A Company, Originally Known As Micro-Soft, Was Developed in 1975 As a Result of Two Men

Healthy, Organizational Culture - 1 -

Healthy, Organizational Culture of Microsoft:

Roles and Responsibilities

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[CLASS SUBJECT HERE]

[PROFESSOR’S NAME HERE]

May 25, 2008

We work to live, not live to work. Although often considered the motto of bad employees, that is not necessarily the case. An employer who understands that quality of life is as important, if not more important, than salary to an employee often benefits from employee loyalty, dedication, and hard work. Employees who believe their employers understand the importance of their non-work life are more likely to work hard for their employers in order to assure their employers succeed because their mutual success, as employer and employee is truly a win-win situation for both (Towers Perrin-ISR). This can be found within a organization’s culture. These reveal exactly the strengths and positive aspects of any company. A commitment to appropriately dedicating themselves to enhancing and supporting a healthy form of organizational culture can be deemed as necessary.

A company, originally known as Micro-soft, was developed in 1975 as a result of two men from Seattle who instituted a corporation that would be the pioneers of the Computer Age. This odyssey started off with the first machine that didn’t perform much – the Altair 8800. The fledgling company in its first steps was the result of Bill Gates’ hard work and determination, a company that wasn’t funded off his own personal family inheritance. However, this wasn’t necessary, considering that within its first year, it was selling nearly one million dollars of software. Two years later, a big break came: International Business Machines Corporation gave Gates and his corporation an agreement for an operating system for a new personal computer at the time that was being developed. Microsoft bargained a nice contract that allowed the company to soar. The year 1998 was the most significant year, considering that Bill Gates appointed Steve Ballmer as president of Microsoft, while he remained Chair and CEO.

Various definitions and explanations exist in regards to organizational culture. However, the foundation on which most of them lay generally states the same principle – the organization’s culture is the shared values, beliefs, and assumptions of how the members should perform (Ranjit, 2008). Thus, the purpose as well as the role of the culture is based around the comprehension on how the organization functions, which allows for meaning of the way of how processes are performed within the organization. This allows for the organization to promote internal integration of employees within all levels of the organization and improves their performance. Organizational culture forms its employees’ responses and explains what the organization can and is willing to perform – much similar to that of how personality may define an individual. The goal of any organization should not only place emphasis upon receiving substantial profits, but also ensure that the employees are conducting themselves within a healthy, organizational culture.

In order to maintain an effective, efficient organization, the appropriate management functions and leadership styles are crucial skills necessary for a healthy sustainability. Microsoft employs responsible leaders and dependable managers in order to successfully manage their company in a secure, professional manner. Responsibility lies within the efficient guarding of the organization’s policies and physical resources, as well as being concerned with the leading and inspirational aspects of employees in order to achieve a particular perspective of reaching the organization’s vision. Leadership allows for the individual to set a new direction or vision for the group they have control over, such as allowing the leader to be the spearhead for the company’s new direction.

Why is organizational culture important to Microsoft? It allows for the achievement of goals between culture and strategies. Disagreements amongst particular parties are reduced as a result of an increased amount of sharing with values, morals, and beliefs. It administers much commitment from employees, as well as their loyalty, because these individuals become attached to particular core values of the company. It strongly promotes the idea of internal cooperation as a result of beneficial mutual trust from this share of culture. It saves time in disciplinary actions amongst employees, as they all have a general idea of appropriate behavior. Finally, it facilitates meaning and purpose to one’s own work within the company. Leaders embed specific ways through which one would transmit culture within an organization. This can be viewed in the following ways: how a leader pays attention, measures, and controls aspects of the corporation; the reactions to important incidents and crises; being a leader to employees through role modeling and teaching; their allocation for rewards as well as employee status; their “recruitment, selection, promotion, retirement, and excommunication” (Ranqit, 2008); the design and structure of various organizational schemes, procedures, and systems.

Leaders within Microsoft can employ various factors to create a healthy organizational culture, which include “social factors, physical setting, technology, organizing arrangements and individual behavior” (Smith, 2008). These particular leaders must be mandated to make use of these progressive resources, insightful knowledge, increased talent, and improved capabilities, which will allow for the continuing process of attaining a particular objective/goal. If Microsoft obtains and follows a proper way of instilling leadership qualities that develop and maintain a healthy cultural environment, then many cultural attributes can be deemed to this corporation. In order to ensure that consumers are satisfied, changes internally must be applied. It must be willing to ensure that customer satisfaction is the most important priority. Following this thought, the corporation must be willing to do the job right the first time. Open, honest communication as well as an openness to change must be mandatory. When problems occur, creative problem solving must occur in which teamwork must be utilized throughout the company to analyze and develop a solution. This provides a productive team that utilizes employee empowerment.

The one main difference that can be attributed to the distinguishment between a manager and leader is the way they motivate their inferiors. Managers have subordinates, while leaders are known for having followers. Generally the company in the authority gives managers established powers over the individuals who work for them and are commanded on what to do and how to do it. Managers are generally paid by those who are superior to them in order to get things done within the workplace, usually with constraints of finances and time, passing work on to the subordinates. Leaders, on the other hand, generally give up authority power because those followers are followers of their own voluntary actions. They do not tell these individuals what to do or how to do it, but instead, inspire them to follow the leader. Generally, leaders are good with people and entertain them with their charismatic style, and are generally risk-seeking individuals.

Thus, a manager has the following qualities: focuses on managing work, has subordinates, has a short-term horizon, seeks objectives, makes decisions, has the power of formal authority, is dynamically reactive, has a transactional style, wants results, concerns themselves with being right, and takes credit. On the other hand, a leader holds the following qualities: focuses on leading people, has followers, has a long-term horizon, seeks vision, facilitates decisions, has the power of personal charisma, is dynamically proactive, has a transformational style, wants achievement, concerns themselves with what is right, and gives credit (Syque, 2007).

Both managers and leaders have roles in creating and maintaining a healthy organizational culture. They know the significance of cash and decision-making within their company. Between them and their employees exists a relationship that must be understood, which must be valued in efforts of creating and maintaining the culture within the workplace. They use this information to develop safety and healthy conditions contained by the organization. Resources, such as the labor, materials, and financial means, must be utilized to maximize potential for the company as well as for the customers. Success can be found through the following objectives: “lead, change, create a shared need, shape a vision, mobilize a commitment, monitor progress and change systems and structures.” (Smith, 2008)

The following are four functions of management that support the creation and maintenance of a healthy organizational culture: planning, budgeting, evaluating, and facilitating.

Planning involves the management of core assets and their utilization with product development, sales and marketing (Smith, 2008). Responsibility has been given in achieving goals of productivity, development, strategies, and production methods along with assessing percentages of incomes within the company.

Budgeting involves both managers and leaders using information from an annual budget in order to develop a progression in expansion. This annual budgeting must display goals of the organization, which are to be achieved.

Evaluating allows for management to display its leadership skills in efficiently motivating the workplace. Through proper evaluating of leadership styles, workers are always willing to test a new style. This can be seen, for example, when innovative ideas are presented from other management in various organizations, which may inspire the employees within their own particular setting. A leader should incorporate its team followers in the development and inspiration of workers in order to meet set goals.

Facilitiating is necessary in order for a successful relationship to exist between leader and follower or manager and employee. This can be done through an appropriate working environment, which can prove to motivate workers and even increase efforts. Trust must be facilitiated and developed in order for the workers to follow the organizational policy set by the organization. Thus, workers have the same responsibilites that are shared with supervisors in the development of the organization.

There are various organizational strategies a leader and manager can utilize in fostering a healthy, cultural environment. One strategy is to examine and analyze the capabilities within the organization and establish a foundation for ensuring that duties are performed, allowing for a healthy, cultural working condition. It will also allow for the motivation of the capacity of each invidual worker to be maximized as well. By allowing the organization to develop and direct its attention on determining approaches within these capabilities can ensure that the leaders, managers, and employees can overcome any obstacle. Another strategy includes one which calls for the organization’s management in establishing procedures and systems that develop the way the organization runs (effectively). This strategy ensures that rules are adhered to by fellow employees in order for it to succeed at optimal preference. This includes planning, organizing, and leading management. It also involves forming teams that are influenced int the direction of achieving the organization’s goals while keeping the vision alive. Leadership with these procedures and systems requires them to have an excellent understanding of them in order for effective goals and visions to occur.

Microsoft, by following the above information, can expand its sphere of influence within the internal mechanisms of its company, and influence the people to work towards goals through a set backbone and pillars of leadership, strong character, and integrity, allowing for a healthy, cultural setting to occur – thus achieving much more than what could normally be possibly perceived.

References:

Ranjit Singh Malhi, Ph.D., (2008). Creating a Healthy Organizational Culture. Retrieved May 25, 2008, from TQM Consultants Sdn. Bhd. Web site:

Smith, Robert (2008, May 22). Strategies that organizational managers and leaders can use to create and maintain a healthy organizational culture. Retrieved May 25, 2008, from AC: Article Cube Web site:

Smith, R (2008). Roles That Managers and Leaders Play in Creating and Maintaining a Healthy Organizational Culture. Retrieved May 26, 2008, from Article Click Web site:

Syque, (2007). Leadership vs. Management. Retrieved May 26, 2008, from Changing Minds, Organization Web site:

Towers Perrin-ISR (2005, May 24). "Dramatic WorkLife Balance Benefits Revealed in New Employee Opinion Study by ISR," Press Release. Retrieved May 25, 2008, from