Organizational Mission, values, customers and competitors (Apple Inc 2013)
Mission statement
Apple Inc. Company commits to providing the best computer services to its customers worldwide by producing innovative software, hardware, and internet services.
Values
The Apple values are based on quality, standards, customs, and principles that the company management believes has the capacity of helping it and its employees. These values identify Apple Inc as a unique organization since they form a basis of the ways they do things.
Customers
The potential customers for Apple Inc. Company consist of students, educators, creative professionals, learning institutions, and organizations.
Competitors
The most common competitors for Apple Inc. Company are organizations dealing with production and sale of computers, iPhones, computer software, and computer operating systems. The competitors are such companies like Dell, Samsung, Microsoft, Alienware, and Gateway among others.
Organizational Environments and Culture
The organizational environment and culture for Apple focuses on change with the objective of becoming the top performers and achieving success in every action. Currently, the company is undergoing through total restructuring in order to regain control on its finances and operations in order to win the competitive global market. The digital market environment is extremely stable since technology keeps changing day in day out. Apple management has increased the rate at which the company is undertaking different changes aimed at attracting more customers. Moreover, the general change rate observed in the company has is much higher in the year 2013 compared to the preceding years (Apple Inc).
In addition, Apple Inc. culture is based by the fact that every self-motivated employee has the capability increasing productivity without any direct supervision. The following approach has changed the company’s culture due to its unique nature. Moreover, Apple has experienced fast growth and quick reaction to changes compared to its competitors. Both the internal and external environmental factors are complex for Apple and the management has developed various strategies aimed at impacting success. The most appealing strategy that the management has taken is the authority by junior employees to make decisions on the company growth and development. The following strategy has seen the company experience the most tremendous growth rate among other companies in worldwide. In addition, the company’s organization structure focuses on placing decision making in the hands of every staff and stakeholder (Mc Shane & Travaglione 89-100).
Apple Inc culture has played a significant role in the growth and development of the company. Employees’ personality has been improved making them more confident of their duties. In addition, the approach by the management to leave employees watch over themselves while at work has created self-esteem and self-efficacy that has enabled the company to maintain its policies. Moreover, the culture has assisted in regulating behaviors of employees in the company through self discipline. Conclusively, Apple culture has led to improved productivity; enabled employees perform at full potential, and increased rewards for workers in respect to performance (Shane & Travaglione 123-167).
Managing innovation and changes
Changes within any business industry are extremely complex because they take an organization by surprise. Companies dealing with technology equipments often experience dramatic changes in their business environment because of the frequent changes in technology. In addition, there exists no known evidence of change in an organization because the more deep the change strategies get the more complex the situation becomes (Geertz 29). Since its establishment Apple has been undergoing various innovations with an aim of becoming the best computer company in the world. Recently, the company has introduced various innovation sin the digital world through production of technologically advanced gadgets such as iPhones, iPods, and iPads. Innovation has played a significant role in placing the company where it is today. On the other hand, Apple has undergone several changes on the management structure improving the product of goods and services offered (Apple Inc).
Companies are becoming more innovative in order to fit in the world’s shifting economy, particularly the high competition across the local and global markets. Even with the most appearing innovation in the market, none of them works for a long duration since the market keeps on changing according to globalization and changing technology (Poole and Andrew 88-112). The introduction of iPhones 3G, iPads, and iPods by the Apple Company was an innovation that saw the company to increase its earnings. The innovation led to a successful market for Apple products all over the globe. Apple management has played a great role in maintaining and improving its innovations and changes. Firstly, the Company hires only qualified people who have the capacity to dig deep into the digital market and predict on the future outcomes. Secondly, Apple employees receive appealing rewards for their performances that encourages them to work harder and produce more. Generally, Apple has a perfect employee-employer relationship that keeps the company operations going leading to more innovations and changes (InnovationManagement).
Organizational Structure and Leadership
An organization structure and ethics helps in quick implementation of changes necessary for the benefit of a company. Appendix I shows Apple organizational structure. Apple’s organizational structure has transformed into a more competitive function in regards to the company’s history. In addition, the organizational structure has a significant effect on the company culture and other functions necessary for growth and development. The formal corporate structure shown in appendix I show the flow of power from the top management to the junior employees. Apple’s corporate structure has a unique style only suited for the company and no competitors are able to adopt it. In addition, the structure falls in line with the current requirements of an organizational structure.
On the other hand, Apple leadership strategies are well defined and do not take advantage of any group or culture. Leadership is a process of influencing people in order to attain a certain goal. Organizational leaders in the present days face changes in their organizations depending of the type of change, quantity of change, and speed. On the other hand, it is necessary for leaders to make future decisions regarding changes in an organization that might be either long term or immediate. From the top management, all leaders show a good personality reflecting to culture and management practices of the organization. Moreover, the company has charismatic and transformational leaders who are quick in adopting changes and innovations.
Diversity management
Apple Company uses diversity management systems to increasing its production in order to compete with the competitors in the market. Diversity issues focus most on the development of an organization in relation to its internal and external environment that affect the organization’s performance. Diversity managements are set of organizational schedules, routines, and processes aimed at perceiving, analyzing, and responding to strategic issues. They help an organization in learning and adapting to the prevailing market conditions in order to achieve better alignment with its environment. In an effort to effectively manage diversity at Apple the company has selected leaders from different personalities and styles. The top 100 people come from diverse communities and decision making is agreed upon every stakeholder in the company (Dorn 2012).
The future
Apple faces many problems and opportunities as seen from the following research. To start with, competitors have sought various means and ways of ensuring they produce more technologically advanced products and services to win Apple customers. A company like Samsung has introduced tablets and iPad 5 gadgets that have grounded the market for iPhones and iPods. In addition, the company faces problems associated with copy write and imitations. Some companies are using the name of Apple Company to sell their products destroying the market for the original Apple products. Secondly, the company staff finds difficulties adapting to the drastic changes occurring every now and then. Some employees take long to change their behaviors and following company regulations contributing to slow adaption to changes and innovations.
The following are the recommendations that Apple management should follow in order to achieve their mission, goals and objectives. Firstly, the company should introduce training programs for its employees on how to maintain good ethics and behaviors in an organization. The recommendation would help in quick response to cultural issues and create a suitable working environment. Secondly, the company should always do intense research on the current developments in order to avoid being left behind with technology. By doing this, company would be the first to introduce new gadgets in the digital market. Finally, the management should rectify the organization structure to accommodate the stakeholders and shareholders. Stakeholders and shareholders should also be included in decision making of the company.
Research methods
The information was gathered through researching Apple Company websites, e-books, journals, and websites containing the necessary information. The research was organized in a way that an introduction to the company comes first, the aspects of change come second, and ends with a conclusion and recommendations.
Works cited
Dorn, L. Diversity in Apple Management. 2012. Retrieved from;
http://hrlori.com/diversity-in-apple-management/
Geertz, C. The Interpretation of Cultures. Selected Essays. New York: Basic Books. 1973
InnovationManagement. Innovation Lessons from Apple- Learn from a Modern Day Leader.
2013. Retrieved from:
http://www.innovationmanagement.se/2010/12/20/innovation-lessons-from-apple-learn-from-a-modern-day-leader/
Mc Shane, S., & Travaglione, T. Organizational Behavior on the Pacific Rim. McGraw-Hill.
2005.
Poole, M. S., and Andrew H. Ven. Handbook of organizational change and innovation.
Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2004. Print.
Apple Inc. Apple Inc. Company. (2013). Retrieved from;
http://www.apple.com/
Appendix I: Apple organizational structure
