Chapter 9: Culture and Diversity

detail-oriented

Steve Jobs of Apple was known as a perfectionist. "My job is not to be easy on people," he said. "My jobs is to take these great people we have and to push them and make them even better." Apple probably looks to hire people who are innovative and

detail-oriented

When Deloitte does audit work, its accountants deal with huge amounts of data. Yet one receipt or one memo may be the clue to fraud. Deloitte looks for employees who are

innovative, stable, and outcome-oriented

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

competitive advantage

Warren Buffett and 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

a training program

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

work style

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

physical spaces and décor

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

Create a sense of urgency

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

artifacts, values, assumptions

E.H. Schein's three levels of corporate culture are

creativity, image, and morale

Employee diversity enhances

Recruiting

In an article in Fast Company, GE's Shane Fitzsimons, SVP of Global Operations, writes, "We want people who are comfortable being a little uncomfortable, who thrive in the ambiguity of a less hierarchical structure, and are prepared to fail-repeatedly-because we know it takes trial and error to bring ideas to life." GE is using ________ to manage its culture

the mission and values statements

Joe has scheduled interviews with two financial companies, American Express and Lehman Brothers. His first stop in understanding the differences between the companies is

diversity

Many experts, including the Boston Consulting Group, recommend ________ as a long-term strategy. They use a broader meaning which includes personality, cognitive style, education, social background, and more.

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

Organizational culture includes the shared

modeling the change he wants

Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, wanted employees to start cooperating instead of competing. Employees are no longer assessed on a curve, with those ending up at the lower end often getting no bonus or promotion. For the firm's annual executive retreat in 2015, Mr. Nadella included the heads of companies Microsoft had recently acquired, such as Mojang, the maker of the Minecraft video game, and Acompli, an email app. In doing so, he broke with the tradition that only longtime executives can attend the retreat. Nadella is

employees from diverse backgrounds

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