Another key component to the culture at FedEx is the leadership style, especially of founder Fred Smith. An ex-military man, Smith adopted a leadership style heavily influenced by military values. There was no model for overnight delivery, and to launch one required several things, all of which were influenced by Smith's values and leadership style (p.128). One was complete dedication to the company. Smith used all of his money to start FedEx and pushed the company through some tough times in its early life. Another was the concept of teamwork, and the forging of camaraderie. This was led from the top as well, with Smith not only working closely with all aspects of the firm but demanding that they all work together closely as well. This dedicated, tough, but team-oriented style flowed directly through Smith's leadership style and became a part of the corporate culture.
FedEx worked because its culture emphasized the same values that are prevalent in American business culture - setting objectives, clarifying accountability, and winning the game (p.120). Yet, the company has been able to successfully transfer these values to employees in over 100 countries worldwide. It is rare that culture is imposed on a social setting (p. 130). The manner in which FedEx overcame this problem was threefold. One, it hired local managers who were sympathetic to the FedEx...
Those managers then acted as intermediaries, translating between their home culture and the FedEx culture. Finally, social interaction between new hires, these managers, and early adopters of the culture, completed the enculturation process. This allowed the company to maintain recognition of the value of other cultures (p.121), while successfully imposing the traits that supported its objectives. In this way, each international operation, and in many cases different stations within a country, develop their own unique subculture (p.122).
The corporate culture at FedEx directly supports many of that company's objectives. That culture began with the leadership style of Fred Smith. It then grew through a complex set of legends, lore, rituals and symbols. The aspects of the culture most critical to achieving operational objectives have been translated overseas by means of incorporating those aspects into what ultimately becomes a unique subculture at every international operation. Culture at FedEx is not only strong, but is given equal weight by management as their operational structure. Both are considered vital to the company's objectives, and both must be implemented with equal success in order for the company to be effective.
Works Cited
Morgan, G. (2006). Images of organization: Executive Edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
