Introduction
As stated by Odor (2018), organizational culture of a corporation denotes the amelioration of the values, beliefs, collective thought process of the workers, the views and the ideas of the founding fathers of the corporation and others which in turn guide the behavior of the workers within the concerned corporation. Byrne, Dwyer and Doyle (2019) are of the viewpoint that the entity of organizational or workplace culture is important from the perspective of the different corporations since it substantially guides the manner in which the different tasks or the job roles which are being allocated to the workers would be completed by them. More importantly, it had been seen that there are various factors which affect the organizational or the workplace culture which is being followed within the spectrum of any corporation. For instance, the leader approach, management approach, the human resource management (HRM) approach, the clientele of the corporation and others are some of the most important factors which affect the overall organizational culture of a corporation (Silva et al. 2018).
Furthermore, a congenial organization culture while helping the corporations to enhance the individual productivity of the workers also helps them to offer effective services to their customers as well which in turn substantially enhances the overall organizational productivity (Ali Taha, Sirkova and Ferencova 2016). Thus, it becomes important for the corporations to have an effective organizational culture which help the workers to perform as per their maximum potential and thereby offer the best quality services to the customers of the corporation. The purpose of this report is to propose the manner in which the corporation, Spic and Span, can overcome the challenge that it is presently facing by fostering a congenial organizational culture within its workplace.
2.0 Problem Statement
The corporation Spic and Span is based on the concept of social innovation and thereby it tries to resolve the employment issues faced by the disadvantaged people of the nation of Singapore (Spicnspan.com.sg 2020). For instance, it had been seen that the majority of the Singaporean business corporations do not prefer to offer employment to the disadvantaged people like the disabled people, ex-offenders, people from low-economic backgrounds and others (Taiwannews.com.tw 2020). This in turn had substantially enhanced the unemployment rate of the concerned nation while adversely affecting the quality of life which is being led by the disadvantaged people of the nation under discussion here as well (Yi 2020). Thus, the corporation Spic and Span by offering employment services as well as empowerment services to these individuals is making a significant contribution towards the resolution of this particular issue faced by the disadvantaged people of the concerned nation and also for the improvement of the quality of life which is being led by them as well.
However, the important issue arises since in order to offer the required training to these individuals so as to make them capable of adequately performing as per the expectations of the corporation, the operations cost of the corporation had enhanced which in turn had substantially reduced the profitability of the corporation (Taiwannews.com.tw 2020). Thus, the corporation had decided to shift from bring a cleaning company to a cleaning tech company. This is likely to enhance the profitability of the corporation while offering numerous career opportunities to the disadvantaged workers of the corporation as well. For the attainment of this particular end, the corporation would have to substantially change its present organization while offering the required training to its workers so as to be able to reap the desired benefits from this strategic change. In the light of these aspects, it can be said that the specific problem that the corporation Spic and Span is the manner in which it can stand out from its competitors, continue gathering manpower and improve its value within the business landscape of Singapore.
3.0 Research Question
The specific research question on which this particular report would focus upon is outlined below-
- How can Spic and Span stand out from its competitors, continue gathering manpower and improve its value within the Singaporean business landscape?
4.0 Literature Review
4.1 Organizational Culture and Organizational Strategy
As discussed by Chatzoglou and Chatzoudes (2018), the organizational strategy which is being used by the corporations greatly determines the outcomes of the different organizational strategies which are being used by the corporations. Adding to this, Jalal and Toulson (2018) have noted that an effective organizational culture ensures the fact that the different workers of a corporation work in a collective or collaborative manner for the adequate usage of the different strategies which are being used by the corporation. This becomes especially important since it had been seen that presently the business environment or for that matter the business landscape in which the corporations operate are more dynamic, volatile and fast-paced in nature in comparison to that of the earlier times (Anitha 2016). Thus, it is seen that the corporations are increasingly taking the help of different kinds of strategies for coping up with the dynamicity, volatility and the fast-paced nature of the contemporary business world. However, at the same time it needs to be said that the important issue arises since it had been although the majority of the contemporary corporations are taking the help of innovative business strategies yet they have failed to develop a congenial workplace culture or for that matter an organizational culture which will support the strategies which are being used by them (Anning-Dorson 2018). This in turn had given rise to the situation wherein it is seen that the majority of the strategies used by the corporations fail to offer the desired results or the expected results to the corporation.
Rafailidis, Trivellas and Polychroniou (2017) are of the viewpoint that the success or the failure of the different strategies which are being used by the corporations is reliant on the effectiveness with which they are being used by the workers of the concerned corporations. Adding to this, Intezari and McKenna (2018) have noted that the ability of the individuals to utilize the strategies is reliant on their skill sets, their working style and others which in turn are substantially dependent on the organizational culture that is prevalent within the corporation. Thus, it becomes important for the corporations to foster a congenial workplace culture so as to effectively utilize the different strategies. In the particular context of the corporation Spic and Span, it is seen that the concerned corporation had decided to change its business strategy and thereby become a cleaning tech company. The problem arises since the different disadvantaged workers of the concerned corporation had been used to working in an individualistic manner which in turn does not facilitate the exchange of skill sets or knowledge among them, collaborative completion of different projects and others. However, for the effective implementation of the strategy under discussion here, the workers of the corporation would have to work in a collaborative manner so as to help the corporation to reap the desired benefits from the same and also be able to prolong their career through its usage. Thus, it becomes important for the corporation under discussion here to modify the organizational culture which it is presently following so as to facilitate the implementation of the strategic change that it had undertaken.
4.2 Organizational Culture and Organizational Learning
Bae and Grant (2018) are of the viewpoint that the aspect of organizational learning is substantially reliant on the organizational culture which is prevalent within the spectrum of any corporation. Adding to this, Carvalho et al. (2019) have noted that in order to adequately adjust to the dynamicity, volatility as well as the fast-paced nature of the contemporary business world need to create the kind of organizational culture within their workplace wherein the workers would be able to undertake continuous learning. This is important since it helps the workers to acquire the skill sets as well as the knowledge which will enable them to perform as per the performance standards of the corporations or for that matter its expectations (Laforet 2016). More importantly, it had also been seen that the usage of a continuous learning environment or culture within the workplace, helps the workers of the same to use the constructs of creativity, innovation, design thinking and others for the effective completion of the job roles that are being delegated to them within the organizations. However, at the same time it needs to be said that for the development of a continuous learning environment, the leaders and the managers are required to active initiatives and thereby encourage the workers to take the help of the above mentioned concepts (Gao 2017). This in turn helps the workers to improve both the quality as well as the quantity of work which is being performed by them and thereby positively affects the growth or the development of the corporations as well. This also facilitates the effective implementation of the different strategies which are being used by the business corporations while ensuring the fact that they are being able to derive the required or the expected results from the usage of the same (Elsmore 2017).
In the particular context of the corporation Spic and Span, the concept of continuous learning becomes especially important because of the new strategy that the concerned corporation had decided to pursue so as to enhance the prospects of its business while offering adequate career growth or development opportunities to its disadvantaged workers. In this relation, it needs to be said that the usage of a continuous learning environment or for that matter organizational culture would help the workers of the concerned corporation to learn or enhance their skill sets or knowledge which in turn would help them to take complete advantage of the strategic decision which the corporation had made. More importantly, the usage of this particular kind of organizational culture would also help the workers of the corporation under discussion here to substantially improve the quality as well as the quantity of their performance and thereby make a meaningful contribution towards the overall growth of the concerned corporation as well. Thus, it becomes important for the leaders as well as the managers of the corporation Spic and Span to take the help of the required initiatives for fostering a continuous learning environment or culture within the workplace of the concerned corporation.
4.3 Organizational Culture and Organizational Development
Kuo and Tsai (2019) are of the viewpoint that the organizational culture which is being followed within a particular corporation is an important determinant of the overall growth or the development of the concerned corporation. Adding to this, Byrne, Dwyer and Doyle (2019) have noted that organizational culture influences organizational development by influencing the manner in which the workers would work within the corporation, the leadership or the management approach followed by the corporation, the manner in which learning is being undertaken within the corporations and others. Furthermore, these aspects of the corporations are important since while impacting the culture of the corporations they also impact the quality and the quantity of work which is being performed by the workers. More importantly, the quality or for that matter the quantity of work performed by the workers is important since they directly impact the achievement of the overall goals or the objectives of the corporations, the milestones outlined by them, the overall productivity as well as the profitability of the corporations and others (Anning-Dorson 2016). Thus, it can be said that the corporations have the opportunity to attain the required amount of growth or development through the usage of an effective organizational culture.
This becomes important from the perspective of the corporation Spic and Span since it had been seen that overall the years the concerned corporation had failed to enhance its productivity, profitability and to achieve its overall business goals or objectives. Thus, it can be said that for the purpose of facilitating its overall organizational development through the adequate usage of the new business strategy that it had formulated the concerned corporation would have to improve its organizational culture. This in turn would enable the disadvantaged workers of the concerned corporation to improve both the quality and the quantity of work performed by them, perform as per the performance standards or the expectations of the corporation, make a positive contribution towards the achievement of the overall organizational or the business goals and objectives of the corporation and others.
4.4 Organizational Culture and Competitive Advantage
As discussed by Gillespie and Reader (2017), the different corporations of the world over the years for the purpose of attaining competitive advantage have focused on the aspects of value proposition of the products or services offered by them and also the effective utilization of the innovative technologies. Scheepers and Reddy (2019) are of the viewpoint that this in turn had given rise to the situation wherein it is seen that the different corporations over the years had disregard the element of organizational culture which in turn had substantially affected their ability to attain competitive advantage. More importantly, it had been seen that the value proposition of the products or the services offered by the corporations and also their ability to use innovative technologies substantially depends on the skill sets of the workers, their work approach or style, the leadership or the management approach followed by the corporation and others (Silva et al. 2018). These aspects are directly related to the organizational or the workplace culture which is being followed within a particular corporation. Thus, the corporations need to ardently focus on the aspect of organizational culture for the purpose of attaining competitive advantage within the business markets of their operation. This even holds true within the particular context of the corporation Spic and Span since it had been seen that the concerned corporation in the recent times is facing extensive competition within the cleaning industry of Singapore which in turn had also propelled it to change its business strategy. Thus, it is likely that by effectively focusing on the attribute of organizational culture, the corporation under discussion here would be able to mitigate the intense business competition which it is presently facing and also would be able to attain competitive advantage as well.
5.0 Conclusion
To conclude, the corporations are required to effectively focus on the organizational or the workplace culture which is being followed by them. This is likely to help them to create the kind of workplace environment wherein the workers would be able to maximize their workplace productivity. More importantly, by effectively focusing on the attribute of organizational culture, the corporations also have the opportunity to facilitate organizational development, attain competitive advantage, to create a continuous learning environment, to adequately use their business strategies and others. In the light of these aspects, it can be said that the corporation Spic and Span has the opportunity to overcome intense business competition within the Singaporean business industry, attain competitive advantage and thereby overcome the different problems faced by it by effectively focusing on the attribute of organizational culture.
6.0 Reflection
I would firstly begin by thanking my Professor for offering the constructive which he offered after the completion of my previous assignment. The feedback which was offered by the Professor had been taken into consideration by me and this in turn had helped me to significantly improve the quality of this particular assignment. In this relation, I would like to say that the most important feedback which was offered to me by my Professor was the fact that although I have used numerous analytical tools as well as models within the assignment and I also had a working knowledge of the same yet my application of the same was very basic in nature. More importantly, despite taking the help of numerous analytical models as well as tools I was not being able to effectively analyze the topic which was selected by me for analysis in the previous assignment. I had tried to work effectively on this important feedback which was offered to me after I submitted my previous assessment and thereby have tried not to make the same mistakes in this particular assignment. For instance, in this particular assignment I have tried to undertake a critical analysis of the topic which I have selected for analysis rather than undertaking a general discussion of the same. For the attainment of this particular objective, I have consulted various peer-reviewed articles, textbooks and others so to undertake a critical analysis of the topic.
More importantly, in order to effectively address the research problem and the research question I firstly explored different ways through which the problem faced by Spic and Span could be resolved in the best possible manner. Furthermore, upon exploring different possible options through which the problem or the issue faced by Spic and Span could be resolved I came to the conclusion that the best possible manner in which the issue or the problem could be resolved is through the improvement of the organizational culture which is being used by the concerned corporation. I personally believe that the different strategies or the measures which the corporation could have used for resolving the issue faced by it would not have yielded the desired or for that matter the expected results since they would not had got the required amount of support from the organizational culture of the corporation under discussion here. It is in the light of these aspects that I selected improvement of the organizational culture as the approach which needs to be undertaken for the adequate resolution of the problem or the issue faced by Spic and Span. Furthermore, in the feedback which was offered to me for my previous assignment it was also mentioned that I have failed to adequately use the concept of creativity for addressing the requirements of the assignment. Thus, in this particular assignment I have tried to find a creative solution for the issue faced by Spic and Span. I am hoping that the effective usage of the feedback which I received for the previous assignment had helped me to improve the quality of this assignment.
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