Microsoft HR and IT: Organizing Function of Management
This paper examines how Microsoft Corporation applies the organizing function of management to its Human Resources and Information Technology departments. It analyzes how Microsoft aligns recruiting strategies, internal service delivery, and cross-functional coordination to achieve efficiency and effectiveness across the organization. Drawing on frameworks from French and Raven's bases of social power and Schein's work on organizational culture, the paper describes how expert power shapes HR's strategic role, how IT manages service escalation and software testing, and how both departments use performance measurement and cultural values to improve responsiveness to internal stakeholders.
- Overview of Microsoft Corporation: Background on Microsoft's products and global scope
- The Organizing Function of Management in Human Resources: HR structure, recruiting strategy, and expert power
- The Organizing Function of Management in Information Technology: IT service delivery, escalation paths, and software testing culture
- Conclusion: Synthesis of organizing function across HR and IT
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What makes this paper effective
- Grounds its analysis in recognized academic frameworks — specifically French and Raven's bases of social power and Schein's organizational culture model — giving the managerial observations theoretical credibility.
- Maintains a consistent dual focus throughout: both Human Resources and IT are analyzed using the same organizing-function lens, creating structural symmetry that strengthens the argument.
- Uses concrete examples (Windows XP rollout, "eating your own dog food" testing culture, internal performance dashboards) to illustrate abstract management concepts, making the analysis tangible.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates applied theory integration — taking established social science constructs (French & Raven's expert power, Spector's perceived control) and applying them directly to observed organizational practices at a named corporation. This technique shows the student can bridge theoretical literature and real-world business analysis, a core skill in undergraduate management writing.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with a clear statement of purpose and scope, followed by a brief company overview that contextualizes the analysis. Two parallel body sections then examine HR and IT separately through the same organizing-function framework, each referencing academic sources to support claims. A short conclusion synthesizes the key takeaway — that ongoing organizational learning drives improved efficiency — before a properly formatted reference list closes the paper.
Overview of Microsoft Corporation
The intent of this paper is to evaluate the organizing function of management as it relates to Microsoft Corporation's Human Resources and Information Technology (IT) strategies internally. Organizing the many resources in each of these two areas within Microsoft to attain an optimal level of efficiency and effectiveness requires the company to stay focused on existing, proven processes while striving to improve those areas showing the need for improvement. As the markets Microsoft competes in rapidly change, so too must the processes the company uses to attain efficiency and effectiveness in organizing Human Resources and IT internally.
The challenge is, first, to stay vigilant to the changing market conditions the company faces, and second, to stay attuned to the changing needs of all departments within Microsoft for both Human Resources and IT support. Within Microsoft, the need for both of these functional departments to serve the many other departments within the company requires a highly synchronized set of organizing processes that give each department the human resource and IT support it needs. This paper describes how Microsoft uses the organizing function of management to ensure responsive service from Human Resources and IT organizations to the remainder of the company, achieving effectiveness of solutions delivered and efficiency of response.
Microsoft Corporation is a global leader in the development and marketing of consumer, personal productivity, small business, and enterprise software applications, employing 71,000 professionals worldwide. The company focuses on the development, manufacturing, and support of a very wide variety of computing devices. The company's core business is its personal productivity applications, including Microsoft Office. In addition, the continued growth of distributed computing environments, business solutions applications and platforms, software development tools, and server-based operating systems has given the company the most diverse software product portfolio in the industry.
Beyond these specific businesses, the company also entered the gaming market with the Xbox video game console and games, in addition to an existing line of PC games and PC peripherals. Microsoft has also made several investments in online initiatives, including its own extensive website and online applications area called MSN, and a move into Software-as-a-Service applications through its OnDemand initiative in the business solutions area. Microsoft also spends more on research and development of new technologies than any other software company in existence.
References
French, J. R. P., & Raven, B. H. (1959). The bases of social power. In D. Cartwright (Ed.), Studies in social power (pp. 150–167). University of Michigan.
Schein, E. (1983). The role of the founder in the creation of organizational culture. MIT Sloan Working Papers.
Spector, P. (1986). Perceived control by employees: A meta-analysis of studies concerning autonomy and participation at work. Human Relations, 39(11), 1005–1016.
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