4)

a. DESCRIBE 3 POSITIVE ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURES AT YOUR

ORGANIZATION AND ELABORATE HOW THOSE CULTURES DISTINGUISH
YOUR ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE FROM THE COMPETITOR

Every organization has a culture. Some are more positive than others. Schools and
religious organizations have fairly positive and stimulating cultures. Even gangs have cultures
that, while positive to their members, are generally considered by the rest of society as negative.
My company has a culture too. Before getting into that, perhaps it's appropriate at this point to
define just what organizational culture is. There are many definitions. My preferred definition is
Culture is the sum total of everything that has been and continues to be on going in an
organization. Knowing the various aspects of culture can make us to clearly guide us and our
employees to a better understanding of the company goals, visions, and approaches to increased
productivity, perhaps with the use of valuable technology. Culture influences the way we think,
what we do, how we work, and what is acceptable in the company environment.
First and foremost, the great culture in my organization starts with a vision or mission
statement. These simple turns of phrase guide my organizations values and provide it with
purpose and this help to distinguish my organization from the competitor. That purpose, in turn,
orients every decision employees make. When they are deeply authentic and prominently
displayed, good vision statements can even help orient customers, suppliers, and other
stakeholders. Non-profits often excel at having compelling, simple vision statements than
competitor. A vision statement can be simple but foundational element of culture. This is
because "if you don't know where you are going, you will probably end up somewhere else!"
Anecdotal surveys show that the overwhelming majority of employees are clueless about their
overall company vision. While it's true that most know they should do a good job, many are
unclear about the specifics and the nuances. Sure, the vision of the Ford Motor Company is to
make cars, the local mattress factory to produce bedding, and the accounting company to prepare
your tax returns. But to what degree of quality? And what about customer service? Where in the
company environmental equation does that fit? Surprisingly, these questions occasionally go
unanswered. To help the employee better understand the culture, the entrepreneur and the
employees all need to understand specifically where the organization is going, how it will get
there, by when, and with what degree of quality and success. Without this knowledge, the
company is doomed to be an underperformer or possible to fail from their competitor.
Rather than that, my organization also believes that clear, consistent and constant
communication termed as a hallmark of operations in any culture. To be effective, my
organization practice communication of two-way process which requires feedback and follow-
up. This can make everyone be encouraged to speak up, ask questions and seek clarification of
issues to avoid misunderstandings. Besides that, in a positive culture, everyone enjoys a sense of
belonging and involvement. Silverzweig described the ability to delegate responsibility as yet
another form of communication, a way of informing and involving others in an operation. In
today's sophisticated environment, being able to delegate responsibility may be crucial in
meeting customer expectations and deadlines, according to Silverzweig. Moreover, an "open
door" policy will help an organization to make success than their competitor. This is because
such a policy along with regular meetings that include members of management and a sampling
of employees can help to review major goals, problems, opportunities, and to make sure they can
perform well with the teamwork of management and their employees. The strong relationship
and teamwork between management and employees is important because, it help to distinguish
my organization with other competitor.
A companys values are the core of its culture. While a vision articulates a companys
purpose, values offer a set of guidelines on the behaviours and mind-sets needed to achieve that
vision. My company for example, has a clearly articulated set of values that are prominently
communicated to all employees and involve the way that firm vows to serve clients, treat
colleagues, and uphold professional standards. And while many companies find their values
revolve around a few simple topics the originality of those values is less important than their
authenticity. One reason many people chose to work in an organization is because of its value
honesty, pride, concern for others, independence, positive reinforcement for a job well done or
well begun. These values may be unwritten but, nevertheless, are still potent qualities that exist
to inform employees about the company, especially when a clash of values occurs. Is it more
important, for example, to get products/ information/services out the door? Is it more valuable to
complete one polished product or many that are in great shape but dull in appearance? The
confusion can lead to diminished performance. So, an organization should give an important to
the values and practice it in order to distinguish the performance of organization than the
competitor. Rather than that, this values can make an organization to satisfy their employees
where help the employees to work hard to increase the performance of the organization.
Lastly, by reviewing these attributes of corporate culture, an empowering entrepreneur
can better assess the current status of an organization with an eye to modifying or eliminating the
parts that are dysfunctional or impractical, then replacing them with qualities that will improve
working environment, productivity, and employee satisfaction.



b. HOW DOES AN ORGANIZATION CREATE A CUSTOMER-RESPONSIVE
CULTURE?

Creating an organizational culture that builds a strong and loyal customer base is
generally rewarded with revenue growth in better financial performance.
First of all, management must make the measurement of service quality and feedback
from the customer a basic part of everyone's work experience. This information must be
available and understood by everyone, no matter what their level. The entire organization must
become obsessed with what the customer wants. A printing firm has signs all over the shop
saying, "Is it good enough? Ask the customer." This statement serves as a constant reminder to
everyone that customers are the ultimate judge of whether the service is what it should be, and
that all employees must be constantly surveying customers for what and how they want it. The
firm regularly sends out questionnaires about the quality of their service and then posts these
results for all to see. When you survey your customers on the quality of service, make sure that
everyone, from the top down, knows of the results and receives recognition for the things that are
going well. Behavioral research has shown that you get more of the behavior you reward. So
don't make the mistake of mentioning only the area of poor performance; also mention and
reward those who are doing well, and involve all employees in brainstorming ways to improve
the things that are unsatisfactory.
Secondly, management should be very clear about specifying the behavior that
employees are expected to deliver, both with external customers and their coworkers.
Thirdly, management should explain to their employees why giving excellent customer
service is important not only for the company, but for the world. What does company does that
makes life easier for everyone? What does your product or service add? Be sure to include this in
the reasons for achieving customer service excellence. A good example of this principle at work
is in the field of health care. People are often drawn into this profession because they enjoy
helping and caring for people. Smart health care organizations show how their desired customer
service behaviors enable employees to help and care for the patients and their families. Reward
people for their good service behaviors. Cash awards are nice, yes, but there are many other
ways to say, "job well done." Extra time off, for instance, or an article in the company
newsletter, a trophy or plaque awarded at a special recognition dinner, tickets to special events
tied to an employee's interests, or a simple written note are all ways to reward the kinds of
behaviors you want to see more of.
Then, management should create ways to communicate excellent examples of customer
service both within and outside the company. Institute celebrations, recognition ceremonies,
logos, and symbols of the customer service culture and its values. This is where you want the
mugs, buttons, and banners. Have a customer service bulletin board to feature service incidents
that were special. Seize every opportunity to publicize the times when employees do it right. A
newsletter should be developed to boast of customer service successes so that the idea of service
is constantly in front of everyone. One company, a major utility, devoted an entire issue of the
company magazine to "24 Karat Customer Service." It featured examples of how individual
employees defined customer service, stories of humorous or unusual customer service situations,
an article on the importance of internal customer service, and other ideas designed to keep
employees aware of the importance of their efforts in achieving quality customer service.
A hospital not only touts their customer service "hero stories" in their newsletter, they
also have a giant pep rally once a quarter for everyone to share their stories. Individual teams get
together often to focus on what has gone right as well as wrong in their patient and other
customer relations. Even if you are a very small business with only a few employees, post
instances of superior customer service of your own and others that you read about. Talk about
customer service and its importance every day. Indoctrinate and train everyone in the culture as
soon as they are hired. Disney is famous for this. It puts all newcomers through a "traditions"
course that details the company history with customer relations and how it is the backbone of
Disney. Your orientation program is a key part of the ultimate success of your customer service
efforts. Make sure that it contains more than an explanation of benefits and a tour of the
facilities. It can be an important element in planting the customer service culture of the company
so it can flourish and grow.
Rather than that, management also must encourage a sense of responsibility for group
performance. This will help employees see how their performance affects others and to
emphasize the importance of "internal customer service." Help everyone to see that if you don't
serve each other well, you can never hope to serve your ultimate customer. Do accounts payable
or shipping see that the timeliness of their service to other employees makes a big difference in
how the customer is served? Does the cook realize how important it is to get the order exactly
right in the kitchen so the wait-staff can please the restaurant customer? Even something as
seemingly insignificant as returning from lunch break on time can affect the quality of the
customer service you offer by determining whether you have enough coverage to serve
employees promptly. Repeat again and again that customer service is the responsibility of
everyone in the organization, not just the "customer service department."
Management also can establish policies that are "customer friendly" and that show
concern for their customers. Eliminate all routine and rigid policies and guidelines. Knock
yourself out to be a company that is easy to do business with. Never let your customer service
representatives say, "Those are the rules I have to follow; there's nothing I can do about it."
There is always a way to satisfy the customer. You must give your employees the power to do
so.
Then, remove any employees who do not show the behavior necessary to please
customers. Too many companies allow frontline service representatives to remain on the job
when they are not suited to a customer service position. If employees do not want to serve the
customer in the best way possible, document their behaviors and use this information to help
them change or to move them to areas away from customer interaction. In order for a culture of
customer service excellence to grow and thrive, management must have a burning desire for it to
be that way and the energy to ensure that this desire spreads throughout the organization and
remains there permanently. You must become a totally customer-focused organization.
Everyone, from the top down, must believe that they work for the customer.