Changing_Organizational_Culture

Organizational values define the acceptable standards which govern the behavior of individuals within the organization (Jones, 2010). Without such values, individuals will pursue behaviors that are in line with their own individual value systems, which may lead to behaviors that the organization does not wish to encourage. In a smaller organization such as the Art Depot stores, the behavior of individuals is much more visible than in Creative Colors. In these smaller groups, the need for articulated values is reduced, since unacceptable behaviors can be challenged openly. However, for Creative Color, the desired behavior is being encouraged by different individuals in different places with different sub-groups, an articulated statement of values can draw an organization together. Clearly, the organization's values are in line with its purpose or mission, and the vision that it is trying to achieve. To articulated values of an organization can provide a framework for the collective leadership of an organization to encourage common norms of behavior which will support the achievement of the organization's goals and mission. Transitioning from lost strategy to differentiation with excellent customer service will be challenging however, the livelihood of any business is. You can offer promotions and slash prices to bring in as many new customers as you want, but unless you can get some of those customers to come back, your business won't be profitable for long. Excellent customer service is all about bringing customers back. And about sending them away happy enough to pass positive feedback about your business along to others, who may then try the product or service you offer for themselves and in their turn become repeat customers. Some advice that I would recommend to the owner of the Creative Colors and Art depot stores would be to create loyal customers by: • The "word of mouth" factor: Loyal customers go out of their way to help you build your organizations when they feel you care about them. They tell everyone about their delightful experiences. Word of mouth is the single most powerful marketing force your organization can have working on its behalf. • A stronger brand: In difficult economic times, a loyal customer will first turn to organizations they trust and trust should be the key element behind your brand. Your brand means much more to a loyal customer than a non-loyal customer. It represents the emotional trust bond they have formed with your organization. • More profitable customers: Loyal customers purchase more and more often. It costs much less money for you to strengthen a relationship with an existing customer than begin a new relationship with a new customer. • Lower marketing and sales costs: Loyal customers have higher response rates than non-loyal customers. This means you need to spend less money on loyal customers to achieve the same results from spending more on non-loyal customers. In fact, organizations with loyal customers can actually spend more money per loyal customer and still lower their overall costs. It all has to do with your better response rates from loyal customers. • Lower product and service development costs: Organizations with loyal customers can more readily ask and receive accurate responses from their customers on what they really want and need. This not only reduces the cost to develop, but improves "time to market" dramatically. Instill education to your staff by communicate internal values. Values should fit with the organizations' communication, both internally and externally. If we say that we are fun, team-oriented where everyone counts, then having a traditional style with a photo of the CEO may challenge this. Refer frequently to the values in talks and sermons, in articles in internal/parish magazines. Acknowledge and thank those people who have achieved something which particularly emphasizes the values. Revisit and refresh the values. Revisit your values periodically - allowing members to update them. This has the power of enrolling those who have joined the organization recently, and avoids the stated values no longer reflecting the business culture. Some of the challenges that customer service managers are often dealing with higher-than-average turnover and the need to fill seats. But even with high turnover, it is a mistake to take anyone who comes along. To find the right people for the job, managers really need to look beyond the masks that many job candidates wear — and they need to be a little more honest about what working in customer service entails. Dealing with conflict and contradictory behavior. Ensuring that we give feedback to those who do not live out the values of the organization. If people are allowed to live out contradictory values, then over time there is a clear danger that these will usurp the desired values, particularly if it is the more dynamic, dominant individuals who are espousing the contradictory values. Periodically check out with Feedback. Ask people what they think are the values of the organization - not only members, who may be influenced by the stated values, but outsiders - observers, customers, former members. Unfortunately, most people are unaware of their culture until it is challenged, until they experience a new culture, or until culture is made overt and explicit through, for example, a framework or model (Schneider, 1990). It is only when confronted with a different language or asked specific questions about language, that people become aware that language is one of their defining attributes. Similarly, culture is undetectable most of the time because it is not challenged or consciously articulated. Measuring culture, therefore, has presented a challenge to organizational scholars and change agents According to Cameron & Quinn (1983), the six dimensions is not comprehensive, of course, but it has proven in past research to provide an adequate picture of the type of culture that exists in an organization: (1) the dominant characteristics of the organization, (2) the leadership style that permeates the organization, (3) the organizational glue or bonding mechanisms that hold the organization together, (4) the strategic emphases that define what areas of emphasis drive the organization’s strategy, (5) the criteria of success that determine how victory is defined and what gets rewarded and celebrated, and (6) the management of employees or the style that characterizes how employees are treated and what the working environment is like. Another recommendation I would suggest is to reference the four building blocks of an organization: First, vision is the driving statement that reframes a shared picture of what the organization is becoming. Vision stretches the organization's capabilities and image of itself giving shape and direction to the organization's future. Second, mission provides the road map that defines the organization's purpose, core objectives, and key measures of success. Mission is the benchmark against which leaders weigh every decision and action. Third, value are the guiding beliefs about how team members behave everyday in the process of living out the mission on the way to achieving the vision. Lastly, leadership is every organization need for leaders who ask the strategic questions that are only discovered from the vantage point of where the organization has been, is today and needs to go tomorrow. Leaders predict, listen, reflect, adjust and delegate. Leaders cast vision in compelling ways, share the stories that illustrate how the mission is being lived out in the lives of ordinary people and model the values in their own attitudes, words and actions. The challenge of opening an Art Depot store in Canada may have some disadvantages such as the following: Is your product/service something people want or need on a continuing basis and if so, how many people are likely to want or need it (your target market) at the price you intend to charge' Is there existing competition for your product/service and if there is, what advantage(s) does yours offer' Understanding that there will be resistance to change will help you anticipate resistance, identify its sources and reasons and modify your efforts to manage the issues of change to ensure the success of your change efforts. Resistance is actually healthy. Try not to react against it defensively. It is good for you because it makes you check your assumptions and it forces you to clarify what you are doing. You must always probe the objections to find the real reason for resistance. Many times, it comes down to personal fear. As the leader, you must take the time to understand resistance and you may have to come at it from several different angles before it is conquered. You must understand what your employees are feeling, as well as thinking. Involve interested parties in the planning of change by asking them for suggestions and incorporating their ideas. Clearly define the need for the change by communicating the strategic decision personally and in written form. According to Keen (1981), the “people needs" of those involved disrupt only what needs to be changed. Help people retain friendships, comfortable settings and group norms wherever possible. Design flexibility into change by phasing it in wherever possible. This will allow people to complete current efforts and assimilate new behaviors along the way. Allow employees to redefine their roles during the course of implementing change. Be open and honest. Do not leave openings for people to return to the status quo. If you and your organization are not ready to commit yourselves to the change, do not announce the strategy. Focus continually on the positive aspects of the change. Be specific where you can. Deliver training programs that develop basic skills as opposed to processes such as: conducting meetings, communication, teambuilding, self-esteem and coaching. References Jones, G.R. (2010) Organizational theory, design, and change . Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall Keen, P. (1981) Information Systems and Organizational Change, Communications of the ACM (24:1), pp. 24-32. Quinn, R.E. and Cameron, K.S. (1983) Organizational life cycles and shifting criteria of effectiveness. Management Science, 29: 33-51. Schneider, B. (1990) Organizational Climate and Culture. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.