“It’s about giving employees permission and encouraging them to just be themselves.” The views of Zappos founder and CEO, Tony Hsieh, perfectly captures the essence between a positive and empowering organizational culture. Hsieh’s advocacy for a strong organizational culture is one of a kind as he actively seeks employees who genuinely embody the core values of the expanding online shoe and clothing shop. Zappos is the model for innovative and unconventional work environments as the training process is uniform for all positions. In essence, Zappos disproves the stereotype that work should be a nine to five job within a cubicle space, and reinvents it to a lifestyle with positive benefits.

An article that discusses this in interesting length is found on the forward thinking business magazine, Fast Company. The article discusses the journey of Tony Hsieh and how he has reached the point of success. Hsieh also reflects on the forces that propelled him to redefine organizational culture to which he stated, “we’re looking for [people] whose personal values match our corporate values. They’re just naturally living the brand. Wherever they are whether they’re in the office or off the clock.” Undoubtedly, Zappos sets the gold standard of a workplace as he has created a company whose mission statement aligns with its employees. This can only reap positive benefits as workers will definitely be more intrinsically motivated thus leading to unparalleled productivity and immeasurable satisfaction. Additionally, the article highlights Hsieh’s emphasis on overall satisfaction in life as he recognizes that, “the goals of happiness aren’t mutually exclusive.” This clearly conveys Hsieh’s intention of creating a tight-night and supportive network that stretches beyond the confines of the Zappos office. Overall, an innovative reconstruction of the OB concept, organizational behavior, has been perfectly executed by Tony Hsieh, and I look forward to seeing where this unique environment takes Zappos in the future.

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In David Chernenko’s blog post, he discusses the difference between the terms, ‘group’ and ‘team.’ He reflects on how these words were present in his life, and discusses how sometimes, these terms were mere labels that did not truly encompass its true definition. In fact, David pulls from a prior experience before entering Sauder: he talks about his time working at a construction site. He points out that since there was a lack of teamwork and collaboration within the team, this negatively affected overall efficiency and productivity when completing tasks. Therefore, David clearly points out that it is not enough to call a group of people a team; all members must come together to maximize performance output by supporting each other and working together.

This is relevant to my own life as I have had the pleasure of being part of an exceptional team during my time working at Cactus Club Café. I remember that I was quite timid as I was hired at the age of 15, but in time, I came to befriend my coworkers and eventually found my place amongst my fellow employees. As I better acquainted myself with my peers, we naturally began supporting each other and we worked together more proficiently than I could have ever imagined. This came with very positive results as my manager noted that there was a definite increase in customer satisfaction and overall productivity. I felt that work had become less of a tedious task and more of a place where I can spend time with an eclectic mix of individuals while serving food to others at the same time. Consequently, I have learned that one must be willing to collaborate others in order to transform a group of people into a team, and the result of working with others is incredibly rewarding. It Is safe to say that I have made connections that have lasted several years since my time at Cactus Club, and I know that this network would not exist if we were a mere ‘group’ of people that were forced to work together.

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In Tiffany Leung’s blog post, she discusses the unique topic of the up-and-coming active-wear brand, RYU. According to Tiffany’s post, Respect Your Universe is a Vancouver-based company that has set itself apart from other competitors by fostering an unmatched sense of community in local neighbourhoods and areas. Tiffany describes RYU as a company that views itself as more than just a store, but rather, it is an organization that has a social obligation to foster interaction within the community while also supplying quality materials that reflect its core values. RYU products are all manufactured from ethical sources with the intention of seamlessly being incorporated into the Vancouverite’s everyday life.

RYU has received several accolades recognizing its unparalleled work environment as employees have exceptionally high satisfaction rates. The OB concept, organizational culture is very relevant to this company as RYU sets an exemplary ideal regarding the overall attitude that employees and customers should have towards a company. Employees have reported to feel very content from engaging in active and immersive activities that bring the RYU team closer together, while also opening the doors of the store to the rest of the community to truly capture the essence of the city. Furthermore, RYU creates a sense of equality among employees, thus removing any constraints a hierarchal organizational structure would possess. Although RYU’s current organizational structure is not without flaws, the positive workplace environment pushes employees to be more intrinsically motivated. In the long run, this is extremely beneficial as customers, employees, and the community benefit from RYU’s exceptional organizational culture.

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