Core Values at Zappos

Zappos & LEAD

When looking at Zappos, their Chief Executive Officer Mr. Hsieh and what the company has done over the recent months and years, it is clear that they have a clear and focused set of guiding principles and guidelines that they follow. Indeed, they only hire people that fit with their distinct company culture and this is wise on a number of levels. The ten core values that they use to fill their positions, the climate that is emphasized at Zappos and how it is enforced and how Hsieh approaches conflict (not to mention the author of this report's view on the same) will all be covered as part of this brief report. While there is more than one way to run a company, the method that Zappos uses is clearly better than the overall repertoire of many other firms.

Analysis

Before getting too deep into the minutia of the answers that shall be offered in this report, it should be stated up front what the core values of Zappos happen to be. In the order as listed on the Delivering Hapiness website, those values are delivering "WOW" through service, embrace and drive change, creating fun and a little weirdness, be adventurous/creative/open-minded, pursue growth and learning, build open and honest relationships through communication, build a positive team through family spirit, do more with less, be passionate and determined and be humble (Delivery Happiness, 2016). Of those, the author of this response feels that being open and honest with communication is the biggest thing. If communication is limited or less than honest (or both), this will only lead to big and festering problems that will mushroom in size and impact many people in the process. Only when things are brought (and kept) out in the open do things really get done and revealed. This stands in contrast to when things are blowing up at some future point because people either dodged the truth or simply lied by omission.

As far as what is revealed and what emanates from the Zappos culture, it would be the amalgamated concept of being honest, being humble, being open and being productive. This is indeed a great foundation from which work can get done and problems can be solved. Having a leadership culture that exudes and stresses this is a huge plus for Zappos on its face. This is clearly the overall climate that is emphasized at Zappos, at least based on what they say openly. As far as why shoe stores using any forum should be committed to excellence, there has to be an idea of keeping service excellent, consistent and ongoing. When standards are allowed to falter or flutter, that is when customer satisfaction starts to go down. When there is a clear difference between two experiences that should absolutely be similar (e.g. returning or exchanging a product), it will simply leave a customer to wonder why things were not done the same way. The point is that there needs to be exceptions and outliers allowed for but that both of those should absolutely be in the minority (Northouse, 2014).

As for how Hsieh approaches conflict, it would surely be based on collecting the facts as they exist, eliciting open and honest feedback from the affected or aggrieved parties and coming to a conclusion that works best based on the facts that exist and the problem as fully revealed. Beyond that, the author of this report would take the same exact approach. Even if there are some assumptions or tendencies in play, it is best to reserve judgment and action for when everything is known as best as can be and after everyone is heard. As noted in the values, honesty and openness is very important and solutions will not be as obvious and available as they could be if people do not do the right thing the first time (Northouse, 2014). As suggested by Tobin, sometimes slowing things down and making sure to get things right at the onset (or at least when problems are first spotted) is the much wise course (Tobin, 2013). Sometimes, a mindset that is rife with spirituality (even non-religious) and the use of workshops and other similar programs can be enlightening and helpful. Regardless, corporate greed and other improper qualities and traits should be avoided (Dhiman & Marques, 2011).

As for correlations to the LEAD text, there are many that could and should be made and they will be done in the order that the chapters are cited in general. The second chapter speaks about traits and the one big one that can be tied to the above is integrity. Honesty and integrity go hand in hand and thus both would be a core principle that encompasses all of Zappos' values. In the fifth chapter, keep things open and honest lends itself to a positive culture and environment. Beyond that, having people that are pessimistic and negative would obviously run counter to what Zappos needs and expects from its employees and thus negative people would tend to not be hired or retained by the firm, as it should be. When it comes to the seventh chapter, the leaders of Zappos would need to exercise strong amounts of charisma, enforcement of the ten values (and beyond) and a commitment to change when the situation or industry demands it. The tenth chapter is about conflict and has been touched on already. For the Zappos mindset to work, all the facts need to be on the table and everyone needs to be participatory in the solutions found. This is a nice segue into the twelfth chapter, which deals with overcoming obstacles. People that are positive, honest, open and communicative are going to overcome roadblocks and issues better than a group that is lacking one or more of those qualities (Northouse, 2014).

Conclusion

Zappos surely has their moments where things go awry and not as planned. However, this happens with all firms and the key thing is how the firm responds. The facets of the response that matter include the overall method, who makes the decisions, what all is looked at and why and what all goes into the decision that is made. There are obviously several moving parts to all of this and Zappos, at least based on their stated values, seems to have a good fix on what is required to make the right decisions and at the right pace.

References

Delivering Happiness. (2016). Zappos Core Values - Delivering Happiness. Deliveringhappiness.com. Retrieved 7

November 2016, from http://deliveringhappiness.com/book/zappos-core-values/

Dhiman, S. & Marques, J. (2011). The role and need of offering workshops and courses on workplace spirituality.

Journal of Management Development, 30(9), 816-835. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/02621711111164312

Northouse, P. (2014). Introduction to leadership (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Sage Publications.

Tobin, B. (2013). Don't try to change anyone and eight other ways to lead global organizational development.

Development & Learning In Organizations: An International Journal, 27(6), 10-13.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/dlo-08-2013-0058