Kudzanai NYANZIRA 20/04/2019

CORPORATE CULTURE

Assuming that corporate culture is the system of values and behavior norms and ways of conduct and
thinking which was shaped and accepted by given group of people and which manifests in the spheres,
(a) material factors (e.g. artifacts), (b) desirable values (e.g. safety of products) and (c) basic assumptions
of activity (offer for all), for International Business Machines (IBM):

1) IBM characteristics:
 American multi-national IT company founded by Thomas Watson on the 16th of June
1911.
 It is nicknamed ‘Big Blue’ and is operating in over 170 countries.
 It has over 380 000 employees known as ‘IBMers’.
 Had a net worth of $124.87 billion as of 19 April 2019 and considered the most
innovative company in the world.
 Produces and sells hardware, middleware, software and provides consulting services.
 Its inventions include the ATM, floppy disk and hard disk drive

2) Describe the most important elements of corporate culture in 3 above mentioned spheres,
considering existing and desirable elements:

Existing Desirable
a)  Identification badges  Distinctive identification
 Buildings with blue and white IBM clothing/material
logo  Free Healthy food
 ‘THINK’ branding e.g. THINKPAD
laptops and THINK vision CPU’s
 Free coffee and 5 mins break/hour
 Radical thinking  Integrate self-checking, correction
b)  Innovation that matters and assessment
  Trust and personal responsibility
 Dedication to client success
c)  Personal growth and creativity
 Equal opportunities i.e.no segregation
 Respect
 Customer satisfaction
 Excellence
 Implement a culture that increases
flexibility of business process
 Model behavior ‘action is better than
words’
 Conduct workshops

a) material factors
 Identification badges – Help in employee identification and for security reasons.
 IBM logo – identify IBM related equipment.
 Free coffee and 5 min break/hour – Help employees stay active and not fatigued.
 Distinctive identification clothing/material – allow employer identification from a distance.
 Free Healthy food – allows workers to stay healthy and not lose time during working hours.

b) desirable values

 Radical thinking – encourages creativity and production.

 Innovation that matters – attracts customers and satisfies their needs.
 Trust and personal responsibility – allows employees to work freely and boosts their morale.
 Dedication to client success – Increases sales and client dedication to conducting business.
 Integrate self-checking, correction and assessment – merge all three to measure individual
progress.
 Implement a culture that increases flexibility of business process - liberates employees and
expands their working environment.

c) basic assumptions of activity

 Personal growth and creativity – boosts employee confidence and broadens way of thinking.
 Equal opportunities i.e. no segregation – allows individuals to be hired or promoted according to
merit and not simply who they are.
 Respect – creates a perfect working atmosphere and encourages collaboration among
employees.
 Customer satisfaction – generates high revenue when the client has the urge to continue
conducting business.
 Excellence – makes products and services desirable to existing and potential customers.
 Model behavior ‘action is better than words’ – doing what you preach and being exemplary
makes it easier for others to follow.
 Conduct workshops – educational workshops broaden knowledge and keep employees up to
date with changes.

3) Sources of information
o www.panmore.com (IBM organizational culture)
o www.ibm.com (A Culture of Think)
o www.academia.edu (IBM’s Organizational Culture)
o www.macrotrends.net (IBM Net Worth 2006-2019)