Wegmans Culture Essay

According to Schein (1997, pg. 475) culture is, “A pattern of shared basic assumptions that the group learned as it solved its problems of external adaptation and internal integration, that has worked well enough to be considered valid and, therefore, to be taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think, and feel in relation to those problems.” The Ivanovich’s created the atmosphere/culture in their organization of a close knit family. They considered their employees to be the part of the team not just paid workers. Part of Iggy’s mission states, “to make breads of the highest quality and then deliver them daily to their customers with the highest standards of service and integrity…we are committed to providing a nurturing and respectful environment at our workplace that fosters cooperation, communication and a sense of accomplishment for all employees. We proved tools for growth through education, health benefits and access to alternative medical treatments.”

Organizational culture- Publix organizational is customer valued where they would go an extrea miles to make their customer happy, and compassion for their customers. For example, “a customer was checking out in Asma’s lane when she realized the card she was paying with had expired, and her new card was at home. Asma came to the rescue by using $100 of her own money to pay the customer’s bill. The customer was overwhelmed with Asma’s generosity and returned later to repay her” (Publix

Wegmans is a family-owned, privately-held company located in Rochester, New York. In 1921 John and Walter Wegman purchased the Steel Grocery Co. and “expanded operations to include general groceries and bakery operations.” (Brady, 2009) One of its distinguishing

This paper is intended to explore the work ethic and value of Trader Joe’s as a company and their employees. Hands-on top managers have always been insistent in the company. Now, CEO Dan Bane created the values to reflect on the original traditions of its founder. When reading through the accomplishments of this grocery store, I was pleasantly surprised that they have managed to keep their integrity during their growth. Being a customer at Trader Joe’s myself, I find myself thinking about all the good experiences I have had every time I visited the store. Trader Joe’s has grown from a “mom and pop” grocery to a worldwide chain. Their integrity for selling a good product at a good price with great customer has proven them to be one of the grocery stores to be in high completion with other retailers in their genre. Their focus on giving their customers the options of different goods and the smiling faces of their friendly employees has risen them to a higher level of grocery shopping.

The organization which I attended to analyze their organization, based on the three levels of culture discussed in class was Moe’s Southwest Grill. Over the past couple of years, my friends from Bloomington-Normal have raved about how good Moe’s food is. I thought that this class assignment would be a good opportunity to take up one of my friend’s offer to go to Moe’s. Doing so allowed me to get some great food and to further look into the company’s culture. From walking in, to getting food, and eventually leaving, it was evident what the employees at Moe’s believe in and the culture within the organization. Specifically relating to artifacts, espoused and enacted values, and basic assumptions, Moe’s organizational culture was extremely apparent.

They credit their success to the fact that they do not have people from the outside weighing in as to what they should do or not do with the company and it is not torn apart by other companies. Publix is a successful organization because for many years not only have they been customer focused, but also employee focused. They have cultivated a culture of caring, sustainability and success. Their focus is not primarily on the bottom line, but instead on making sure that Publix’s employees are well taken care of, that consumers are happy with the quality of products that they provide and that the customer experience is constantly the best no matter how many times a person has been to their stores. Their structure has been cultivated since the early beginnings of the organization when George W. Jenkins opened his first in 1930, with the philosophy that employees and customers would be treated like family. Because of the culture and structure that Publix has committed itself to create, cultivate, and continue to grow an nurture; the organization has been upheld year after year as the number one supermarket for customer satisfaction, as well as being in the Fortune “100 Best Companies to Work For.” It has also been known for its sustainability efforts and their community involvement. In a survey conducted online, 23.08% of the people said that

Chick fil A is a unique company and is clearly different from most fast-food restaurants; employees are kind, helpful and maintain a clean environment no matter where they located. As stated previously Chick-fil- A’s corporate purpose is constructive in addition it emphasizes their culture “To glorify god by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us. To have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil- A.” (cite) This statement truly shows how the company’s leadership has created a culture where service is just as important as profit. The emphasis of this section of the paper will be to research while also analyzing how Chick-fil-A makes people a priority and how doing things in an uncommon way has certainly helped Chick-fil-A create a strong culture as well as a successful business.

Walmart’s organizational structure determines the company’s business activities. Its organizational structure also enforces limits on how the business discourses its problems. In relation, Walmart’s organizational culture decides the way people react to challenges in the workplace. The elasticity of the human resources of the company partly depends on the mindset maintained through the organizational culture of the Wal-Mart. Nonetheless, the long history of Walmart in progressing successfully and continually growing internationally proves that the firm’s organizational structure and organizational culture have been very positive in bringing competitive advantage and achievement. Such organizational structure interacts with the organizational culture to maintain the significant competitive advantage of Walmart.

Never on a Sunday is a case study that discusses the philosophy carried out by companies like McCoy’s Building Supply and Chick Fil-A. Both of these organizations are perfect examples of “Organizational or Corporate culture” defined as a system of shared actions, values, and beliefs that develop within an organization that guides the behavior of its members (Schermerhom, Osborn, Uhl- bien, Hunt, 2012, p. 348). At McCoy’s for example “Managers are asked to concentrate on service related issues” Managers focus more on the items in store and customer service and the majority of their administrative workload is handled through headquarters (Schermerhom, Osborn, Uhl- bien, Hunt, 2012, p. 353). Working as a manager myself that really sounds like a great method of management. There are many times where my boss and the rest of the management team where I work struggles. Keeping up with all the administrative duties and the store at the same time can be really trying and is a never ending workload. This makes neither one of them get the attention they require and more often than not we find ourselves trying to do just enough administrative work and just enough floor work to get through the day. Additionally, the management teams meet regularly to discuss products and other important aspects that impact the stores. Sometimes in my line of work we wish that we had the opportunity to meet and discuss new ideas and products that could improve our stores.

Not only is a strong corporate culture good for business by increasing customer satisfaction, it also can help to decrease turnover and save on human resources expenditures. Internal integration should start the minute a new employee enters a company. Training of new employees should include some way of helping them to understand the company's culture. The new hire training program currently in use at Wal-Mart stores includes videos and other information about the founding of the company as well as other general and specific information about the company's culture as well as expectations related to this culture. This is important because a company's culture is not always easily apparent to newcomers and this is what keeps Wal-mart's culture strong (Berg, 2001).

Perception is important in an organizational culture. Perception is a “process by which individuals organize and interpret their sensory impressions in order to give meaning to their environment.” (Judge & Robbins, 2011) Nordstrom has a culture of autonomy, empowerment, good judgment, and above all good customer service. The leadership communicates the company history and goals through story telling so that employees can understand the importance of customer service to the organization. For example, in 1978 a customer returned a tire to the store, the employee asked for the receipt and returned the money to the customer. When working for Nordstrom as a seasonal employee, the tire story was shared with the new employees and is currently being shared with new employees. What I perceived the organization to be is one of standing by their claim of superior customer service, using good judgment, and the customer is always right.

Eating food is essential for all of us, it keep us alive and also gives us enjoyment at the same time. Food can be defined as any substance that can be metabolized by an animal to give energy and build tissue. (ilearn) In ancient time, when people feel hungry, they eat. However, as human history keep developing and evolving, we have a higher standard on choosing food that we like to eat nowadays. In this paper, we are going to evaluate factors that are influencing our food habits and food culture. Those factors can be divided into two main categories, internal factors (individual preference and values) and external factors (geographical, religion, social, economic and political).

An organization’s culture shapes the attitudes and behaviors of its employees by defining boundaries, providing a sense of identity and stability. It also establishes a standard in regards to what employees should say and do. Culture can be transmitted via stories, rituals, material symbols and language. Culture within an organization is no exception.

A strong positive organizational culture develops from employee awareness of the distinct differences between their company and other companies along with company mindfulness and embracing cultural diversity of its employees. As long as the organizational uniqueness of companies is positive, company pride among employees expands and improves the employees’ willingness to learn. Conversely, disinterested employees lack commitment to their company and lack desire to learn, making training more difficult.

Corporate culture is a key component to the success of Starbucks. When looking at the seven dimensions of corporate culture (fn textbook pg 338) Starbucks emphasizes Team and People Orientation along with Innovation and Risk-Taking and pose less emphasis on a competitive environment or an outcome oriented approach. (see appendix c) In order to ensure a strong corporate culture Starbucks utilizes innovative and simple ways to ensure the key values are deeply held and widely shared. (fn) By visiting up to 40 stores weekly by the CEO Richard Schultz, creation of Starbucks Broadcast News to convey company news, or administering an “attitude survey” every 18 months to all employees they ensure the company and its partners (employees) are connected. (fn textbook)