When considering Apple Inc. from the perspective of the distribution of power in the corporation, one can highlight the relevant features inherent in the company. From the standpoint of power as a property of the individual, which Huczynski and Buchanan (2013) describe as a personal set of accumulated sources, the organization in question offers ample opportunities to generate such sources. As Tilley and Ma (2019) argue, Apple has a clear organizational structure in which roles are assigned in accordance with specific powers and responsibilities. The ability to adapt to team activities, be flexible in aspects of management, and other qualities characterize Apple leaders as those aimed at maintaining a dynamic work environment. Some employees have individual authority and responsibility for specific areas of the workflow (Tilley & Ma, 2019). However, in the context of extensive control obligations, personal strength sources are manifested openly, for instance, energy and endurance, which, in many ways, makes the company successful.
From the standpoint of power as a property of relationship in Apple, one can pay attention to the history of the corporation and its path of market growth. Huczynski and Buchanan (2013) mention different bases of power, including reward, coercive, legitimate, referent, and expert types. With regard to Apple, referent power is one of its obvious features. This type is associated with charismatic leadership, and according to Kim (2020), the company’s founder, Steve Jobs, clearly reflected this style. The ideas he laid down as the core of the company’s development, particularly the movement towards innovation and the constant strengthening of staff motivation, became the basis of Apple’s development strategy (Kim, 2020). As a result, the corporation has largely managed to gain recognition due to referent power as a development strategy based on the leader’s strong personality.
Apple’s Organizational Culture: Roles of Technology and Globalization
The growth of the technological base has become one of the decisive factors in shaping not only the development strategy of Apple Inc. but also the company’s organizational culture. Pathiranage (2019) emphasizes an innovative approach to business as one of Apple’s features. The constant updating of the technological base and product lines has led to the fact that Apple, being one of the largest participants in the IT market, has built the principle of open communication and engagement among employees. The staff perceives participation in change projects as a natural movement towards growth, and each employee realizes one’s role in the context of the set production objectives. In the corporation in question, as in many others, different levels of authority are promoted, which is consistent with the idea of ​​Huczynski and Buchanan (2013) about the distribution of responsibilities in organizational structures. At the same time, according to Pathiranage (2019), Apple is a good example showing “how the founder’s personal culture and assumptions profoundly influence the organizational culture” (p. 265). Thus, the desire for innovation through technology optimization is an essential factor in determining the company’s organizational culture.
From the perspective of the impact of globalization on Apple’s organizational culture, the brand’s products distributed globally have influenced the company’s ideology. In its development strategy, the corporation promotes the idea of ​​a customer-oriented policy, which is reflected in internal work, for instance, stimulating the staff’s high productivity (“The globalization and ideology of Apple Inc.,” n.d.). Total quality management is aimed at enhancing work efficiency and largely determines the responsibility of employees for the tasks performed (“The globalization and ideology of Apple Inc.,” n.d.). Therefore, globalization, achieved through the creation of high brand value, largely determines the nature of Apple’s organizational culture.
References
The globalization and ideology of Apple Inc. (n.d.). Temple Media Institutions. Web.
Huczynski, A. A., & Buchanan, D. A. (2013). Organizational behavior (8th ed.). Pearson.
Kim, H. (2020). Comparison of strategic leadership: Steve Jobs and Tim Cook.Business and Management Studies, 6(3), 17-25. Web.
Pathiranage, J. (2019). Organizational culture and business performance: An empirical study. International Journal of Economics and Management, 24(2), 264-278. Web.
Tilley, A., & Ma, W. (2019). The people with power at Apple.The Information. Web.