Discussion 1
I chose to research Publix because I work there on the weekends and really enjoy it. I have always loved my time at Publix and the people are great. I was curious as to how they maintain their culture in a business environment that is often stressful and asks a lot of their employees. The main goal of Publix is to make sure that customers feel welcome and feel appreciated (About Publix). This is done in a variety of ways. In my experience the hiring process weeds out most of the potentially bad employees. The interviews often get rid of anybody that is not generally friendly or capable to treating customers properly and the drug tests help to solidify this as well. I believe that beyond the drug tests there are a few other mechanisms in place to avoid deterrence in the workplace culture of Publix. Another large part is the trial period where an employee is a temporary employee. If they seemed nice at the interview and end up getting hired, they go through a temporary period where they do not have an engraved name tag and are not considered permanent employees yet. This goes on for three months and I have seen a lot of people that are not fit for Publix end up leaving. It's very hard to treat everyone well especially when the same ones create the same problems. However, it just makes the day much better to help out individuals that are polite which make up the majority of customers (About Publix).
In my opinion, the mechanism with the biggest effect on maintaining the culture of the organization is the projects that the corporate branch attempts to make every Publix adhere to on a whim. When we get used to doing things one way and Corporate decides that it can save a few hundred dollars and try to nickel and dime customers it creates bad business and makes us miserable. For example, a while ago they decided that giving out meat and cheese to customers as samples was wasteful, and only after receiving a ton of complaints realized how bad of a decision it was to try and switch that system. That bad decision deviated from the workplace culture of Publix. My assistant store manager made a great point when I was interviewed and he was talking about the importance of customer service for Publix. He talked about how our cheerios are the same box at Wal-Mart and what makes a difference is the employees, and that we need to make sure our customers have a pleasant experience. I am very grateful for the workplace of Publix and the great local leadership that gives us the space to treat customers how we would like to be treated.
Discussion 2
Samsung Group began as a simple trade company in South Korea in 1938 by founder Lee Byung-chull with an initial investment of only $25 and some dried fish (Shen, 2015). Lee's style of management was autocratic, but he recognized and promoted those with demonstrated ability according to merit.
Lee Byung-chull's capitalist drive to diversify was undoubtedly heavily influenced by his narrow escape from the communist Invasion of 1950 which caused him to abandon his Seoul operations (Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., 2010). When Byung-chull died in 1987, he was succeeded by his son Lee Kun-hee. Lee Kun-hee learned how to operate the company by observing his father, so the legacy of autocratic personality-driven rule continued. While Lee Byung-chull believed in diversifying, his son believed in focusing on core competencies such as the semi-conductor and electronics industry.
Lee Kun-hee had no opposition to the choice of direction for his company as the Samsung Group is a family owned network of companies where members of the family own a piece of everything (Shen, 2015). The values of hard-work, business as war, and increased efficiency are family values that govern all business decisions. The company's values are sure to persist in a dynasty where business decisions are made only by family members and those with close personal ties to family members.
Samsung's constant drive to innovate and expand is undoubtedly a byproduct of the founder's experiences with combatting Communist ideals during the foundation of the company. Cultural norms have been established over time and what's worked in the past has come to form an organizational strategy that has sustained the organization over time (Snyder, 2014). These values have been distilled by the closed nature and through the careful management selection process. Management that embrace the company policies and culture are rewarded through promotions and additional authority. In this way, personal and organization goals match the values of staff and ensure the legacy of the company's founders continues.
In my opinion, the careful selection of management personnel has the strongest effect in ensuring the continuance of core company values. If the management team is selected with personal values that coincide with company culture, values, and ideals, the decision makers will ensure that all levels of the organization also embody those characteristics. This is demonstrated in the case of Samsung, where the biggest effect on the continuation of company culture stems from the power being retained only by family members that share a very similar upbringing and background.