Organization Culture and Leadership of Apple Company
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Introduction
Apple Company is a multinational technology company whose headquarters are in Cupertino, California. It produces various products such as iPhones, iPods, tablets, among others. The company is among the big companies in the technology industry, and its main competitors include Samsung, Microsoft, Lenovo, among others. During the period in which I worked part-time in the organization, I was able to gain knowledge that will help in the application of various concepts learned during the course. These concepts include leadership theories and the organization’s cultural concepts, which will be mainly discussed (Felipe et al., 2017). The main idea will be discussing how these concepts learned can be applied in the organization. The paper will also discuss organizational artifacts, organizational communication concepts, the application of concepts to artifacts, and the various implications.
Organizational Artifact
- Northcott (1928) stated that ‘An organization is the arrangement by which tasks are assigned to men and women so that their individual efforts contribute effectively to some more or less clearly defined purpose for which they have been brought together. The purpose of the organization is to coordinate the activities of various individuals working in the organization to attain enterprise goals.’ Apple Company has an organizational structure, which can be described as hierarchical (Felipe et al., 2017). The structure is subjected in such a way that it can be modified since leadership roles can change over the duration of time. Tim Cook, the C.E.O of Apple Company, has ensured that the system has divided roles, and there is the decentralization of decision making. The organizational structure’s advantage is that there is tight control, which is possessed by senior management. The cultural structure of Apple Company has reasonable combativeness. Tim Cook has ensured that the organizational culture is more sociable and combines top-notch brilliance, creativity, and innovation.
The organization consists of senior management comprised of the C.E.O, senior vice president and general counsel, senior vice president internet software and services, senior vice president software engineering, senior vice president machine learning and AI strategy, senior vice president worldwide marketing. Also, senior vice president operations, senior vice president, chief financial officer, senior vice president retail and people, and vice president marketing communication, among others (Felipe et al., 2017). They mainly interact through various technological means such as emails, mobile phones, among others. During the work period, I was able to have various experiences or artifacts such as understanding how the iPhone works, how it was developed, and thus producing unique and quality commodities. I was able to understand the operational process that helps meet the demand for commodities. This artifact stands out from those of other teams because the iPhone is a unique product. Understanding how it works and how it was innovated will help for easier understanding of the gadget and make one be the part of the big achievement (Felipe et al., 2017).
Organizational Communication Concept
Communication is a critical element in the organization as it helps in the smooth running of the organization. There are various organizational communication concepts, and they include cultural concepts, critical concepts, leadership concepts, and human resource concepts. (Ortega-Parra & Sastre-Castillo, 2013) stated that, ‘Organizational culture is a set of values, beliefs, and behavior patterns that differentiate one organization from other organizations.’ The organizational culture of Apple Company is creative and innovative. This has helped the company remain among the top five in the technological company. For example, the company has developed its iPhone from iPhone 2G to iPhone 12 pro, the latest. According to Yukl (2013), leadership is the process in which the manager intentionally influences other people. The organization has a changing leadership process to ensure that different leaders showcase different leadership skills. The leadership model is led by Tim Cook, who is the C.E.O and ensures that the system is democratic (Heracleous et al., 2016). These concepts help understand the organization because the organizational culture helps a company defines both its internal and external identity. It also helps in impacting performance for the employees. The leadership concept is important because it helps in the maximization of efficiency and the achievement of organizational goals.
Application of Concepts to Artifact
These concepts apply to my artifacts in that I understood that for proper production and manufacturing of products, an organization must have good leadership. Tim Cook ensures that the leadership is democratic therefore, people can choose the people they would want to lead them (Heracleous et al., 2016). The organizational culture has also helped understand why Apple Company can stand out. The concept also applies to my artifact because one can understand the importance of innovation in an organization.
Implications
This application has helped us learn the importance of innovation, organizational identity, and efficiency brought about by good leadership (Heracleous et al., 2016). The application has also helped to show that communication is a critical element in an organization as it helps ensure smooth running. We can also learn that an organizational culture helps employees understand their roles in the organization, thus achieving the company’s goals (Felipe et al., 2017). The application aligns with the previous research in that the previous industry discussed the fashion industry, which is very competitive. Therefore organizations have to ensure that they have organizational cultures integrate innovation to succeed in this industry.
Conclusion
In conclusion, many communication concepts are learned, and organizations need to ensure that they apply them. Communication is important to organizations as it helps departments spread important information that will help the organization achieve its goals. Organizational culture is also important as it helps in the achievement of organizational goals. Leadership should also be democratic, as this is what brings about efficiency in the company. Companies like Apple Company are the reason why companies should be innovative and have a good organizational culture.
Reference
Ortega-Parra, A., & Sastre-Castillo, M. (2013). Impact of perceived corporate culture on organizational commitment. Management Decision, 51, 1071-1083.
Yukl, Gary. 2013. Leadership in organizations. Upper Saddle River: Pearson.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40685-020-00130-0#Sec2
Felipe, C. M., Roldán, J. L., & Leal-Rodríguez, A. L. (2017). Impact of organizational culture values on organizational agility. Sustainability, 9(12), 2354.
Heracleous, L., & Papachroni, A. (2016). Strategic Leadership and Innovation at Apple Inc. SAGE Publications Ltd.
Northcott, Clarence, Sheldon, Oliver, Wardropper, J.W., Urwick, L., Factory Organization (London: Isaac Pitman, 1928).