Key Elements of a Strong or Positive Organization Culture and Diversity Management - Papaer Example

Question 1: Key Elements of a Strong or Positive Organization Culture

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Organizational culture can be described as the conglomeration of shared values, assumptions, and beliefs that guide the behavior of people in organizations. Organizational culture influences how people act, dress, interact and perform their tasks in the workplace. Thus, comprises of espoused values, artifacts, and basic assumptions (Moorman, & Day, 2016, p.22). Organizational culture in organizations is very complex and pervasive and influences how the external world perceives the organization based on how its employees or stakeholders portray themselves. A good organizational culture can help an organization improve significantly in its business operations (Kujala, Lehtimaki, & Pucetaite, 2016, p.710). A strong corporate culture in the hospitality sector is very crucial since it can help a service provider such as a hotel to gain competitive advantage, improve its performance, and facilitate strategic planning processes.

A strong or positive organizational culture in the hospitality industry must comprise of six key elements namely the vision, values, practices, people, place, and a narrative (Maracine, 2012, p.150). The strength of an organizational culture begins from its vision and vision. The vison indicates the organizations sole purpose while its mission indicates how the organization is set out to achieve the purpose. When an organization has an authentic vision, it can be used as the guiding principle for the organizations stakeholders such as the employees, investors, suppliers and customers. The vision unites the different stakeholders in the company to help them achieve a common purposes or objective. Organizations in the hospitality industry have endeavored to develop a compelling and informative vision and mission statements that have helped shape their organizational culture.

The other important element of a strong organizational culture is its values. Values are important in articulating the behavior and the general mindset of the company and the people in its environment (French, & Holden, 2012, p.212). The right values can help the organization achieve its vision by directing the employees to behave in a certain desired manner. The other important element in an organizational culture is the practices that help the company implement its vision. People within the organization also form a crucial part of its organizational culture (Pucetaite, Novelskaite, Lamsa, & Riivari, 2016, p.688). For an organization to build a strong and coherent culture, it must have people who share in its values and vision and who are willing to embrace the companys practices. The place or the workplace environment is also a significant part of the organizations culture. The place must reflect the main values and vision of the organization. The place helps to create an overall image of the organization in the eyes of its primary stakeholders such as the employees and the customers (French, & Holden, 2012, p.218). Finally, a strong organizational culture must have a unique narrative that related its historical development, achievements, and prospects to its stakeholders.

These six main elements of a strong organizational culture play a key role in the success of organizations in the hospitality industry. One of the organizations in the industry with a strong organizational culture that espouses the six elements is the Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. The company values its people, who are at the core of its operations. The hotel chain also has a well-articulated vision and mission statement that guides its operations. Among some of its values, include excellent service delivery, customer satisfaction, teamwork, and respect. The hotels place of work has a serene environment that is captivating for both the customers and the employees. The companys practices are also well articulated in its narrative that illustrates its historical growth, present situation, and its desired future. Therefore, the six key elements have all combined to strengthen the organizations culture.

In conclusion, therefore, it is evident that a strong organizational culture needs to have six main elements namely, the vision, values, practices, people, place, and a narrative. As seen in the case of the Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, the six elements of a strong organizational culture can significantly contribute to the overall image of the firm as well as improve the overall organizational performance.

Question 2: Diversity Management

Effective diversity management in organizations is very critical in strengthening an organizations competitive advantage. Diversity management helps the organization to address issues of change in management, organizational behavior, and customer relations (Chen, Ni, & Tong, 2016, p.619). If all these aspects of diversity are addressed, the organization will be better placed to serve its customers, offer high-quality products and services, and face off any emerging or existing competition.

An organization where diversity in the workforce lacks, there are bound to be tensions among the different cohorts of workers, which may derail the company from functioning properly to achieve its objectives (Finckh, & Reich, 2016, p.23). Part of the reasons why the tensions between the younger and older employees in the company keep growing is social stereotypes. Based on these stereotypes, young people are considered less experienced and less knowledgeable, hence, are unfit to hold powerful positions in the organizations hierarchy.

On the other hand, the older employees perceive themselves to be more knowledgeable and more experienced to take up leadership positions in the company. However, such stereotypes are baseless in the modern society where younger people have access to more information via the internet, the chance to advance their education, and various opportunities to learn new leadership skills (Cooke, & Saini, 2010, p.480). Therefore, any young employee who shows great potential in leadership must be given an opportunity to put their knowledge and experience into action for the benefit of the organization.

The concept of diversity is important for organizations, more so in the hospitality industry because it not only affects how the employees view themselves, but also how they perceive those around them. As such, it influences how people within an organization relate with each other given the differences that exist among them (Graham, Belliveau, & Hotchkiss, 2017, p.234). Therefore, it is very critical that an organization creates appropriate mechanisms for dealing with issues such as communication, change, and adaptability, which ultimately affect relations in a diverse workforce. Eventually, these will form a strong foundation for workers to interact and learn from each other for the benefit of the organization.

Diversity gives an organization an edge in the global environment. For a hotel like Four Seasons, a highly diversified workforce can help the organization position itself in the world, as its employees will be more knowledgeable about global issues, which they will learn from each other through their interactions as they get to know each others culture (Kemper, Bader, & Froese, 2016, p.33). Therefore, the organizations diversity strategy can also be aligned to its environment. For instance, the hotel operates in a global environment with major offices in each of the continents globally and can benefit from the intercultural communications that the employees will acquire through their interactions as they shape their intercultural competencies and skills. This implies that the company is under pressure to deliver on its commitment to promoting unity in diversity through its products, services, and strategies.

In conclusion, diversity helps the organization to maintain its global image as one of the most diverse and inclusive organizations in the world. Effective diversity management in organizations is very critical in strengthening an organizations competitive advantage since it helps the organization to address issues of change in management, organizational behavior, and customer relations.

References

Chen, S, Ni, X, & Tong, J 2016, 'Gender Diversity in the Boardroom and Risk Management: A Case of R&D Investment', Journal Of Business Ethics, 136, 3, pp. 599-621.

Cooke, F, & Saini, D 2010, 'Diversity management in India: A study of organizations in different ownership forms and industrial sectors', Human Resource Management, 49, 3, pp. 477-500.

Finckh, C, & Reich, K 2016, 'Systemic Constellations in Diversity Management', International Journal Of Organizational Diversity, 16, 4, pp. 17-38.

French, S, & Holden, T 2012, 'Positive Organizational Behavior: A Buffer for Bad News', Business Communication Quarterly, 75, 2, pp. 208-220.

Graham, M, Belliveau, M, & Hotchkiss, J 2017, 'The View At The Top Or Signing At The Bottom? Workplace Diversity Responsibility and Women's Representation in Management', ILR Review, 70, 1, pp. 223-258.

Kemper, L, Bader, A, & Froese, F 2016, 'Diversity management in ageing societies: A comparative study of Germany and Japan', Management Revue, 27, 1/2, pp. 29-49.

Kujala, J, Lehtimaki, H, & Pucetaite, R 2016, 'Trust and Distrust Constructing Unity and Fragmentation of Organizational Culture', Journal Of Business Ethics, 139, 4, pp. 701-716.

Maracine, MS 2012, 'Organizational Culture - Basic Element Of Organization Performance', Young Economists Journal / Revista Tinerilor Economisti, 9, 18, pp. 149-155.

Moorman, C., & Day, G. S. 2016. Organizing for Marketing Excellence. Journal Of Marketing, 80(6), 6-35.

Pucetaite, R, Novelskaite, A, Lamsa, A, & Riivari, E 2016, 'The Relationship Between Ethical Organisational Culture and Organisational Innovativeness: Comparison of Findings from Finland and Lithuania', Journal Of Business Ethics, 139, 4, pp. 685-700.