Culture

Running head: ASSESSING CORPORATE CULTURE






Assessing Corporate Culture
Abraham Vargas
Aurelio Aguero
Marco A. Salcido
Noel Duran
Ivan Santos
University of Phoenix
ORG/M502
24 November 2008
Mario Guido
Abstract
As Jack Welch wrote in a letter to shareholders: "In the old culture, managers got their power from secret knowledge: profit margins, market share, and all that... Inthe new culture, the role of the leader is to express a vision, get buy-in, and implement it. That calls for open, caring relations with every employee, and face-to-face communication. People who can't convincingly articulate a vision won't be successful. But those who can will become even more open – because success breeds self-confidence.” (Corporate Change Leader, 2008)
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Assessing CorporateCulture
General Electric is the company selected to assess its corporate culture. GE’s values are enlisted as follows: Passionate, Curious, Resourceful, Accountable, Teamwork, Committed, Open and Energizing. GE’ values indicates that people is the most important value in its organization. (Corporate Change Leader, 2008)
The Web site of General Electric (2008) makes emphasis on itsslogan “Imagination at Work”; this slogan makes reference on the value added by the personnel who conforms the company. Main slogan and company values are strong related to the personal contribution on the people working for GE. This company describes itself as a place for creating and bringing ideas to live, this company’s culture is unified all around the world thought all their businesses andamong all levels of the organization.
General Electric is located in over 100 countries and territories, making GE a worldwide company, which is a good indicator for the team to consider GE a good organization, well know by its good financial performance over the years. GE is also well known for its leaders, Jack Welch in particular (Man on a mission, 2005); Jack Welch is known as aCorporate Change Leader, haven taken GE with a market capitalization of $12 billion in year 1981 to an organization of about $500 billion in year 2000.
Imagination at Work
In 2001, GE left the slogan “We bring good things to life” that it had identified to the company by more than 20 years. Since at that time “Imagination at Work” accompanies GE, meaning a new philosophy, because theimagination helps to create the change, to connect the past with the future.
“GE Imagination at Work” is more than the slogan of the company, is its reason of being. It is directly related to the creative spirit and the positive attitude of the employees. It has to do with the commitment, the arduous work, assuming risks; everything combined with a limitless capacity to imagine, that it obtainsthat any thing is possible for GE.
GE is distinguished throughout the world reason why it does and by the form in which it does. Its way to think and to work constitutes the platform that has provoked its performance during decades. He is that also what explains who, towards where and how solutions imagine and the leadership is constructed.
Many strategies can be used, when practicingRole-Modeling, I always use three that I have found to be most useful: Establishing a Mind Set, Creating a Nurturing Space, and Facilitating the Story. The feelings, attitude, behavior, and language used by one member will influence those of the other. Together, two people create a unit that is greater than the sum of the two individuals. Each person has a significant role; each makes acontribution to the process, and each influences the outcome. However, we have to bring to the relationship resources that will complement those of the client, and sometimes counterbalance the lack of resources of the client. When we enter the dyadic relationship with depleted resources, it is very difficult to reinforce those of our clients. We need to learn to take care of ourselves first (Helen L....