The Organizational Culture of Quinlans - 3389 Words

The Organizational Culture of Quinlans Introduction Quinlan has been UK’s foremost retail giant for a long period of time. By end of 1998 there was evidence of a crisis and since then the company has been on a decline. The company has been ignoring market changes and trying to maintain its corporate image and identity. This has caused the customers to drift to more fashionable brands causing huge loss of business to Quinlan. Presently the company is on a restructuring exercise to improve sales with particular emphasis on customer satisfaction and marketing. Organisation culture at Quinlan’s Organisation culture can be defined as the set of key values, beliefs, understandings and†¦show more content†¦This culture gives prominence to achievement and competitiveness. Employees usually work long hours to achieve certain goals. c) Clan – This culture is reflected in organisations that emphasise on employee’s participation in meeting changes of the environment. Particular attention is paid to employee well welfare. d) Bureaucratic - This type of culture is visible in organisations that follow a well-defined way of doing things. Employees are not encouraged to take risks and rewarded for following rules. This is suitable for a stable environment that is hard to find in these modern days. It is visible that Quinlan’s culture was bureaucratic. In particular Quinlan had: a) Properly defined rules and procedures to function in a predictable and routine manner b) Roles were clearly defined and labour was divided based on these roles c) A hierarchical chain of command d) Clear separation of ownership and control Culture and organisation success Daft, Management, 2003, chapter 3 explains that an organisation has two main environments: the external and internal. The external environment includes elements that exist outside the boundary but have the ability to affect the organisation. Eg. competitors, resources, technology, customers. The internal environment consists of