Organizational behavior and effects: a case study

¶ … Organizational Behavior and Effect

The economic society of the modern day context is extremely challenging. Business agents compete for the best customers, the best resources, the largest market share, the best employees or the best commodities. And in order to win this competition, it is no longer enough for the economic agents to provide high quality products and services.

The economic agents of the modern day society are required to operate in a way in which they maximize the benefits not only for themselves, but also for the various categories of stakeholders, such as employees, customers, business partners or the general public (Boyes, 2011). The economic agents of today have to operate in a means in which they satisfy the needs of customers; reward and motivate the employees; generate return for the stock owners and support the well-being and development of the communities in which they operate.

In such a setting then, the economic agents turn to corporate social and environmental responsibility. This was also the case of the corporate approach implemented by Jeffrey Swartz at Timberland, who developed a strategic model based on the belief of a strong link between business success and social and environmental responsibility.

For the time being, this approach constitutes a new business model and a source of competitive advantages due to the creation of a favorable public image. Gradually however, it would become an omnipresent strategy and will represent a necessity; it is as such argued that Swartz has implemented the proper measures in managing the firm.

The corporate social responsibility program at Timberland is characterized by four different pillars, as revealed below:

The commitment of the firm to become carbon neutral by 2010

The design of recyclable products

The creation of fair, safe and non-discriminatory workplaces, and last

The focus of the employee service on the greening of the community (McCuddy and Morgal).

While these four pillars are clear and seem simple, their actual application within the real life context was more difficult. Still, Timberland has followed its commitments in various efforts. For instance:

The company manufactures degradable boots and shoes

Timberland provides info of the carbon footprint of each pair of footwear on the box of the products

The company implements fair labor practices and human rights in its relationships and negotiations with all stakeholders

The company promotes transparency and prevents its suppliers from committing labor infractions

The company volunteers to support social agendas in the communities in which it operates

The company pursues social justice by supporting young women in distress or by collaborating with not for profit organizations.

The totality of the day-to-day operations in which Timberland is involved supports the attainment of the pre-established organizational goals and this is the most obvious impact of the company processes and corporate social responsibility program. But aside from the achievement of the corporate goals, the various operations engaged in by the firm also support it in facing the challenges raised by globalization, diversity and ethics. Some examples in this sense are revealed below:

At the level of globalization, the company has expanded its operations across the world in order to enhance its customer base

At the level of diversity, Timberland has created a culturally diverse workforce, in which the employees are treated equally, presented with the same opportunities and not discriminated against. The company promotes this behavior among its suppliers as well

At the level of ethical conduct, the organization is focused on transparency in its own operations, as well as in the operations of its employees and business partners.

The globalization, diversity and ethical challenges faced by Timberland raise numerous complexities. Yet, the organization has been able to turn them into opportunities, rather than perceive them as threats. In the completion of this transformative process, the first step was represented by the identification of the challenges posed by the external community. The company as such conducted research on the new features impacting the macro environment and pinpointed to the threats raised by globalization, diversity and ethics.

In the second step, the organization developed a comprehensive program of social and environmental responsibility. The scope of this program was that of developing specific and targeted answers to the identified challenges. The company as such devised methods to be more ethical, to support diversity and to benefit from globalization. The third step was represented by the implementation of the CRS program and the commitment to seeing it attain its objectives.