Microsoft's Organizational Culture.

Paper Summary:

Microsoft Corporation is a global leader in the development and marketing of consumer, personal productivity, small business and enterprise software applications and employs 71,000 professionals worldwide. This paper attempts to evaluate Microsoft's organizational culture. Specifically the paper focuses on the company's communication practices, organizational customs, approaches to conflict management, observable organizational policies and impact of technology on its culture.

From the Paper:

"Microsoft's culture is one that stresses individual responsibility and accountability of development work and seeks out employees that thrive on the immediacy of generating and providing valuable information. The extensive research completed by French and Raven (1959) provide a useful framework by which to analyze the impact Microsoft's culture on the strategic direction of the company. Candor and directness in communication are also the foundations of the Microsoft culture, where seniority doesn't matter nearly as much as intelligence. This interlocking of communications style and culture is critical to the company's long-term viability and future growth as programmers and computer scientists have often been attracted to working for the company due to this communication approach."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Businessline(2006). Concentration in the competitive software business. (2006, August). Businessline,1. Retrieved July 1, 2008, from ABI/INFORM Trade & Industry database. (Document ID: 1106336701).
• French, J. R. P., & Raven, B. H. (1959). The bases of social power. In D. Cartwright (Ed.), Studies in social power (pp. 150-167). Ann Arbor: University of Michigan.
• Warren Harrison (2006). Eating Your Own Dog Food. IEEE Software, 23(3), 5-7. Retrieved July 1, 2008, from ABI/INFORM Global database. (Document ID: 1027544611).
• Robert J Herbold (2002). Inside Microsoft: Balancing creativity and discipline. Harvard Business Review, 80(1), 72-79. Retrieved July 1, 2008, from ABI/INFORM Global database. (Document ID: 97905977).
• Catherine Heritage (2006, March). Microsoft: innovation through HR's partnership. Strategic HR Review, 5(3), 24-27. Retrieved July 2, 2008, from ABI/INFORM Global database. (Document ID: 1009378321).

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