Walmart's Organizational Culture

The culture a company establishes is key to its success. If a company learns and identifies characteristics of the culture around them, they should have no trouble in producing a successful location. The problem lies when a company takes no regard to the culture around them and thinks that they are "above" what culture in the workplace should be established. A great example of this cultural insensitivity is Wal-Mart.

Wal-Mart is a huge super power when it comes to consumer purchases for everyday items. The motto that Wal-Mart has sought to establish is, "helping people save money and live better with everyday low prices." They are very good at doing this within the US. What has made Wal-Mart so successful is the culture they have established with in the States. They have focused on four elements which they feel will continue to bring them this success; they are, Respect, Service, Excellence, and the Ten Foot Rule.

Respect for the individual is a very important part in establishing an effective culture, not only for employees but also for consumers. Wal-Mart teaches their employees that the customer is what keeps them in business. They try to help their employees realize that if the customers weren't coming in to purchase products then they wouldn't be in business. A great way to show your respect for the customers is to treat them with kindness. I really like it when I feel that I'm not just another customer but that they value my business. The employees are generally very polite and respectful towards customers. The other aspect of establishing respect is, for the employees. Wal-Mart has an "open door" policy, which means any employee can come to their immediate supervisor for questions or concerns. They are always willing to help. This policy is great when it actually works. A problem with this policy, as was seen in Germany when Wal-Mart was established there, could be language barriers. If you have a supervisor that speaks the current countries language as a second language, employees might not be as inclined to use the open door policy.

Exceeding customers' expectations is a great way to serve customers. Wal-Mart does this especially well. If a company is willing to go above and beyond for customers, the customers will develop a sense of loyalty to that company. This is very successful in the US. Wal-Mart has a great return policy. They are willing to return just about anything. To me, that's exceeding my expectations. This might not be the case for other cultures though. They might not think that is the way that, that should be done. Wal-Mart needs to look into the cultural habits of each country they try to serve, to make sure they do not cross these barriers.

Wal-Mart especially isn't satisfied with the "status-quo." They want to be the best in their industry. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it is when you have a haughty