Analysis Of Lincoln Electric Organizational Culture

The founders of the Lincoln Electric Company left a legacy of an organization culture that promotes high productivity through sound management policies which have stood the test of time. The exponential growth of the company after the death of James F. Lincoln was a direct result of the establishment of a rich culture mix based on values that were widely shared and accepted by the members of the organization. Management empowered employees to become part of the decision making process through the contribution of ideas through the Advisory Board which was elected by the employees from amongst themselves. Reward management systems and all the other artifacts of the Lincoln Electric’s distinguished strong organizational culture will be analyzed in greater detail in this essay.

Every organization has values and beliefs that define what they do and how they do things in the organization. These values have significant influence on how the employees behaves and the general performance of the organization – it is these set of values and beliefs, rooted deep in the company’s organizational structure that depict the “dos”, “don’t” and the “hows”, of the organization and these unequivocally represents the culture of the organization. This concept became popular in the 1980s when Peters and Waterman in their book: “In search of Excellence” presented the profound argument that, the success of any organization is inextricable linked to the quality of its culture. (Carpenter, M., Taylor, B., Erdogan, B. 2009 p183). The purpose of this paper is an attempt to analyse the impact diverse cultures played in the success of the Lincoln Electric Company.

The Lincoln Electric Company is one of the largest manufacturers of welding machines and electrons in the world today, with $1 billion in sales and 6000 workers worldwide. The company is also the pioneer in the development of the arc-welding industry and the originator of the innovative employee incentive system. “It was founded in 1895 by Engineer John C. Lincoln to manufacture an industrial motor of his own design. By 1909, it began to produce welding machines, and In 1914 James F.Lincoln his younger brother became the general manager, and actively promoted the welding industry, which expanded with the need to repair the navy vessels during the First World War”. Moley Raymond. (1962) The American century of John C. Lincoln. Retrieve

brother join the company and subsequently became general manager and vice president in 1914. One of James early actions was to have a committee that would advise him on company operations. Employees was asked to elect representatives to the committee. They met twice monthly with the executive officer ever since. A welding school was formed in 1917 and still continues today. In 1918 an employee bonus plan was initiated then discontinued. It returned later on however. In 1934 the bonus plan was purposed by the advisory board, their has been a bonus every year since then. In 1919 the Lincoln Electric Employees Association was formed providing health benefits and social activities. This has continued today with added functions. The board of directors started a suggestion system that is still in effect today. At least since 1935 Lincoln productivity has been well above the average productivity vs. similar companies.

Founded in 1895 by John C. Lincoln, the Lincoln Electric Company is a high-quality manufacturer of welding machines and welding equipment based out of Cleveland, Ohio. Lincoln Electric was founded upon a strong foundation of competitive logic, using many levels of synergy in its manufacturing process to create the highest quality welding equipment and the lowest costs. Through the company’s unique management system and vertical integration strategies, they have created and maintained a strong competitive advantage in the welding industry. Lincoln has outlasted and defeated multinational competitors to become the world’s leader in welding technology and equipment.

The success of a business is intimately tied to the success of its culture. To understand better how organisational culture is created and maintained we will examine one of America’s most successfully managed companies, the Lincoln Electric company. We will examine many aspects of the company that contribute to its culture, such as the influence of the company’s founders, the golden rule, the incentive management plan, the performance appraisal system, the merit pay plan, the bonus plan, the way people communicate within the company and the management style. In analysing these we will reveal a strong people oriented culture formed and maintained for over a century.

The Lincoln Electric Company, a manufacturer of welding equipment and supplies, was founded in 1895 by John C. Lincoln as a manufacturer of electric motors. In the early years of the 20th century, James F. Lincoln joined his brother’s company and by 1914 replaced John as the company head, allowing the latter to concentrate his efforts on scientific investigations.

The Culture of a Company, or the Organizational Culture like it is mentioned in Principles of Management, has gotten a new dimension for me in terms of importance to assure the success of a company. This Organizational Culture is based on a series of values that are defined and established by the founder of a company for instance, which has a deep relation with his ethics and moral values. Therefore, the first factor to outline would be what the culture of a company shows, that can describe already how their managers behave and think. Managers with good intentions will place their workers ahead of profits, image or technology. The Lincoln Electric Company is a good example of that. In this welding manufacturing company, there were

Lincoln Electric Company was founded by John Lincoln and his brother James Lincoln. The company is now the world’s largest manufacturer of welding machines and electrodes (Sharplin, 1989). As stated previously, the founders’ values have a huge impact on what becomes of an organisation’s culture and James Lincoln (and his golden rule) is a good example. From early on he took a different approach to managing his company than others at the time. James Lincoln’s innovative

Lincoln Electric Company of Cleveland Ohio USA`s organizational Culture is exceptional and has earned it the acolade of being the best managed manufacturing company in the whole world. I will explore and attempt to identify culture aspects of Lincoln Electric from several issues such as; the continuing influence of founders of the company, the golden rule, the incentive management plan,the performance appraisal system, how people communicate in the organization, the merit pay plan, the bonus plan, and the management style.

A company’s culture is inevitably tied to the personality, background, and values of its founders. The way these people want to do business determines the organisation’s rules, the structural set up, and the people they hire” (Uopeople.edu, 2016). Looking at the influence James F. Lincoln had on the Lincoln Electric Company, it is clear the things he implemented decades ago, continue to be part of the Lincoln Electric Company’s culture.

First, I examined the ongoing influence that has been exerted by the founders of the company. Lincoln Electric was founded by James F. Lincoln at the turn of the 20th century. His influence in leadership and his approach toward the customer has stood the test of time. James believed that the success of his company lay with the customer and a motivated labor force.

In 1919, The Lincoln Electric Employee Association was formed to provide health benefits and social activities. Few years later very interesting adjustments happened in the company. First, a piecework pay has been implemented. Employees got two weeks of paid vacation. Wages were adjusted for changes in the Consumer Price Index. And a portion of the common stock was set aside for all employees in 1925. In addition, a suggestion reward system was introduced and the legendary bonus plan was accepted and implemented on 1934.

Lincoln Electric Company is a company who makes electric arc welders. These welders are known worldwide by a lot of businesses who use them, they are the leader in welders and welding supplies. In 1906, John C. Lincoln started the company. Later on his brother, James came on and became the General Manager for the company as John had moved on to other business ventures.

manufacturing welders and welding equipment. 109 years of quality as cool of a fact as