A decentralized organization offers workers greater freedom, empowerment, and the ability to be innovative. This creates a much more satisfying environment to work in. However, Walmart is, in a way, the complete opposite. It is a centralized organization that enforces strict rules that doesn’t make any allowances.
The employees at Walmart are all required to follow the company’s policies, called the Ten Rules of Sam Walton. Although the last of the ten rules is “swim upstream, be different, and challenge the status quo”, Walmart managers do not allow anybody to stray from their expectations. Managers keep watch of each worker, and penalize them if there is even the slightest mistake. The managers are like this because their higher-ups keep an eye on them as well, and there are strict evaluation of each member of Walmart.
Every employee must greet and help any customer within 10 steps from them. Every employee must smile and treat the customer like family. Every employee must do everything to make the customer happy. The customer is everything, and is always right. There is absolutely no satisfaction in the workplace. In the end, every employee becomes an identical robot under this extremely centralized organization.
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