Introduction
Corporate culture entails the behavior, ethical, and social standards of any business or organization. The standards are founded on the organization’s precedence, ideas, and most importantly the attitude of the members (Singh, 2004). For a business like Trader Joe’s, it would be difficult to change the existing culture since it is already working and it is not just working, it’s working well. In the future, the company might look for other ways of improving its corporate culture based on factors that might be influential in the future.
Analysis
An analysis in the study will focus on how the organization has used its culture to adapt to changes and the different types of motivation techniques it uses. For an organization to remain relevant, it should take advantage of the ever-transforming business environment. Trader Joe’s should focus on responding to emerging competitor trends by incorporating Information Technology as a way of new management and responding to emerging customer needs (Graves, 1986). This will help Trader Joe’s to adapt to the new marketplace condition and the entire economy at large.
However, Trader Joe’s culture continues to work well despite the changing times. This is largely attributed to the customer service at Trader Joe’s. Employees at the store go the extra mile to ensure customers are satisfied and they engage customers in conversations in a polite manner, unlike many stores. Many large supermarkets that have been operating for many years exhibit poor customer service with their employees always whining about their jobs (Lewis, 2005).
The culture of Trader Joe’s gradually changed as it continued to adapt to the growing company. This happened as the company continued to bring more unique and quality products and create a pleasant shopping environment for the customers. The company also kept a good relationship over the years with the suppliers and it persistently searched for quality products even in times when the products proved to be scarce. This made the company to be the most unique and triumphant private business in the industry (Lewis, 2005).
There have been numerous researches conducted aimed at finding the best way to motivate employees but this matter has never been well understood and at most times it is poorly practiced. To recognize motivation, one has to be familiars with human nature. Understanding human nature can be an uphill task and at the same time can be the easiest task. If this prerequisite is well understood, employee motivation can be very efficient (Wubbolding, 1996). The culture at trader Joe‘s has implemented various motivational strategies which have proved to be effective. The study will consider some of the techniques that were used to motivate employees to the extent of their effectiveness.
Encouraging Multitasking
A culture like encouraging multi-tasking at the workplace has gone a long way to motivate the employees. Trader Joe’s encourages employees to multitask regardless of their job descriptions. This forms a collaborative work setting where even the store manager can at times help out in simple tasks like stocking the shelves when the other employees are busy working on other things (Lewis, 2005). This makes the employees feel as if they are part of a team and they are not just mere subordinates. To the outsiders, it might look perilous, but this is part of Trader Joe’s extended training where every employee is trained to fit into any role in the store when the need arises. This type of strategy has proved to be effective because it gives freedom to the employees which results in creating a platform for the employees to do their best.
Compensate Workers Well
The best way to create loyalty and ensure your employees remain motivated even in difficult times is to have a good wage and benefit package. High wages have proved to attract the high quality of staff but this does not guarantee loyalty. Loyalty in Trader Joe’s employees can be highly attributed to the culture of success (Lewis, 2005). Currently, a lot of companies try to cut back costs and end up laying off employees and causing labor unrest. Trader Joe’s has kept on the belief that happy employees will always make the customers be happy, and the happy customers will be more willing to come and splurge in the store. This technique is so effective to the extent that it has created a paradigm shift in the industry. More employers are now focusing on making the needs of the employee to be a priority just like the customer needs.
Making the Work Environment to Be Pleasant
Every employee likes to do work that he or she enjoys. In Trade Joe’s, every employee from the store manager to the sweeper seems to be happy with their delegated duties. The workers are constantly in a jovial mood in all branches across the country. The employees are happy because they are well compensated, they are given the freedom to go to work in clothes they feel comfortable in, and they are also served great food (Lewis, 2005). The strategy of making employees have fun while they are working appears to bear fruit as it makes the employees be happy and results in better customer service.
An alternative idea that can be recommended for Trader Joe’s is conducting staff surveys. This technique is useful in determining if the employees working in the store are truly motivated and whether they have any grievances. It will also be more effective if the employees are more involved, and if they are involved in making important decisions as this is an indirect method of motivating employees (Wubbolding, 1996). This technique will make Trader Joe continue to be in the pole position when it comes to corporate culture and motivational techniques.
Conclusion
According to the study, Trader Joe’s will continue to be a successful company for a lot of reasons. For instance, the company’s culture of creating a pleasant environment for the employees results in better output as employees feel motivated. When employees are happy they also develop a sense of loyalty and end up feeling obligated to do their best. Another issue that can be attributed to their success is the way they treat customers. When customers are happy and satisfied with the service, they will always be willing to return and spend more. This sort of culture would be ideal for any company that is trying to expand and improve its performance.
References
Graves, D. (1986). Corporate Culture: Diagnosis And Change: Auditing And Changing The Culture Of Organizations. New York.
Lewis, L. (2005). Fostering a Loyal Workforce at Trader Joe’s. Web.
Singh, S. (2004). Market Orientation, Corporate Culture And Business Performance. Chicago: Ashgate Publishing Ltd.
Wubbolding, R. (1996). Employee Motivation: What To Do When What You Say Isn’t Working! Indiana: Indiana University.