Evaluation of Organization Culture

Organizational Culture as defined by the text is “a system of shared assumptions, values, and beliefs that show employees what is appropriate and inappropriate behavior.” (UMUC) In organizations the culture can be compared to a personality, and like individuals each organization’s personality is unique and often shaped by visible and underlying factors. In examining the culture of Sprint, I found that both visible and underlying factors shape the Employees conduct and the way that the Organization functions.

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In my effort to properly document my Organization’s culture, I performed several observations. In my observations I focused on the different artifacts present and how it all eventually adds up to ensure customer satisfaction, the first artifact that I observed was the company dress code. Regardless of role within the Organization all Employees adhere to a strict dress code, where no one is allowed to dress casually, Employees are given two color options for pants, and two color options for shirt and are even allotted a budget for the year that they can use to purchase uniforms from a designated site; if Employees are not within the established Dress Code then they are not allowed to work their shift for that day. The second artifact that I observed was the Organization’s slogan which focuses on efficiency by ensuring that customers know that they are the best deal in wireless. With such fierce competition in the wireless industry, Sprint uses the artifact of their slogan in just about every space customer can see, ranging from being plastered on poster boards, to employees wearing lanyards that say the same message. The third artifact that I observed was the rules posted in the break room of the location, asides from signs advertising promotions/sales and the company slogan, there was a big sign that says no profanity with several corrective action items listed if you are caught swearing within earshot of a customer.

From appearance to advertisement and posted rules, my Organization’s culture of ensuring exceptional customer service is extremely visible regardless of whether you are on the sales floor or in the backroom. While the slogan of my organization focuses on the efficiency value cluster, this all contributes to the heavy emphasis placed on customer satisfaction, as seen in the no profanity poster and constant promotions that are always being advertised throughout the Organization. The established dress code also works to ensure that there’s a professional image being portrayed to the public and that no matter what location they visit customers are greeted with the same appearance and professional speech, all working towards ensuring uniformity throughout the organization.

In order to uncover the values of my organization I created a brief questionnaire and had 10 Employees rate the statements based on what they agreed with the most. In my observations I noticed a real desire for uniformity throughout the organization, one item that ensures consistency across locations is the customer satisfaction survey that customers receive after in-store interactions, this added follow-up call ensures that the organization’s aim to be the best overall value in wireless is met. The shared goal within the organization of ensuring that each customer is offered exceptional service is also reflected in the questionnaire responses where 8 out of 10 participants indicated that they strongly agreed with the fact that offering exceptional customer service is the key to making the organization successful. Another notable shared standard throughout the organization is the honesty policy used in regards to sales, Employees throughout the organization are trusted by corporate to ensure that they are verify ads when performing price matches or offering bill credits, this shared principle is essentially in letting Employees know that they are trusted to offer customers the best value in wireless even if it means losing a little bit of upfront revenue by discounting merchandise.

Attempting to uncover the basic underlying assumptions was a little more difficult than observing artifacts or using the questionnaire to uncover shared values since there’s not much thought put into the assumptions that eventually shape our artifacts and values. Just like many sales organizations Sprint believes that rewarding individuals for good work, will keep them happy and in the long run result in less employee turnover, when I had the 10 participants complete the attached questionnaire 6 out of 10 indicated that they see themselves being employed here for at least the next two years, which is much higher than the “3 out of 10” reported by Maren Hogan in 2015. This could be directly linked to the fact that 8 out of 10 questionnaire participants indicated that they agreed that Awards were typically given to those who deserved them.

In order to enact on the underlying assumption that rewarding individuals will keep them happy in the long run, Sprint offers several award ceremonies and reward points to its employees; the top 10 ranking representatives from each region is offered an opportunity for an all-expense paid trip to Hawaii to attend the Pinnacle award ceremony where they receive a plaque and a small monetary price. On a smaller scale employee are offered E-points for accomplishments such as receiving 10 good surveys, or having a customer personally email management about what an excellent job you did in assisting with their transaction. The rewards though varying in size all tie into the underlying assumption that happier employees mean happier customers.

In conclusion the culture at Sprint is highly dedicated to customer satisfaction and ensuring that the organization is indeed the best value in wireless. From ensuring that everyone not only dress but speaks in a professional manner, to follow up satisfaction calls, and rewarding employees for positive score, these elements ensure that culture is indeed a positive one that aligns with the organization’s mission.

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QUESTIONAIRE

Please highlight the answer that you MOST agree with:

My Organization values its Employees