Blog #3: Organizational Culture at Market of Choice, Corvallis, OR

This week, I decided to observe the organizational culture at Market of Choice, one of the premiere grocery stores found in Corvallis, OR.

We were asked to observe the culture at a workplace for thirty minutes, and look for five different aspects that help make up culture of an organization. My observations were as follows:

1) Physical structure and layout of the organization:

Even looking at the Market of Choice store from the outside in gives people an idea of the way that they like to run things. Their building is a very impressive mixture of modern design built in with wood and stonework throughout the front entrance, with a very clean and pristine eating area just outside the main doors. As you walk in through the front sliding doors, you are blasted with warm air from above, which in a sense wakes you up and makes you reset all of your senses for your experience in the store. I found this as a ritual of sorts, as it is something that happens upon entering and leaving the store.

The layout of the organization is very much like any modern grocery store you would normally be used to shopping at. There are registers at the front of the store, along with several departments: floral, meat/seafood, dairy, your standard grocery aisles, beer/wine (VERY extensive, easily the best in Corvallis), deli, bakery and a coffee shop. Every department in itself could represent a subculture. Just inside the front entrance, you notice that the bakery, coffee shop and the deli are all combined in one section together. Over by the coffee shop is an impressive sit down eating area complete with a gas fire place that actually gives off heat! I could see this being a very nice place to sit down and eat during a cold winter day. I think that the fire itself is an artifact of Market of Choice in it's own right - giving off warmth and light for those looking to shop there.

2) Decor, furniture, decorations, etc.:

The store's decorations were seasonal, with most departments advertising their seasonal fare. You can tell that Market of Choice values seasonal products, making sure that their shoppers are presented with the best possible choices given the growing and production season. There is also a lot of furniture and decor that give off an earthly and sustainable vibe.

3) Employee attire and manner of self-presentation:

The employees that I observed - mainly a couple of checkers, a courtesy clerk and a store manager / PIC of sorts, were very professionally dressed in a collared dress shirt with the Market of Choice logo embroidered on, and were either wearing dress khakis or pants. Their uniforms were all earthly toned as well. The store manager had a different colored name tag that was clearly labeled with the words manager on it. He also wore a dress tie.

4) General atmosphere/feel of the workplace:

When I purchased a couple of products from one of the checkers, she was very nice and professional. Upon observing her interactions with her coworkers, it gave off the vibe that the atmosphere of the store was laid back, but professional. Everyone seemed engaged in their own activities, but it gave off the feeling that workers were not being rushed to get their jobs done, which is something I've seen in other grocery stores.

5) Communication patterns:

Upon viewing communication between coworkers, I noticed that they were very direct and quick answering each other's questions. I saw a lot of smiles and laughing between coworkers as well, showing that they likely enjoy what they do. The interactions all seemed positive from an outsider's perspective.

http://www.marketofchoice.com/

This is a link to their website, which I think is also a great representation of an artifact of the organization. From the website you can clearly tell that they are committed to giving their customers the best possible products available by season and that they are focused on making their organization healthy and sustainable, as well as the customers that shop there.

Blog #2: Zappos' success, Systems and Cultural Approaches

This week, I was easily able to find connections between the articles presented on the success of the online shoe retailer Zappos and chapters 4 and 5 of the text. Chapters 4 and 5 of the text talk about Systems and Cultural Approaches to organizational communication and there are several examples from the readings that explain why Zappos has been a successful example of these communication ideals.

Chapter 4 specifically discusses organizations as a "system" not much unlike that of a biological system: one that actively and regularly exchanges resources in and out in order to promote growth and to prevent entropy. The chapter gives specific examples that describe the clear differences between an organization being mechanistic and like a living system, bringing such topics into discussion such as holism, equifinality, and the idea that a system must interact with the environment around it - not simply follow a pre-determined set-in-stone path from start to finish. I found that the articles specifically talk about the necessary ingredients that have led to Zappos' recipe of success, mostly referring to the high quality treatment of their employees and the consumers that purchase their products. This makes sense when you learn that Zappos' employees are offered a life coach, given free access to literature and materials that can help them learn and grow in the realm of being successful both in work and life, and that they are offered $2000 to leave periodically if they wish - just to make sure that they know they are doing the kind of work that they love. I found these points particularly eye-opening when I read them because it shows that Zappos' founder Tony Hsieh truly values growth and care of his employees while trying to help them be the best possible people they can be.

Chapter 5 talks about organizations approaching communication from a cultural metaphor, explaining that there are certain values, rites, rituals, and a vibrant cultural network that make working for a organization unique. Getting employees to buy into this idea of their work being not just a family or an ever-evolving living system, but something as far advanced as a culture, is an alternative method of organizational communication. It embraces the fact that true cultures involve synchronization of multiple entities together instead of being unitary. This makes cultures complex, and more the result of values, assumptions, and behaviors blended together in a melting-pot like scenario. I think that Zappos also embodies the cultural approach to organizational communication in that it embraces and promotes the complexity of it's employees and the relationships they have with their customers. Employees are encourages to try new things and not be afraid to make mistakes, which could lead to new ideas and promote positive changes within the system. I think that this also creates as sense of uniqueness to the company in that it allows its employees to get away with choices that other, more corporate, stricter companies may not allow. This creates a sense of culture from the outside, where consumers are looking for the best customer service possible - and from the inside, where employees can feel free to be creative and unique in solving real-world transactions and problems as they see fit.

I personally found the chapters enlightening as well as informative, and that they related quite well to the readings about Zappos. I think that these approaches show positive movement from the more classical approaches towards something that seems more realistic as well as something that I could see myself agreeing with. As I continue my career in fisheries and wildlife, seeing companies such as Zappos in the fold gives me hope and excitement that I can find a company that holds similar values towards my employment and my overall sense of well being.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiFMJfrCO_0

Continuing the theme of last week, I found a interesting video on Youtube from the Coffman Organization, detailing the importance of the cultural strategy. I found it was a great way to explain what the cultural approach really is and what it means to employees. Let me know what you thought of it below.

Thanks for reading! 

Blog #1 - Human Relations and Human Resources Approaches

Upon finishing this week's readings, a couple of thoughts stood out to me among others.

Clearly, companies that invest care into their employees' well being (which includes the work-life connection "balance") are going to have higher retention of said employees. The article describes the Nestlé Purina Petcare Company as one example of such a company. They allow employees to bring in their pets to work, thus helping to bridge the gap between home and work life. The SAS institute offers their employees several at-work benefits including a gym, a healthcare center, and a daycare center. These are aspects of human relations discussed in Chapter 3 in that they aim to satisfy human needs in order to keep employees happy and motivated to work. It would be fairly incredible to work for such a company that values their employees so highly.

The chapter offered several different approaches to human resources but the one that stood out most to me was the Pfeffer's Seven Practices of Successful Organizations. When I read the table describing the different approaches, it made me reflect on the previous jobs I've held and made me realize that they weren't quite up to these standards. 

For example, I worked for Safeway Inc. a couple of summers ago and I certainly did not feel like the management styles incorporated "selective hiring", "employment security", "Self-managed teams", nor "comparatively high & contingent compensation". My job title as "courtesy clerk" was really just a glorified janitor. I was extremely underpaid for the amount of physical labor and work that I had to do (which mostly involved running bottle return machines in a very busy downtown store), and there was no equality of treatment between employees that got their work done and those that only got half of what they were supposed to get done and left the rest for everybody else. 

The readings from this week gave me a lot of food for thought to think about my past work experiences and what elements make up a strong human resources program. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxLQrMFJni4

Thanks for reading!