Case Study on "Organizational Behavior the First Step"

Case Study 4 pages (1270 words) Sources: 4

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Organizational Behavior

The first step in a case analysis is to determine the problem that the company is facing. The Cisco case describes the organizational structure of the company, but presents no specific problem to solve. The observable artifacts of the culture are the different teams and councils that comprise the physical structure of the organizational design. The motto of 'speed, skill and flexibility' is an artifact that explains the underlying rationale for this organizational structure. The company values efficiency, and the drive for improved efficiency in decision-making is what drives the current structure. There is evidence that despite its awkward appearance, this structure actually does improve efficiency in decision-making. The basic assumption that underlies Cisco's organizational structure is that decisions in organizations require the input of multiple functional components. Therefore, efficiency can be increased by bringing those components together. A sub-assumption is that managers in the organization can handle being a part of numerous committees, groups and councils -- managers are able to handle the complexity inherent in such a structure, allowing for the structure to be workable.

The competing values framework can be used to help explain Cisco's culture. The competing values framework juxtaposes flexibility and discretion with stability and control. Cisco's culture emphasizes the former, blending elements of clan and adhocracy. The clan culture has the general thrust of collaboration wherein managers engage in active participation on a number of fronts and are empowered to make decisions quickly within the framework of the various teams and counc

Continue scrolling to

download full paper ⤓

ils. Cisco represents adhocracy in that the structure promotes growth and innovation, as evidenced by the company's entry into hundreds of new businesses in the past few years. Ultimately, the culture is more clan-oriented simply because it has an internal focus. Interactions with external actors are also governed by the culture, but it is the internal culture that characterizes these external interactions, not the external actors or the opportunities that the external interactions create. With such an internal focus, the clan culture is the best description of Cisco's culture using the competing values framework.

Cisco's vision is "Changing the way we work, live, play and learn." The mission is "To shape the future of the Internet by creating unprecedented value and opportunity for our customers, employees, investors and ecosystem partners" (Cisco, 2010). These statements are not congruent with the company's culture. They are generic aggregations of meaningless buzzwords that provide no real sense of what the company does or how it does it. The company's description of its culture from its website (Cisco.com, 2011) is much more valuable. The culture is described as having "connecting and collaborating" as a key element. Community is a buzzword used, but the company does little to elaborate. What can be seen in the textbook description of Cisco culture and organizational structure is that it is oriented towards collaboration, so in that way the description is congruent with the company's own view of its culture, and with the culture as described in the competing values framework.

Cisco changed its culture in response to a difficult year. The company re-drew its organizational structure to encourage a culture shift. The company focused its change efforts first on creating the structures it believed would be more effective and then asking for managerial buy-in. The company also made changes to its compensation system in order to encourage specific behaviors. The compensation system can be seen as an artifact of the culture, in that the pay becomes a physical manifestation for the managers of what the company expects of them. By creating an association between the outputs that senior management wanted to see and the compensation that the mangers wanted to see, Cisco was able to bring most managers around to the new corporate culture. Those managers who were less receptive to the change were presumably… READ MORE

Download Full Paper

Write a New Paper for Me

Quoted Instructions for "Organizational Behavior the First Step" Assignment:

“

An excellent way to organize a case analysis is to begin with a simplified version of the management analysis framework.

1. identification of relevant problems

2. identification of options or alternatives

3. decision recommendations

4. implementation tactics

5. assessment criteria for success or failure

It is a given that there is more than one way to approach any problem. For each module, there are hints and suggestions for approaching the assignments and about applying material from the text and from the additional readings. As such, the hints and suggestions are just one way to approach the assignment. Use the suggestions and hints as guides, not as constraints. And, remember the instructor is always available to help clarify any questions about assignments or other course expectations.

Some points to keep in mind:

*****¢ To identify the relevant problem(s), you will need to determine the key and underlying issues (problems). These issues are the management principles which apply to this situation.

*****¢ To identify options/alternatives you will need to discuss the facts. It is not unusual for a case to have *****"too much*****" information. Your task is to analyze the situation and make recommendations for solution of the problems -- not to retell the case.

*****¢ Your decision recommendations are your tentative solution to the problem. Discuss it. Why is it better than the alternatives? What management principles apply?

*****¢ Remember to support your analysis by citing references in the text and in the supplementary readings. You should also draw on other references such as business periodicals and management journals.

The first case study is always a challenge so I grade them generously and provide you with some feedback. After reading my feedback, please don*****'t hesitate to ask any clarifying questions that you may have. As a reminder, the cases are the primary way I can assess your understanding of the material, so it*****'s important that you develop the case in detail around an organizing framework incorporating the themes from the questions, not answering them at the end of the case. You also need to integrate the relevant chapter concepts (identified by the questions), and cite the text using APA format. So, you had a good start by going beyond the questions (initially). Going forward I want you to demonstrate to me that you have a deep understanding of these key concepts identified by the questions and how they relate to the case. Also, please thoroughly proof your work before submitting as there were several mistakes with both sentence structure, word usage, and grammar (use of colons). I*****'ve found it*****'s often helpful to have someone else review your work. Finally, ask any questions that you have.

*****

How to Reference "Organizational Behavior the First Step" Case Study in a Bibliography

“Organizational Behavior the First Step.” A1-TermPaper.com, 2011, https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/organizational-behavior-first-step/803484. Accessed 3 Jul 2024.

Organizational Behavior the First Step (2011). Retrieved from https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/organizational-behavior-first-step/803484

A1-TermPaper.com. (2011). Organizational Behavior the First Step. [online] Available at: https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/organizational-behavior-first-step/803484 [Accessed 3 Jul, 2024].

”Organizational Behavior the First Step” 2011. A1-TermPaper.com. https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/organizational-behavior-first-step/803484.

”Organizational Behavior the First Step” A1-TermPaper.com, Last modified 2024. https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/organizational-behavior-first-step/803484.

[1] ”Organizational Behavior the First Step”, A1-TermPaper.com, 2011. [Online]. Available: https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/organizational-behavior-first-step/803484. [Accessed: 3-Jul-2024].

1. Organizational Behavior the First Step [Internet]. A1-TermPaper.com. 2011 [cited 3 July 2024]. Available from: https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/organizational-behavior-first-step/803484

1. Organizational Behavior the First Step. A1-TermPaper.com. https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/organizational-behavior-first-step/803484. Published 2011. Accessed July 3, 2024.