Chapter 11. Organization Culture and Change

Chapter 11 Study Questions

  1. What is organizational culture?

  2. What is a multicultural organization?

  3. What is the nature of organizational change?

Learning From Others, New Thinking Thrives in the Right Culture

If you ask friends and neighbors to identify the most exciting piece of mail they've received lately, it may well turn out to be a delivery from Netflix; personalized home entertainment in a small red and white envelope. On any given day there are over 45,000 DVD and Blu-ray titles in transit serving a customer base that is 8 million strong and growing.[594]

CEO Reed Hastings says that it's a commitment to customer service that keeps the Los Gatos, California, company on top of its game. Behind the great service is a pool of human ingenuity supported by the latest technology. And with the move toward video downloads, Netflix is already a hit with its Instant Viewing service. Netflix-ready gadgets are growing in number and already include Xbox 360s, TiVos, and some Blu-ray players.

Hastings is always trying to put people together with his vision and new technology. Wired magazine describes him as "a quiet disrupter, sabotaging business models silently and irretrievably." The article with this quote was entitled "Netflix Everywhere: Sorry Cable, You're History."

The company's work culture fits its founder—unique and high-performance oriented. Says Hastings: "At most companies, average performers get an average raise. At Netflix they get a generous ...

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