Organizational Culture of the Organization

Organizational Culture

Culture of the Organization

There is one pharmaceutical company who has several branches in most parts of Asia. Because this company is already in an international kind of business, it has opened several product and marketing divisions on each mother company. One of the product divisions handles vitamins and other immune enhancing products. This division, like all other divisions, has its art department (that handles all art-related works), copy department (that handles writing of promotional materials, product portfolios, etc.), medical department (that ensures that every thing that will come out from the copy department is scientifically and medically accepted and correct). Also, there is a quality assurance department that works for the entire divisions, meaning in the nine product divisions of this company, there is only one quality assurance department that controls manages, and ensures that all the product-related materials, specifically packaging are align with the goal of the whole company (and not just of one division).

It should also be noted that in this company, the organizational chart and key responsibilities of each and every department is strictly followed. It is a norm in this company that every task related to packaging of the products should be treated as an urgent matter. Once a request for a change in packaging design, the packaging code numbers, and even the sizes of the bottles, boxes, etc., every department (such as art, copy writer and medical departments) must ensure that their focus will be on the said request.

Hence, if there are numbers of changes in the packaging department, the people in the art department and the medical (and even from the copy section) would either be in real good terms or seemingly at war with each other. This is as a result of stress related with the works. They will be in good terms if the final output of the product (which would lastly come from the art department) will not require anymore revision. But if there will be some errors - may it be in size, texts or colors - this will result on some mild disputes and complaints from both sides.

However, what is important in the behavior of the people in this company is the value they impart for the work. All of them are giving their best shot for every work. All of the people in this company love their work very much in a way that they always ensure the quality of every effort they shared with the company. They always adhere to the mission and vision of the company, despite some people-related problems that may arise from time to time. The people in the company do not allow personal disputes to meddle with their works.

There is one issue (artefacts-related) that the company usually deals with. This is about the corporate guidelines on the company products' packaging artworks. Since the Quality Assurance Department (QAD) was established in the said company, they have put certain corporate guidelines as to the designs, colors, texts, sizes etc., pertaining to all packaging artworks. This is to minimize delays and notice of deficiencies from the country's Bureau of Food and Drugs or BFAD (the government sector who approves and/or denies the production and marketing of all foods and drugs in the country).

Thus, the copy and medical section will initiate the change, then will be sent to the copy section to implement it. QAD's turn to check the output will be in line right after the medical department has signed and approved it (meaning checking and revalidating is also done between copy, art and medical section of each and every department).

The packaging artwork approval workflow is:

Product Division's copy, artists, medical department designs and initiate the artwork

Submit to QAD for checking

Submit to BFAD for approval

Most often than not, even if the medical department has approved the artwork or the new packaging, the QAD will still reject it and will ask for further revision. Weeks will pass even before the QAD will pass the final product to the BFAD. From BFAD, it will take more months (considering how government works) before the final go signal will be given to the product packaging changes to be implements.

Things were going on smoothly at first. The artists and/or product managers' follow the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) of the quality assurance department. But because there were only two personnel from the QAD who checks all the artworks of 10 product divisions, delays of artwork approvals increase. Hence many artists were complaining that delays of approval of product packaging do not happen outside the company premises (or specifically from the BFAD) because even from within the company, releasing of artworks would take several days.

Upon analysis, it was found out that QAD's SOPs were much stricter than that of the final approving body - the BFAD. The product division's artists were complaining that the delays were causing their sales volume to go down. QAD personnel were saying that they were just following the set guidelines by the corporate. With this situation, product divisions resorted to going directly to BFAD for approval and bypassing the QAD, thereby creating another issue for argument.

Everybody involved in the production of product packaging are pointing the blame to others. One kept on telling that they are fooling the guidelines are always on deadline. The others are saying that they do not have ample time to produce the necessary output because the other parts are not allowing them to do their works earlier or that they are lots of unnecessary revisions. It would seem that all these people are focused on getting the work done - at the right time, in the right place and in the right manner, however their ways of doing it is scattered.

Areas for Change

The problem stated above could be prevented only if the two sides conducted a meeting and voiced out the issue. Communication and strict compliance with the company's code of ethics are two of the most needed attributes that the personnel of this company should practice, which will surely result to solving the above stated issue.

As stated by Robson (2005) all companies have their own standard code of ethics or standard core values for their employees. However, there are common denominators when it comes to the code of ethics within a company.

First is the respect which is important for all employees to practice.

Respect for colleague which is done through thorough understanding of the way other people work in relation to how one works. Since the company has numerous departments and everyone is connected to one another there should be respect to one another without even thinking that one department are more indispensable than the others. Everyone must understand that each and everybody's role plays a very important role in the achievement of the company's goals and/r objectives. Needless to say, everyone must learn to respect others if he/she wants to earn the respect.

The second code of ethics according to Robson (2005) is trust. To become trustworthy is not easy but it is an important ethics that one should have. This is usually show by not divulging important company information to others. Also, trust is shown by giving and accepting responsibilities. When the top management assigns a certain task to a particular employee or department, it only means that the management is entrusting that person or that department that the task will be done accordingly, and in a manner they had expected. Accepting responsibility, on the other hand, means that one is ready and skilled enough to do the task and knows exactly how to accomplish it. In turn, the next time the same time would arise, that person or that department, can expect that the task will be assigned to them.

Honesty is next. Honesty is important especially when dealing with soliciting information to and from the team. This ethics is expected not only on finance and/or accounting jobs, but also to all other departments where strong employee relationship is a must.

Professionalism is the next code of ethics in Robson's book (2005). Being professional normally depends on how one can carry him/herself in the office. Professionalism is the way one dresses properly and neatly, the way one speaks and mingles with others, and the very way one does his/her duties. If everybody will act professionally in the workplace, it can be expected that every tasks will be done effectively and efficiently.

Cooperation is another code of ethics that is essential everywhere not only in the workplace but almost any place where team work is a must.

This is where one will be called for to support some company initiatives which will help the company to grow and maintain productivity. Cooperation among members should not be asked. This specific code of ethics must be given any time because in a workplace setting, everybody is working on a common goal. The whole team needs to think as one and works as one. Everybody must provide a helping hand to a task that he/she is skilled of.

These codes of ethics play a very important role in any industry.