Archives for December 2014

The Dynamic Asset or Liability within your Organization – Your Organizational Culture

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Organizational culture is one of the most overlooked aspects within business. It can be a value creator or destroyer to any organization. The purpose of this post is to identify what is organizational culture, how it is created, and the impact it can have on organizational value. Let's get started.

Organizational Culture: Dr. Edgar Schein out of MIT defined organizational culture as the accepted and shared norms, values, and beliefs of individuals within an organization. Through these shared experiences the genetic makeup of an organization is created. Such interactions can be created by owners, leadership, employees, and other stakeholders that may influence such factors.

Take for example, Zappos, Tony Hsieh, CEO & Founder, noted that “as we grow as a company, it has become more and more important to explicitly define our core values from which we develop our culture, our brand, and our business strategies,”.  At Zappos, the core values are engrained into the everyday way of doing things. This is created by setting the standard core values. For Zappos, those core values:

  1. Deliver WOW through service.
  2. Embrace and drive change.
  3. Create fun and a little weirdness.
  4. Be adventurous, creative, and open-minded.
  5. Pursue growth and learning.
  6. Build open and honest relationships with communication.
  7. Build a positive team and family spirit.
  8. Do more with less.
  9. Be passionate and determined.
  10. Be humble.

Think about these core values for a moment. The accepted norm is the standard at Zappos. It is how the CEO and his team work toward providing exceptional service. It is not a generic motto in which Business core valuesthey strive to be, it is how they are as an organization, team, and family. The culture impacts it's people, which then influences customers and vice-versa. Take for example, a Zappos customer called to return a pair of boots that were out of the return date policy. No problem. The Zappos rep gladly processed the return, and asked for the reason for the return. The customer replied that she had purchased the boots for her husband that had just passed away. The rep gave her condolences from everyone at Zappos, and processed her return. Right after the called ended the rep placed an order for flowers and sent them to the customer. Think about that. Let that sink in. What sadness, yet beauty and respect is illustrated within that situation. Can you see the culture being carried out without direction, just done?

Organizational culture influences essential and inessential activities that happen within organizations daily at all levels. Understanding these unique actions within organizations allows management the core values that are essential to the brand, operations, and sustainability of a firm. Can you identify your core values that shape your organizational culture? Can your employees? What about your customers? Are they the same? Are those core values used daily?

Understanding where there are differences and similarities of organizational culture provide management with the essential information that can be used to shape day to day and strategic initiatives.

How Culture is Created:  Zappos illustrates that culture is created by founder(s), leadership, and employees. This is done through the establishment of accepted values and norms that tie directly to the mission, objectives, and way of doing things within an organization. This can be created through verbal and nonverbal approaches, seen through organizational structure and design, policies and procedures, trainings, and performance.  Dr. Edgar Schein,  proposed a three-level approach to understanding culture: observation of organizational artifacts, values, and organizational assumptions.

Organizational artifacts make up several different aspects within organizations: organizational layout, color, smells, designs, dress code, interaction, communication, procedures, projects, attitudes and accepted behaviors. The experiences shared between members of the organizations can be linked to the actual organizational artifacts. Again, the physical attributes of Zappos is even exhibited through the office layouts, conference rooms, libraries, and decor. Dr. Schein stated  “we can see and feel that one company is much more formal and bureaucratic than another, but that does not tell us anything about why this is so or what meaning it has to the members,” . This is why identifying and understanding the organizational values that have been shaped by organizational culture is paramount.You can see, feel, and experience the core values in every aspect at Zappos. That being said, what are your thoughts on your organizational culture? Have you formally measured it? Have you created systems, artifacts, and structure that heightens your organizational culture to elevate your brand?

For more information about conducting organizational culture audits and shaping strategy to fit the DNA of your firm certainly feel free to reach out to me. Organizational culture is one of my favorite aspects of business and crafting strategy.

 

Have the best day ever!

 

Copyright Viral Solutions llc © 2014. All Rights Reserved

by Katie Doseck, Ph.D.

Chief Visionary and Strategic Ace Up Your Sleeve | Viral Solutions LLC

Dr Katie Doseck, MBA, PhD Viral Solutions

Katie Doseck, PhD MBA | Chief Visionary & Strategic Ace Up Your Sleeve. I catapulted my experience with extensive education, trainings, and personal coaching; earning a PhD in Organizational Management with a specialization in Human Resource Management, MBA in Organizational Leadership, and BA in Law & Liberal Arts. Subject Matter Expert (SME) areas: Human Resource Management, Employment Law, Organizational Change, Change Management, Resource Planning, Strategic Planning, Talent Management, Selling & Sales Management, Training & Development, Decision Making Models, Project Management, Customer Relationship Management, and Motivation. Dr. Doseck is based out of Logan, Utah.

 

 

Great Reads: 

Edwards, J. (2012). Check out the insane lengths Zappos customer service reps will go to.  Business Insider. Retrieved: http://www.businessinsider.com/zappos-customer-service-crm-2012-1.

N.A. (2014). Zappos Family Core Values. Zappos. Retrieved:http://about.zappos.com/our-unique-culture/zappos-core-values.

 

Filed Under: Analytics Tagged With: ,

Marketing Tips for the Holiday Season

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With the holiday season in full force, many businesses are making a last push to get customers out and spending money before Christmas and the New Year. So what are some ways that you can adjust your marketing this December to get the most out of the holiday season?

Here are some helpful marketing tips you can implement this year:

Looking for some last-minute ways to boost your marketing efforts this holiday season? Get more tips from us at Viral Solutions today!

by Christine Kelly

CEO and Queen Bee | Viral Solutions LLC

Prior to joining Viral Solutions, Christine held executive leadership roles at some of the largest small business consulting firms in the USA. Her experience includes leading direct reports of over 130 remote sales agents who generated $38mm in annual revenue. She obtained her Marketing degree from British Columbia Institute of Technology. Bring her C-Suite experience to your small business. Although our company is virtual, and we can work with you wherever you are located, she is located in Denver, Colorado and owns a second home in Vancouver, BC Canada.

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Finding Success When You Have Big-Time Competition

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It’s a common and unavoidable challenge for most new entrepreneurs: how do I set my business up for success if I’m not holding down the top spot in my niche? It can be extremely challenging to make headway when it seems like there are already people entrenched in that “top tier,” but it is still possible.

You can get as complicated as you want with customer psychology, but in the end, people buy products for three different reasons:

  1. A truly compelling need
  2. Perceived benefits
  3. High perceived value

A compelling need is something that keeps the average customer up at night. In most cases, it’s some form of problem that they need solved. Your product or service should aim to address a compelling need in a Finding Success When You Have Big-Time Competitiontimely and cost-effective manner. Perceived benefits are the ways in which a product benefits the consumer. High perceived value is a combination of the first two factors, as a product that has specific perceived benefits that address a compelling need are of great use to people making purchase decisions.

The fact is, when you first get started off in your business, you’re not going to instantly occupy the top spot in your niche. It’s an unrealistic goal. Instead, you should set your sights on being as good as possible in all three of these areas. Have a clearly defined need that you are addressing for your target customers, and be explicit about the benefits of your product (and make sure that it delivers on those advertised benefits!). By being excellent in those first two factors, you will increase the perceived value that your product has, allowing you to better compete with companies in the “top tier” of your niche.

Obviously, it’s quite as simple as all that, but you’d be surprised at just how much a focus on product and service quality will help your company gain headway in its early phases.

Talk to us today at Viral Solutions for more tips about how you can better set your company up for early success. We’ll be happy to work with you and help you to achieve our goals.

by Christine Kelly

CEO and Queen Bee | Viral Solutions LLC

Prior to joining Viral Solutions, Christine held executive leadership roles at some of the largest small business consulting firms in the USA. Her experience includes leading direct reports of over 130 remote sales agents who generated $38mm in annual revenue. She obtained her Marketing degree from British Columbia Institute of Technology. Bring her C-Suite experience to your small business. Although our company is virtual, and we can work with you wherever you are located, she is located in Denver, Colorado and owns a second home in Vancouver, BC Canada.

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Bird’s Eye View of Dr. John Kotter’s 8 Step Process for Leading Change

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As we near into the New Year season, many of us get the itch to do more, be more, and somehow, someway make a change for the better in our lives. The same also rings true for management within organizations. Perhaps we’re blinded by the beauty of snow covered mountains, energized by carolers, or simply tired of the present situation, that we are feeling that re-committed to do better bug in our Spirit.

Whatever the case, the purpose of this post is to provide you with a bird’s eye view of Harvard Business School Change Management rock-star, Dr. John Kotter’s 8 Step Process for Leading Change.

  1. Create a sense of urgency. For the most part, people really don’t like change, especially bigger types of change. This is because of the uncertainty aspects that are associated with change, being something out of the norm, and perhaps, in some situations, see the proposed change as a threat to the current situation. As a result, resistors of change may appear. To avoid or minimize the impact of resistors, it is encouraged to establish a sense of urgency toward the proposed change without bashing the current system. In fact, respecting the current system, and how the system will benefit more from the proposed changes will create more positive attitudes toward the proposed change.
  2. Build a guiding coalition. That being said, you’re going to need to have backers of your proposed change. Here you’re going to want to identify key stakeholders to implementing a vision of Concept of Business Solution Present By Future and Past Stairway With The Businessman Step Up to Top of The Arrow in Black and White Backgroundchange. Their ability to communicate that vision for change will help to distribute information, initiatives, and serve as recon to identify issues that you may also have to overcome. The idea is that through this coalition, the people involved with building value of the change are close with the change agents, i.e. the people that will need to buy-in and carry out the change initiatives.
  3. Form strategic vision and initiatives. The information gained, shared, and evaluated through purposeful planning and your guiding coalition will aid you in forming a more cohesive strategic vision and initiatives of proposed changes. Nothing annoys people more than proposing change,  not having a plan of getting from point A to Z, and not backing up why that is one of the best options given the situation. This is because as mentioned in Step 1, people typical dislike change and any avoidable opportunities to undermine change initiatives, such as lack of understanding the initiatives, alternatives, and reasoning behind the change will decrease buy-in of your strategic vision. So, here, the careful planning, understanding, and communication have got to come together to build the clearest picture of what, why, how, when, and by whom aspects of change. Furthermore, it should be communicated in a manner that fits the organizational culture. Don’t go out of the norm of communication. Be respectful of the process of communicating the vision and initiatives.
  4. Enlist a volunteer army. Similar to your guide coalition concept mentioned in Step 2, here you need people that firmly believe in your strategic vision and initiatives. Ideally, people that get along with the change agents that will be carrying out the initiatives. This is because they are people in positions of respect to those change agents. Hearing change initiatives from management is one thing, but confirming those initiatives by peers whom you trust is another. That being said, the best army is one that believes in the purpose, motivation, and direction of the change initiatives and are not parrots of initiatives, but firm believers in it.
  5. Enable actions by removing barriers. As discussed in Steps 2 and 4, your guided coalition and volunteer army can provide you with essential information about the attitudes, beliefs, and so on about the proposed changes that change agents feel. This is because change agents respect and trust these people. The information gathered through these mediums are priceless when it comes to creating and maintaining buy-in of change initiatives. Don’t ignore barriers, identify them, and create a strategy that recognizes and works to overcome those barriers in the greatest value creation manner. Doing so illustrates your commitment to knowing the ins and outs of your change initiatives and shows your team that you’re committed to the change initiatives, them, and the organization.
  6. Generate short-term wins. Praise and reward those that are rocking out the initiatives. Often times, management can become complacent with change initiatives and just expect change agents to do it and that is all. Ok, yes that is an option, but is it the best option? This is where short-time wins should be celebrated. Every organization different, so the method of celebrating short-term wins may vary, but the key is to not forget about the people carrying out the initiatives, to thank them, and to show them that they are making a difference. This will help to move forward with change initiatives, and will establish a rapport for future initiatives.
  7. Sustain acceleration.  People get tired. You get tired. This is also the case with sustaining the momentum of initiatives. Focus on strategies that fit with your firm to help motivate change agents with their initiatives. get feedback along the way, and build an environment that is open to lessons learned from initiatives. Doing so will help to move forward with what needs done and creates a culture that not only accepts change, but works to making lasting change.
  8. Institute change.  Lasting change doesn’t happen overnight. Steps 1 – 7 aid management to lead change initiatives. Here, the last step, is about creating an organizational culture that embraces change. This means creating accepted values, norms, and beliefs towards change, change initiatives, communication, carrying out initiatives, rewards, recognition, and overall best practices to support management, change agents, and others within the organization to not only help with the current initiative, but also future ones.

To discuss this framework, and/or other change management best practices in more detail, certainly feel free to reach out to me.

 

Have the best day ever!

 

Copyright Viral Solutions llc © 2014. All Rights Reserved

by Katie Doseck, Ph.D.

Chief Visionary and Strategic Ace Up Your Sleeve | Viral Solutions LLC

Dr Katie Doseck, MBA, PhD Viral Solutions

Katie Doseck, PhD MBA | Chief Visionary & Strategic Ace Up Your Sleeve. I catapulted my experience with extensive education, trainings, and personal coaching; earning a PhD in Organizational Management with a specialization in Human Resource Management, MBA in Organizational Leadership, and BA in Law & Liberal Arts. Subject Matter Expert (SME) areas: Human Resource Management, Employment Law, Organizational Change, Change Management, Resource Planning, Strategic Planning, Talent Management, Selling & Sales Management, Training & Development, Decision Making Models, Project Management, Customer Relationship Management, and Motivation. Dr. Doseck is based out of Logan, Utah.

 

Filed Under: Analytics Tagged With: ,

Why Should You Use LinkedIn as an Entrepreneur?

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As you are attempting to build your business and your own network within your industry, LinkedIn can be an extremely effective tool. And yet, there are still so many serious entrepreneurs who either avoid using the network altogether or simply don’t understand how it works, and thus don’t benefit from what it has to offer.

Of course, you should not consider LinkedIn as a shortcut to growing your reputation. Instead, you should view it as an opportunity to broaden your own personal networking and marketing horizons. By staying persistent, it can provide you with the opportunity to build a positive reputation among peers in your industry.

Here are some of the biggest reasons that you should be using LinkedIn regularly as an entrepreneur:

If you use LinkedIn in the right way, you’ll come away with a lot of great ideas to improve your business and build your organizational network. Contact us today at Viral Solutions for tips on how you can increase your brand’s reach on LinkedIn.

Copyright 2014 Viral Solutions LLC

infusionsoft certified consultant

Thomas von Ahn | Chief Elephant Slayer | Viral Solutions LLC
thomas von ahn viral solutions

Watch out elephants! This slayer of business challenges comes with 30 years of record breaking sales, marketing, operations, training and leadership experience . He has worked face-to-face with 100’s of small business owners as well as large firms. His love of creating, communicating, developing and executing results for clients shines with each project, publication and training event. His entrepreneurial spirit, passion, industry experience, education, problem-solving prowess, charismatic personality and been-there-done that attitude leads his client focused approach.

 

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