Minutes 4/2/12

Minutes 4/2

Prepared by: Jordan Peters

Present: Remington, Robert, Jordan, Casey, Brooke, Jacqueline, Carmen
Absent: Leah

Topic: We began by watching a video posted to the blog by Remington called "Steve Ballmer Going Crazy". It was of Steve Ballmer jumping around almost too enthusiastically during a Microsoft company members convention.

Discussion: Company Culture. We started off by briefly touching on the two main components of company culture, which include a mission statement and core values. Company culture establishes a context for business communication and the work environment within a company or organization. 

Topic: Videos. We next watched two videos that gave us a better idea of company culture for Apple and Google. The first video we watched was "1984 Apple's Macintosh Video", and it established the advanced technology feel that we all know and understand as a guiding principle for Apple. In addition, we watched the video called "google culture", which showed us that Google's culture tends to entail collaboration and innovation, while fostering individualism and creativity within all employees. Their goal is to have their employees enjoy their work and the work place. Often times the company's meeting spaces are lounges or even bowling alleys. These are very casual atmospheres that allow the employees to be comfortable while also being productive. To further research Google culture you can follow this link: http://www.google.com/about/company/facts/culture/

Discussion: Company Culture Throughout the Decades. Suzanne talked about how especially since the 70s, each decade has codified many concepts that are a part of business culture. In the 70s, the idea of loyalty was a huge part of company culture. This is the idea that you do what you can for the company, and the company will in return do what they can for you. In the 80s, customer service was key. This was codified and the values were hashed out during this time. Lastly, in the 90s innovation was huge. The goal was to get every employee to feel innovative on a day to day basis as well as on a larger scale.  These concepts already existed, but they were discussed and explored with great depth during these decades. 

Discussion: Definition of Company Culture. We compiled a list of what we should have learned about company culture through our readings and what Suzanne thought that we should know. Culture is generally the feel of a company and why they work "this way or that way". It is the articulated personality of the company/organization, the people, the atmosphere of the workplace, and the "rules". It includes the Mission Statement, which is a statement of guiding principles, and core values, which a means to implement your goals and a list of the company's beliefs. Often times a company holds these things so closely that they make important decisions, such as hiring, based on whether or not an applicant can be molded into that culture. We discussed the Kaldi's example of whether or not uniforms should be worn. Typically Kaldi's does not believe in employees wearing uniforms because they are impersonal. However, if Kaldi's is on a college campus or in a store such as Schnuck's, the uniform policy is in accordance with the company that is "hosting" Kaldi's. Another example of company culture changing that comes from Kaldi's, is from when the new owners took over. They changed the tip policy, from distributing the money at the end of the day to including it in the pay check which would also be taxed. They also established the employee of the week who would win a giftcard to Cheesecake Factory. This somewhat devalued the significance of why some acquired this position in the first place. This slightly changed the company culture.

Reminder: Wednesday we need to talk about when we will be presenting our final group projects. A definite date needs to be decided. 

Topic: We were let out of class early and will finish the discussion of company culture with examples from the book next class.