloomberg Business week "Twenty Best Companies for Leadership http://images.businessweek.com/ss/10/02/0216_best_places_for_leadership/17.htm
Solomon, M. (2010) Exceptional Service, Exceptional Profit: The Secrets of Building a Five-Star Customer Service Organization, Solomon, Amacom Books (New York)
Twitchell, J. (June 16, 2009) upstart to $1 billion behemoth, Zappos marks 10 years. Las Vegas Sun.
Zappos History (Zappos, N.d.) Zappos Core Values (Zappos, N.d.) The Secretes to Zappos' Success (Palmer, 2010) Here's Why Amazon Bought Zappos (Parr, 2009) The first two sources are from the company's website and talk describe the founding and culture while the second two sources give independent accounts of the culture and why it is effective. Since this paper will focus on the strengths of the culture and why this might be an issue for
Zappos.com Teams and Employee Empowerment and Organizational adaptability and response to change, innovation Zappos: Team Empowerment The online shoe company Zappos is famous for its low prices -- and also for its commitment to hiring the best employees and creating an atmosphere in which they can thrive. Fast Company's case study of Zappos says that the organization promotes a 'happiness culture.' Zappos is committed to promoting the happiness of customers by promoting
Zappos is maybe not the best fit for me professional, just in terms of what I expect they need in terms of skills (engineering/technological, customer service, warehouse) but the company does have a good culture. It is important that you enjoy your work in life, and Zappos has recognized the value of this in employee retention. For example, they emphasize fun and close social bonds among their workers, and both
Zappos Manktelow (2014) defines the vision statement as stating the organization's purpose, from the context of human values, as opposed to things like bottom line measures. The vision statement should include the values that the company holds as integral to its operations. An exception would be if there is a separate values statement, but even with that the company's vision of the world should naturally incorporate its values. Vision statements combine with
Zappo's Case Zappo's founder and CEO Tony Hsieh is a visionary in online retailing and business models, as he sees the creativity, intuitive, intelligence and passion of his employees as being crucial to delivering exceptional customer experiences. While many other online retailers have come and gone out of business. Zappo's has been able to develop one of the most loyal and profitable customer bases online. Even during one of the most
However, the company needs to be cautious of putting too much power in the customers' hands. 5. Competitive Rivalry between Existing Players Direct competitors are currently not able to match Zappos capabilities, especially in terms of customer service. But this does not mean they should be dismissed as viable competitors. In fact all direct competitors should be watched very closely. SWOT Analysis Strengths Outstanding customer service Free overnight shipping Wide variety of products Happy, dedicated employees Weaknesses Cannot afford