Administered a Culture Survey (E.G., the Oci) Essay

administered a culture survey (e.g., the OCI) to all store employees (a.k.a. "crew members") and management, do you think espoused culture as described by management would match the culture expressed by the employees? Why or why not?

I think it likely that the espoused culture as described by the management of Trader Joe would match that expressed by the employees as a whole since, as the article indicates, employees receive intensive training during which they are likely imbued with culture expectations on n overt and covert level. More so, Trader Joe has its culture explicitly delineated and customer service is emphasized. The employee of Trade Joe who wishes to retain his or her position - and who does not given the attractive compensation, the difficulty in retain a job today, the opportunities 'at the end of the tunnel' and Trader Joe's fun and positive working environment -- would seek to produce his or her best, collaborate with the 'team' and epitomize the Trader Joe culture.

Trader Joe's culture also reminds me of that of Zappos and this parallel is informative in answering both questions in this essay.

Zappos provides a leadership that is not managerial (namely, 'bossy' as described in comparison to corporations in the article) but rather consists of providing purpose, meaning and team spirit towards one's employees.Zappos attempts to motivate and please their employee realizing that their laborers are their most valuable resource. Trader Joe does the same. Zappos too provides detailed training and exact directions of its employees by coining its 10 values outlining expectations for its employees: Trader Joe does this too (although not to the same extent as Zappos does). Zappos focuses on happiness (using positive psycholgoy0 as atmosphere of its workplace. Employees love to work there (with 93% selecting to forego the $3,000 incentive to drop out after having received training). The fun atmosphere and dignity accorded employees is well-known and attractive. Trade Joe has that same reputation. Both Trader Joe and Zappos too have an understanding of cultural issues that includes the facts that people value independence; how the culture relates to power issues; how the culture views gender; and other issues relevant to the specific culture. Both companies also experience minimal overhead. This alone indicates the fact that employees would agree with managers in depiction of their culture. Trader Joes, through its Leadership Development Program, emphasize employee autonomy and encourages employees to make their own decisions. It accords employees independence within reason. Given that they….....