peer-to-peer discussion 2

This is the peer-to-peer discussion in this module, where you apply class concepts to the organizations used in your projects, and seek input and feedback from other students.

Examples

1) Hello Class, A company I would use as a strong culture is Ball corporations because when I worked there everyone seemed to be on the same page of maximizing efforts to put out good product fast. A discussion about a recession came up and some of the employees that worked there through 2008 explained that even when machines weren't running, they still employed them during the hard times to make sure everyone could still pay their bills. This had a negative impact on Ball corporation because if machines weren't running, they weren't making any money and they still had employees they had to pay. I was explained that the day-to-day jobs included cleaning and maintenance to prepare for when production started back up. I was told that they could have easily laid employees off because of the minimum production that was happening but they decided to stick with the employees and make sure they were taken care of during the hard a hard time. I was told this story in 2020 when I worked at Ball corporation when I was on a break. The employees really care about what they do because they know Ball corporation will take care of them when it matters. Even to this day I would love to go back at Ball Corporation because of they great culture they have built.

2) I have always been intrigued in culture, as I have a background in Human Resources. I think that a company with a really positive culture is Target. Target is where I got started in HR and I feel like Target is just different in how they work. I have always heard that HR is awful and that the people who work in HR don't care about the employees, however that has never been my experience with Target, both as a regular team member, and as a HR team member. A strong culture is vital for a company, both for the employees and for the customers. If the employees are not happy where they work, it will poison the experience for the customer. Reading about the institutionalized vs. individualized structures were very interesting. I think there are so many ways that a culture can be imprinted on a new employee. I would say that Target takes the institutionalized approach more with their regular team members and the individualized approach when it comes to their leaders. I feel this is just due to the nature of the business. Target's culture is to care, grow, and win together. I think this loosely incorporates the four factors of culture. However, the store that I work at has been up and down with culture at times, simply due to the leaders in charge. I think that a company can strive for a positive culture, however the people that the put in charge have a huge impact. Have any of you had a similar experience where things were going very well, but then a new manager came in and things went sour?

3) Hello everyone, When going through the lecture, I noticed that the strong culture applied to the company I am using for the project, the Walt Disney Company. In our lecture this week, we go over strong cultures. Strong cultures are much better than weak cultures, as companies with stronger organizational cultures have more control and flexibility than compies with weaker cultures. But, there is a downside to this as companies with stronger cultures can force their employees to do things that are immoral. The Walt Disney Company is known to have strict guidelines for rides and attractions at their theme parks, but, this wasn't always the case. The Walt Disney Company has always been able to keep bad things that happen on their property on the down low, but rumor has it that in the 1980s, the Disney theme parks sparked with popularity, and the company was forced to rush customers on attractions causing a lack in the safety of these attractions. This led to a devastating death at the attraction Big Thunder Mountain as someone didn't have a seat belt on and stood up on the ride. They of course died, as a result of the lack of safety, the company was forcing upon their employees. This reminds me of the example the lecture said of when NASA was forcing deadlines on their workers instead of safety, leading to the tragedy of the shuttle Challenger. To understand how companies come to this point, you have to look into the company's socialization and role orientations. I know people who work for the Walt Disney Company, but something I've noticed is how the perspectives of current and past employees of the Walt Disney Company are very different when they talk about the company. As current employees see the company as the greatest company in the world, and past employees see it as more of a "mouse trap" as some have described it. Does anyone have thoughts or ideas on this?

4) For this discussion, I have decided to use the current company I work for, since a lot of their practices stood out to me when listening to the lecture on Strong Cultures. The company does indeed have a very strong and inclusive culture, it has since changed in the years that I have been working for them but the message still stands the same. The company is a body waxing company and we used to use the phrase "We wax every body" because of its double meaning of "everybody" and "every body". The reason I bring this up, is because on their path to being inclusive and welcoming, there were many estheticians that were either turned down from the position or became uncomfortable over the years due to services we were required perform. Namely, mens intimate services, which are not widely offered in salons near us so we are the only company. The company is very firm on all estheticians performing all services and making guests feel welcome, which I understand but can also see how this might feel like the employees are forced to step out of their comfort zones. Very recently, within the last month, the company announced that these services will become optional to the waxers. As a manager who is growing with the company, how can I encourage this strong culture and encourage the workers to continue performing these services within their comfort without feeling like the culture is being thrown at them too strongly.