Organizational Climate and Culture Report, 5-6 pages - Essay Example

Organizational Climate and Culture Report of the AT & T Organization 0 Organizational Climate and Culture Report of the AT & T Organization 2.0 Introduction The AT & T Organization that is headquartered in Dallas, Texas involves itself in the production of smartphones, sophisticated solutions to be used by multinational enterprises and the provision of Broadband Television services (AT & T., 2012). They have been involved in the provision of these technologies for more than a century and are renowned for the production of products or services that are reliable, innovative and high-tech (Wichinsky, 2008).

This paper describes its organizational culture and climate, its mission and values and also describes the interviews that took place with some of the organizations employees in order to ascertain the organizations culture and climate. 3.0 Define Organizational Climate and Culture. The term organizational culture has been defined as the collective behaviors of individuals forming an organization and the meaning that these individuals connect to these actions (Peterson etal, 2010). An organization’s culture has been suggested as including the organizations vision, beliefs, work language, values, systems, habits and symbols (Cartwright, Cooper & Earley, 2001).

The concepts of an organization’s culture have been said to affect the manner in which various individuals or groups within the organization interact with their clients, stakeholders or one another (Pareek, 2007). On the other hand, the organizational climate has been defined as the works environment properties that may be perceived by the organization’s employees as being a major force that either directly or obliquely influences their behaviors (Lunenburg & Ornstein, 2007). 4.0 Conduct two interviews of two persons in the AT & T organization A brief Description of the organization The AT & T organization is a multinational enterprise that deals in the manufacture and distribution of telecommunication equipment.

It has been described as the biggest provided in fixed and mobile telephony within America in addition to their provision of broadband television services. It has been ranked as the seventh biggest corporation in the country in terms of the revenue they earn and among the top twenty mobile telecom operators around the globe. Its parent company was the American Telephone and telegraph company that was created in the year 1885 (AT & T., 2012). However, since the year 2007, the company reduced its workforce by 12,000 employees because of the economic pressures that were piling on its management and changes in their business mix.

It has also more recently streamlined its organizational structure with an intention of maintaining its profitability. The organization is headed by a chairman who works in close collaboration with a team of directors who provide advice on the best way of running it (AT & T., 2012). Reasons for Choosing the AT & T Organization for the study The AT & T organization has been operating for over a century and has managed to overcome past difficulties that have affected the performances of other organizations.

These may include events like the Great Depression witnessed during the 1930’s and the recent global recession that took place in the year 2010 (Yammarino & Dansereau, 2006). The company also has a skilled work force that has ensured it remains efficient in satisfying their customer’s needs and fighting off the competition they encounter from their competitors. In addition, the company has successfully merged or acquired other companies and has managed to remain profitable through the innovations they have come up with (AT & T., 2012). 5.

0 Interviews of two persons in the organization Two interviews were carried out on two employees of the organization who were the company’s chairman, Randall L. Stephenson and a director known as Joyce M. Roche. Communication from the leaders to the employees can be described was vertical. This according to the chairman of the organization was because the lower level employees received orders from the higher ranked officials within the organization and they forwarded their grievances to officers who were above them in terms of rank.

Employees are expected to give first priority to the organizations customers according to the response offered upon interviewing Mrs. Roche. She suggested that this was mainly because the organization depended on the sales they had made in order to get profits. According to her it was their customers who helped in increasing their sales volume and eventual profitability. Employees who are favored in the organization are those who comply with the organization’s missions or values in offering service and attracting more customers through their innovations or other similar incentives.

These were the sentiments of the organization’s chairman, Mr. Randell. The organization treats employees as an important part of the organization. This according to Mrs. Roche was mainly because they were the ones who are responsible for implementing the organizations policies while ensuring that their products and services satisfy the customer’s needs or wants. The process of decision-making in the organization can be described as being democratic. The organization’s chairman suggested that the organization’s management collected views from their employees before they made any decisions for the company.

Employees are assigned to tasks or projects based on their qualifications and previous experiences in handling similar matters. According to the interview carried out on Mrs. Roche, this has enabled the company to outperform their competitors in the many different aspects that they deal in. New employees are expected to learn from the older employees within the organization concerning their cultures and the organization’s climate. The organization’s chairman suggested that this was mainly because they interacted with them on a daily basis.

He additionally suggested that it helped in saving time for the management who were also handling the organization’s strategic issues. The mottos, values, heroes and rituals of the organization include offering high quality service to their customers and maintaining leadership in their industry. Its values include reliability, accountability and integrity among all their workers while their hero remains the organization’s founder. This information was acquired from both interviewees’ who presented similar ideas. 7.0 Recommendations The organization should perform the following actions in order to improve/reinforce/change their culture The organization should ascertain that following regulations is paramount to all workers, failure to which they face dire consequences The organization should give strict consequences to employees who are rude to their customers The Organization’s management should also reward the employees who deliver the expected results in order to motivate them (Griffin & Moorhead, 2011). 8.0 Conclusion This paper described the organizational climate and culture of the AT & T organization in order to ascertain why the organization has successfully lived through the difficult economic periods of the past periods.

It may help similar organizations that are encountering difficulties into changing their cultures and climate in order to enhance their sales volume and eventual profitability. References AT & T. (2012). About AT&T. Retrieved on October 30, 2012 from: http://www.att.com/gen/landing-pages?pid=3309 Cartwright, S., Cooper, C. L. & Earley, P. C. (2001). The International Handbook of Organizational Culture and Climate. New York: John Wiley & Sons. Griffin, R. W. & Moorhead, G. (2011). Organizational Behavior: Managing People and Organizations, London: Cengage Learning.

Herzog, P. (2010). Open and Closed Innovation: Different Cultures For Different Strategies, New York: Springer. Keyton, J. (2004). Communication and Organizational Culture: A Key To Understanding Work Experiences, New York: SAGE. Lunenburg, F. C. & Ornstein. A. C. (2007). Educational Administration: Concepts And Practices, London: Cengage Learning. Pareek, U. (2007). Organizational Culture and Climate, Washington: ICFAI Books. Peterson, M. F., Ashkanasy, N. M. & Wildeom, C. P.M. (2010). The Handbook Of Organizational Culture And Climate, New York: SAGE. White, K. D. (2000). Organizational Culture, London: Psychology Press.

Wichinsky, L. R. (2008). Organizational Culture, Organizational Climate And Collaborative Capacity For Planning, Florida: Florida International University. Yammarino, F. J. & Dansereau, F. (2006). Multi-Level Issues In Social Systems. New York: Emerald Group Publishing.