Culture and Diversity

Culture change is difficult. Executives usually need a crisis to persuade employees to focus on the change. The crisis may be a competitive threat or a large loss. That is, executives need.

to create a sense of urgency.

When Home Depot needed to re-establish a customer service culture, they instructed employees on how to behave, how quickly to speak to customers, and what to say. Home Depot accelerated the culture change with

a training program

Bob visited the offices of MASS, a successful insurance company in Boston. MASS needs people who are good with numbers. When Bob visited, he noticed that the analysts wore conservative suits and their desks were laid out in a large space like a warehouse, without cubicles, walls, or decorations. The ________ seemed like a clue to a miserly culture.

physical spaces and decor

When John, an American, and Qing, a Taiwanese immigrant, worked together, there were many missteps due to unspoken assumptions. Americans tend to prefer working independently, and Chinese value consensus more in decision making. ______ differ from culture to culture.

Work styles

Donald Grinder wrote in The Police Chief magazine that officers should possess courage, competence, compassion, commitment, restraint, respect, and integrity. "Now more than ever, it is imperative for police managers to make connections with their employees, understand their backgrounds, uncover their talents, and place them in positions where they can excel," he wrote. Grinder recommends

a people-oriented culture for police.

Apple, the tech company, has received numerous architectural awards for its store designs. The stores, in fact, embody the culture of design at Apple. The stores are cultural

artifacts

Warren Buffett an Berkshire-Hathaway have a reputation for fair dealing and a hands-off approach to management. Because of this, company founders who are planning for retirement will negotiate with him. Other investors may not even hear that a firm is for sale until the sale is announced. Berkshire Hathaway's culture has created a

competitive advantage

The explosive growth in global trade means that large corporations are hiring Americans of mixed cultural backgrounds. For example, first-generation Americans of immigrant parents may speak two or more languages well. To deal with firms in other countries, large corporations benefit from

employees from diverse backgrounds

Carnegie Mellon University has the best master's program in financial engineering. The Wall Street banks should

hire from Carnegie Mellon and other top schools for a range of approaches.

Companies recruit candidates who are most likely to fit their culture. Studies have found that a good fit between a candidate's personality and the company's culture leads to better retention. Companies can also use ________ to maintain their culture.

hiring decisions and training

Using the Organizational Culture Profile (OCP), companies are scored on several dimensions, such as detail-oriented or aggressive. Other dimensions include

innovative, stable, and outcome-oriented.

Organizational culture includes

the shared values, attitudes, standards, and beliefs that characterize members of an organization and define its nature