Dell - US Multinational Company Providing PC and Technology Services - Essay Sample

Introduction

Dell is a US multinational company that deals with company technology, which develops, sells, repairs and provides support for computer-related services. Michael Dell is the founder and the company has more than 145,000 employees in the U.S and across other parts of the world. The company was founded in 1984 by Michael Dell and started as PC's Limited. Some of the products that the company majors in include PCs, data storage devices, network switches, servers, software, printers, cameras, and many other products. In 2014, the company was listed in Fortune 500 at number 51 and in 2015, it was named the third largest PC vendors in the world, only behind Lenovo and HP. Dell is officially the largest PC monitors shipper worldwide, ranked sixth in Texas by total revenue and is the second in the state only behind AT&T for non-oil companies. This study, therefore, delves into finding at least three critical sources of success for the business, recommendations on other factors that would enable the company to succeed more, failures it has encountered along the way and how the company overcame such obstacles.

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Promotion of Diversity and Inclusion

Diversity in businesses has become an integral part of the performance of the workforce. It is crucial in businesses since every employee brings different skills to their jobs (Gao & Zhang, 2014). Similarly, each employee has individual qualities, which they can only dispense, including education, sexual orientation, physical abilities, religious beliefs, and many others. There are many benefits that diversity offers to an organization such as a variety of different perspectives (Gao & Zhang, 2014). Ideally, since diversity implies that different employees have varied characteristics and backgrounds, it then follows that there would be a variety of skills and experiences. Joining these different skills, experiences and perspectives imply that there is more efficiency and urgency in completing tasks within the organization. Planning and execution of business strategy are simplified by diversity in organizations.

Diversity and inclusion in businesses also lead to increased creativity due to different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives (Gao & Zhang, 2014). Exposure to the above factors would increase creativity, as one functions is seen in different angles, which also implies that a business is likely to get a melting pot of fresh, new ideas. Diversity in businesses also leads to higher innovation and faster problem-solving. Research stipulates that a company that has a diverse workforce and inclusive is 1.7 times more likely to be innovative and consequently do better than its peers (Gao & Zhang, 2014). Higher innovation is brought about by different perspectives, various skills and worldviews; and a combination of these factors open doors to innovation. Further, a diverse workforce has the propensity to solve problems faster, because different backgrounds and ethnicities imply that different experiences and views and diverse solutions as well. Also, a diverse and inclusive workforce has a better decision-making process (Gao & Zhang, 2014). When individuals with different backgrounds and perspectives come together, there are more solutions brought to the table, leading to a more informed decision-making process and results as well.

Research has found that diversity in organizations leads to increased profits, due to better decisions made faster, which provide a serious advantage over the competitors (Irby-Butler, 2017). Therefore, better decisions made faster enables the company to achieve better business results and consequently reap more profits. Also, a company that has a diverse workforce implies that employees are more engaged, which then results in more employee commitment to the course of the company (Irby-Butler, 2017). Diversity in organizations also leads to high employee retention, since each employee feels wanted. Diverse workforces are more inclusive of varied individual characteristics and perspectives. When employees feel valued and accepted, it means that are happier in their roles and want to stay longer in with a company. Therefore, diversity in organizations massively reduces employee turnover (Irby-Butler, 2017). These are some of the reasons why Dell Inc. has carefully ensured diversity within the company to reap the above benefits.

How Dell Has Ensured Diversity and Inclusion

The company champions for access and opportunity for all, respecting differences and cultures among the team members (Dell, 2019). Diversity and inclusion is a part of Dell because it unlocks its creative spirit, innovation and makes a better tomorrow for the company. The company is very determined to make its print on the issue as the founder Michael Dell chairs its Global Diversity Council. The company understands that growth must be committed to equity and inclusion (Dell, 2019). The company partners with industry-leading professional associations civic organizations, advocacy groups and other multicultural groups around the globe. These practices help the company to continue with promoting a culture of inclusion. Further, the company advances the people of color by partnering with organizations around the world to share and gain valuable insights on best practices of advancing people of color. The company has Women of Color (WOC) program which focuses on gender, generation, and ethnicities who share common experiences (Dell, 2019). The program offers a portfolio of services, programs, and tools which focus on personal and professional development, diverse talent acquisition and community outreach.

The company also has Black Enterprise which provides business knowledge and advice to African American professionals, entrepreneurs, executives, and other business people (Dell, 2019). This program hosts several events such as Women of Power Summit, Black Men Xcel and Tech ConneXt to support their mission. The company has also made efforts to reach out to the underrepresented minorities in tech, who are the best problem-solvers and thinkers. Dell is the best employer of this minority and has a partnership with the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility (HACR) to develop talent and advance the inclusion of Hispanics in Corporate America (Dell, 2019). HACR focuses on employment, procurement, philanthropy, and governance for the Hispanic community. Finally, the company also has the Dell/Black Enterprise Symposium which then brings up top talent to participate in a data science competition at the company. Through this symposium, participants gain exposure to Dell executives and other leaders to network and prepare for on-site interviews. Such exposures pave the way for potential internship or employment opportunities (Dell, 2019). Those are some of the strategies that the company uses to foster diversity and inclusion and it is undoubtedly one of the best at that.

Inspiring Culture of Excellence

Excellence in products and services and customer service is the cornerstone of any success in business. Due to current competitiveness in the economic environment, companies only differentiate mostly on their products and the quality of their services (Sinha & Dhall, 2018). It is worth noting that a customer has various alternatives to a product or service, like in hotel and travel, where one can choose one brand as opposed to the other (Miller, 2015). Customers are well informed and business must provide them with reasons why they choose them over the others. To achieve the competitive advantage, the efforts start from inside, by leaders developing a formidable customer-centric culture (Sinha & Dhall, 2018). Developing an iconic brand should be accompanied by an inspiring corporate culture, while also developing the foundation values and committing to excellence. Creation of a culture of excellence cannot happen by mistake and cannot be delegated to someone else within the organization. All the leaders at any level should play an active part in sustaining it.

The first step in creating a culture of excellence starts by defining the culture within the organization, as it is the soul and identity of the business (Sinha & Dhall, 2018). The culture usually emanates with the founder and then trickles down and evolves within the organization over the years. Also, there must be a clear purpose of existing; the purpose for which the company serves in the market (Ludviga & Sluka, 2018). The shared values must also be determined because it is crucial in creating a culture of excellence (Sinha & Dhall, 2018). The values must be shared by everyone within the organization, and are fundamental in shaping behaviors, decisions, and results. Leaders within the organization must ponder what experiences they want their customers, employees, vendors, and suppliers to have. A company must also select the right talent to have if it has to achieve a culture of excellence. Selecting the right talent implies that they can carry on the culture of the founder and represent him in the market (Sinha & Dhall, 2018). There need to be the right people within an organization for a culture of excellence to be established.

The company sets up a workforce that wants to work there, meaning that it attracts the best available group and those are willing to commit to the course of the business (Dell, 2018). In the bid to inspire a culture of excellence, the company strives to high employee satisfaction, hence high customer retention. The company holds that the team members are the engine of the business, and are more innovative when they are engaged (Dell, 2018). One of the ways through which Dell helps to inspire a culture of excellence is through inspirational leadership, which prompts the workforce to do better in their roles. The company invests in leadership training for team members at all levels to gain knowledge on subjects such as leading and influencing project teams, building careers, and others (Dell, 2018). This strategy is geared toward making leader role models for other team members (Dell, 2018). The company believes that when leaders show the team members the connectedness of their work to the success of the company, they feel more engaged and perform better.

The company also cultivates a flexible work culture, which enables the employees to work hard for the customers but then creating successful happy lives (Dell, 2018). The employees have the opportunity to leverage flexible work arrangements in ways befitting their work roles and lives. Finally, the company has the code of conduct which it believes is the recipe to success. Dubbed "How We Win", this code of conducts guides how to carry out daily activities across the company following the culture and values (Dell, 2018). The code of conduct also ensures that the employees work following laws of the countries of operation, ultimately adhering to one global standard (Ludviga & Sluka, 2018). The company believes that customer relationships are the ultimate differentiators and the cornerstone of its success. Also, the spirit of winning in oneness is highly emphasized in the company as togetherness brings in better performance and there is fun in working as a team (Dell, 2018). Finally, the company holds that it is responsible for the results and thus accountable to an exceptional standard of excellence and performance.

Anticipating Change and Fostering Innovation

For companies, most of their activities are directed to predicting, planning for and attempting to shape a given future. In this scenario, the creation of products and services that are better than competitors' is not only a strategy to understand and satisfy today's customers, but is also the necessity of peering into the minds of future ones (Petersen,...