The corporate culture is a significant element of any major company. It determines how the company builds relationships between the leaders and the members of the organization and the general interpersonal communication within the company. In many respects, the corporate culture directly impacts the desire of a potential applicant to start working in the company and become its member. Different companies use various approaches while constructing their corporate culture, emphasizing different values. This paper addresses the corporate cultures of five particular companies, including American Express, Microsoft, Southwest Airlines, Unilever, and Walmart. The purpose of the paper is to outline each company’s culture to identify the one the author would best fit into and explain the reasons. The corporate cultures of the discussed companies differ, but the Microsoft corporate culture seems right to the author of this paper because it is associated with personal development and improving the world.
American Express Corporate Culture
American Express’s corporate culture is based on mutual support and backing each other. The company believes that the power of the incredible progress of people and businesses lies in the proper backing (American Express, 2021). The company’s members are encouraged to explore the world and constantly redefine the boundaries of what is possible (American Express, 2021). American Express (2021) values the talents and strengths that each of its members brings to the company and, in exchange, offers them a career journey that is meaningful and unique. The company finds itself open to working together for a mutual purpose and embracing creativity and innovative ideas (American Express, 2021). In other words, American Express is a company with a corporate culture of mutual support, aiming to achieve its purpose by backing its members whatever the circumstances.
The corporate culture of American Express is similar to the concept of synergy described in the corresponding studies. According to Covey (2006), the concept of synergy implies that “people’s voices are identified and aligned with the organization’s voice” (p. 203). Therefore, the creative ideas and innovative thinking of the company’s members along with their opinions and visions of the company’s future are considered on the organizational level. It is perfectly applicable for American Express as the company values its people’s thinking and is always ready to hear and embrace their ideas, as explained in the previous section.
Microsoft Corporate Culture
Microsoft’s Corporate culture is based on the growth mindset. The organization believes that its mission can only be achieved if it lives its culture (Microsoft, 2021). While being learners, members of the organization have a growth mindset, further applying that mindset to cooperative work to make the world a different place (Microsoft, 2021). Microsoft (2021) sees the purpose of their culture in seeking different methods to help people do both ordinary and extraordinary things. The company values its employees for being passionate about the time, money, and skills they give to address the world’s issues (Microsoft, 2021). In addition, the organization brings people together to use their different life experiences for the company’s purposes and the brighter future for the world (Microsoft, 2021). Overall, the Microsoft corporate culture aims to unite the people who want to dedicate their talents and skills to make the world better.
Microsoft’s corporate culture is similar to the concepts of passion and open heart in many respects. Covey (2006) claims that people with open hearts are ready “to involve people in the problem and work out solutions together and listen deeply for understanding” (p.227). The author states that an open heart allows people to constantly learn and drives their lives by higher wisdom
(Covey, 2006). In other words, it is simple for people with open hearts to listen to others and work as a part of the team to design the best possible solution for any problem. These concepts apply to the corporate culture of Microsoft as it is based on empathy, empowering its members’ talents, and working for the good of the world.
Southwest Airlines Corporate Culture
Southwest Airlines’ corporate culture is based on several important values. The company describes its culture as “the development, improvement, and refinement of the originality, individuality, identity, and personality of a given people” (Southwest Airlines, 2021, para. 1). The organization values its members’ pride, integrity, and humility and treats each other with honesty in teamwork to achieve the organization’s success, which lies in efficiency, discipline, and excellence (Southwest Airlines, 2021). Furthermore, the company sees the purpose of air travel in connecting people to essential things in their lives, and the organization aims to become the most loved and profitable airline globally (Southwest Airlines, 2021). On the whole, Southwest Airlines values its members’ personal qualities as they play a significant role in fulfilling the company’s purpose.
Southwest Airlines’ corporate culture appears to have many implications for the concept of commitment. Covey (2006) describes commitment as a person’s willingness to put to work in a whole – body and mind, heart and spirit. Commitment is the concept of treating company members fairly and respectfully so they contribute to the company’s purpose in a principle-centered way (Covey, 2006). That way, while feeling significant and respected, member of the organization may work effectively and demonstrate high performance levels. That is applicable for Southwest Airlines as the company has a significant vision of success and seeks solid personal qualities in their members to achieve that success.
Unilever Corporate Culture
Unilever’s corporate culture is based on the personal purpose of each of its members. The company claims that while working in the organization, people can bring their own purpose to life through their deeds and actions (Unilever, 2021). Unilever (2021) helps its members contribute to the world’s development and become better personally. In other words, the company’s whole business is based on the changes that each member makes through their work (Unilever, 2021). The organization relies on the contribution of each separate member while helping them fulfill their own purpose.
Unilever’s corporate culture is similar to the concept of accountability. According to Covey (2006), any business process has much more chances of success if everyone on the team holds others accountable. The authors also state that accountability allows a team to become selfempowering, meaning that the contributions of each member enhance the team’s effectiveness (Covey, 2006). The concept of accountability is applicable for Unilever as the company values the individuality and personality of its members and the contributions they make to the company’s purpose.
Walmart Corporate Culture
Walmart’s corporate culture is based on four core values that define the company’s path to success. These values include service to the customer, respect for the individual, strive for excellence, and integrity (Walmart, 2021). The company describes its culture as high performance, and it aims to achieve the organization’s purpose of improving people’s lives and saving their money (Walmart, 2021). Walmart (2021) sees its customers as the company’s top priority, values a respectful attitude, pursuit of excellence, and such personal qualities as honesty and courage. In many respects, the Walmart corporate culture values the desire to make other people’s lives better.
Walmart’s corporate culture can be associated with the concept of self-regulation. Covey (2006) claims that self-regulation implies identifying the priorities and living by them, therefore, living by one’s values. Self-regulation is a matter of making a set of things that are the most significant in achieving certain goals and then concentrating on those things for the highest possible work performance. Walmart (2021) appreciates the associates who are ready to “live out” their own values and the values of the company (para. 5). Thereby, the concept of self-regulation applies to the
Walmart corporate culture as it is based on the values that the company prioritizes.
Identifying the Perfect Corporate Culture
The companies discussed in this paper are global organizations, and their cultures can significantly differ. Therefore, these companies’ corporate cultures may attract different individuals as each person has their own values when choosing a corporation. However, the author of this paper finds the Microsoft corporate culture the most fitting and convenient because it is founded on a growth mindset and aims to address the entire world’s issues. The opportunity for constant development as a person and individual while significantly contributing to the world’s improvement appears highly attractive.
Conclusion
Overall, the corporate cultures of the examined companies are different, and the Microsoft corporate culture seems the most convenient as its purpose implies the growth mindset and making the world a better place. The American Express corporate culture is based on backing its members and mutual support. Microsoft values people’s readiness to share their skills and talents for a better world. In Southwest Airlines, each member is appreciated for their personal qualities as they can be helpful for the company’s common purpose. The members of Unilever help the organization achieve its goals while also fulfilling their own purpose in life. Finally, the corporate culture of Walmart is based on several core values designed to improve the lives of other people. Microsoft, however, appears as the company with the most fitting corporate culture because of the values the organization prioritizes and the purpose it is pursuing.
References
American Express. (2021). American Express Careers. Web.
Covey, S. R. (2006). The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness. Free Press.
Microsoft. (2021). Microsoft Careers. Web.
Southwest Airlines. (2021). Southwest Airlines Culture. Web.
Unilever. (2021). Unilever Careers. Web.
Walmart. (2021). Working at Walmart. Web.