Essay Sample on Role of Tony Hsieh in Zappos Case

Introduction

I would not want to work at a place like Zappos before the transition because the work environment is demanding and the financial remuneration is low. Although it is okay to give customers priority in terms of satisfaction and happiness, the employees of an entity are as important and that is why they should be motivated. As a not-so-stable start-up before the holacracy, working at Zappos meant that the employees must have been insecure whether their jobs were tenable. After the introduction of holacracy approach to management, Zappos seems like a lively environment in which any employee would want to work. This is because of the lack of pressure and the minimum supervision granted to employees that enables them to self-manage and execute their roles. The friendly working atmosphere means that the employees have learnt to exploit the element of teamwork to bring out the best in each other.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

I think that Tony Hsieh is making this change to build on the core values that the company has cultivated over the years. Zappos has carved out a corporate image for itself as a reputable, social, customer-oriented company which delivers in the morning in some instances when the clients have ordered at midnight (Askin & Petriglieri, 2018). Tony wants the holocracy culture of the company to be synonymous to its name whenever anyone hears the brand Zappos. He has identified this phase in which the company has ushered in the takeover by Amazon is ideal to implement holocracy because the company is expanding which makes it essential to spread its basic tenets as well. The existing employees, left behind after the 14% left, have the ideal qualities to help influence the company culture to its newly hired workers.

The 14% of the employees who opted to be bought out of the new company structure cannot be blamed for taking up Tony's offer. This is because the primary motivating factor in any form of employment is either the salary or the wage. Financial rewards make most of the workers stick around although it remains just a component of what brings about employee satisfaction. They were right to take up another challenge elsewhere. The process of being laid down for any employee is always a low moment. This is because of the uncertainty it creates to their futures concerning their source of income. It is never a pleasant experience and there is no doubt that the 14% went in search of other challenging environments with disappointment in their faces. At that moment in time, I think they made the right choice.

Conclusion

The assessment of Tony Hsieh as a leader is that he is a daring individual willing to try what others take for granted. There are numerous companies that invest so much in pleasing their companies but Tony's approach stands out in that it wins the customers by winning the employees first. The idea of creating one happy family of employee members has reaped benefits as customers keep coming back for more of the hospitable experience (Askin & Petriglieri, 2018). Tony has a crucial role of playing despite the implementation of the new holocracy era. This will be the advisory and consultancy role on what to do and how to do it to all the new employees in a move geared to integrate them to the Zapponian community. Tony has an advantage as he can do this from behind the scenes without wielding much influence over the other employees.

Reference

Askin, N., & Petriglieri, G. (2018). Tony Hsieh at Zappos: Structure, culture, change. The Business School for the World. INSEAD.