ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE AT Apple INC

Organizational Culture at Apple Inc

Organizational Culture at Apple Inc

Introduction

Apple Inc. is a global computer manufacturing company that is going through major changes in its organizational culture and to its organizational structure due to several events of the past few years. This is company that grew extremely fast in so little time, that their management found themselves not being able to keep their operations and finances under control. Apple Inc. has been forced to reevaluate and redesigned its organizational culture and to its organizational structure to avoid bankruptcy.

The organizational culture of Apple is one of change; with the drive to outperform and succeed as their major objectives. The organizational structure of company has also transformed to be more competitive in critical juncture on the companies history. Apple is going through a major restructuring to regain control of its operations and finances in order to stay competitive on the global market. This paper will describe the organizational culture and structure of Apple (www.fundinguniverse).

Organizational Culture

The culture of Apple was based on an ideal that self-motivated individuals will work harder if they do not have a boss micromanaging every action. The unique structure of Apple had allowed it to grow and react more quickly to changes than its competitors. The reason for the quick responsiveness is simple; it is much easier to get a project started if there are only a few people to obtain approval from. Apple initially grew fast, because decisions were made at the lowest possible level. Corporate headquarters made policy and oversaw all activities, but the local employees made the day-to-day decisions on the ground in countries all over the world. This type of top-down philosophy allowed for quick responsiveness and resolutions to situations without involving the corporate headquarters, thus avoiding corporate red tape (Mc Shane and Travglione, 2005, pp 89-290).

Organizational Structure

The organizational structure of Apple was almost non-existent and focused on placing decision making in the hands of the people on the field. Apple was doing incredibly well and had gotten the attention of many people because the company worked well and was very responsive to change. However, things took a downward turn and Apple found themselves in a financial nightmare. Apple suffered problems in regional areas, specifically in the accountability of spending and in fiscal decision-making. The same "top-down" ideology that helped Apple grows also opened the door for some serious financial losses. With employees at different levels making decisions, it became difficult for the corporate office to keep track of spending and purchasing (Offermann & Spiros, 2001, pp 376-92).

Behavior at work (personality traits)

Apple Inc. case study

Personality refers to the relatively stable pattern of behaviors and consistent internal states that explain a person's behavioral tendencies. Personality has both internal and external elements. The external traits are the observable behaviors that people rely on to identify someone's personalit. Personality is both inherited and shaped by the environment (Mc Shane and Travglione, 2005, pp 89-290). Some examples of personality traits are quiet, aggressive and ambitious ...