Organisational Theory and Practice: A Case Study Analysis of Apple Inc.

This report provides a critical understanding of organisational culture and structure of Apple Inc. and their effectiveness and impact on success of an establishment. It covers an understanding of how these organisational theories can motivate the employees for enhancing their productivity and performance.

Organisational Theory
and Practice
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Contents
Contents...........................................................................................................................................2
INTRODUCTION .........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3
Organisational structure ..............................................................................................................3
Organisational culture .................................................................................................................3
Recommendations for making improvements in company.........................................................6
CONCLUSION ...............................................................................................................................6
REFERENCES ...............................................................................................................................7
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INTRODUCTION
Organisational theory is termed as a perfect blend of varied concepts which are closely
connected to each other and aid in understanding the behaviour of people in an organisation
(Bourne, Melnyk and Bititci, 2018). It is also concerned with interaction of employees among
each other for attaining organisational objectives in a strategic manner. These theories are
considered as beneficial for establishments as it provides a proper structure for performing varied
activities in order to enhance productivity as well as performance. These are studied and used for
organisations as they critically analyse the circumstances of working of employees. In order to
gain better understanding of varied concepts in regards with organisational theory, Apple Inc. is
taken into consideration. Apple Inc. is an American based multinational technology company
which deals in developing software as well as electronics appliances. It was established in 1976
and has its headquarters at California, United States.
This project report demonstrates a critical understanding of organisational culture and
structure. It also demonstrates knowledge of their effectiveness and impact on success of an
establishment. It covers an understanding of how these organisational theories can motivate the
employees for enhancing their productivity and performance.
MAIN BODY
Organisational structure
An organisational structure can be explained as system which consists of details
regarding how specified activities are delegated among employees in order to attain
organisational objectives in a strategic manner (Burke, Genn-Bash and Haines, 2018). This
organisational structure aids in understanding the flow of information among differential
employees between different levels within an organisation. It is considered as beneficial as it
provide guidance to personnel through building official reporting relationships which govern the
workflow of an establishment. It is imperative for organisations to determine corporate structure
as their size and nature of businesses. Top management of Apple Inc. follow functional structure
whereby it is organised in relation to expertise instead of individual products. Under the
leadership of Tim Cook, vice presidents have given more autonomy which led them to take
critical decisions in a strategic manner. Apple has split itself into focused divisions whereby each
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department work under their specified vice presidents such as for operations, hardware
engineering and machine learning.
Impact of organisational structure on ways about how company is managing their operations
Organisational structure of Apple is considered as effective for managing its varied
operations in an effective manner. Through adopting expertise-focused hierarchy, managers of
Apple enjoys strong corporate control among their employees. Bifurcation of divisions and
having separate divisions led managers to have great autonomy. This practice aid Apple Inc. to
bring innovative products and become world's leading organisation. Through this organisational
structure, employees are given the roles and responsibilities that best suited their skills as well as
competencies. This exercise has assist them in integrating their products while providing an
excellent user experience in an effective manner (Carey, 2017). This has impacted business
operations and effectiveness of managers of Apple to bring innovative practices in a strategic
manner. Under the guidance of Tim Cook, a more collaborative approach is promoted among
employees as well as managers in an effective manner. This approach has ensures to lessen the
competition regarding resources among differential product division heads in an effective
manner. Managers of Apple are not only committed to follow functional structure in their
operations in a static manner. Top management of Apple largely depends on functional expertise
as they have a belief that decision-making power should be left with those who is experienced
and have certain expertise in the particular domain.
Impact of organisational structure on employee motivation for attaining objectives
Organisational structure plays a significant role in providing motivation to their
employees for attaining objectives in a strategic manner (Dupont, Whelan and Manning, 2020).
If an organisation has adopted poor organisational structure that can lead to lowering the
productivity as well as delegation of duties in a strategic manner. At the contradictory to this,
effective organisational structure aid in attaining aims as well as objectives which lead
employees to perform their tasks in an efficient manner. Through this roles and responsibilities
are bifurcated among employees in a strategic manner which led managers to coordinate as well
as control their activities in a strategic manner. Functional organisational structure which has
been adopted by Apple aid them in motivating their employees in an effective manner which led
them to bring innovative practices.
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As through functional organisational structure, information is followed among in a
hierarchal manner which lead managers to make proper interactions with their employees. It also
help in assigning right jobs to right employees which can enhance their performance as well as
lead them to bring innovative practices (Elsmore, 2017). As per organisational structure of Apple
Inc., team collaboration and cohesiveness is also promoted in an significant manner which lead
them to motivate their employees. Tasks and duties are assigned effectively which aid managers
of Apple in proper completion as well as motivating their employees in a strategic manner.
Through proper bifurcation of roles and responsibilities, employees gets motivated as well as felt
satisfied in performing their duties in an effective manner.
Organisational culture
Organisational culture can be understood as a collection of the beliefs, principles and
procedures of interaction which is essentially used for building an effective environment
(Franceschini, Galetto and Maisano, 2018). It especially encompasses of foundational values in
relation with an organisation. In a nutshell, organisational culture is concerned with spoken as
well as unspoken behaviours in addition with mindsets which defines how an establishment
smoothly run their functions in a strategic manner. This can create an environment in an
establishment which focuses on formulating long-term plans in order to move towards
organisational vision. It is important to develop an effective organisational culture whereby
employees felt more motivated and valued which in turn led them to secure success. It is
imperative for managers to follow an effective organisational structure which also led them to
retain as well as satisfied workforce.
Organisational culture of Apple is considered as a significant factor for their success on a
global scale. Top management of Apple follows a corporate culture which enables their
personnel to attain varied strategic objectives. Through their corporate culture they promote
innovative practices which led them to secure a competitive edge in a strategic manner. They
essentially focuses on maintenance of high level of innovation which comprises of a mind-set
that challenge varied conventions and standards (Hargie, 2021). Their business essentially
depends on cultural support as well as coherence which are considered as necessary for securing
competitive edge and accelerating their growth in relation to rapidly developing technology
industry. Top management of Apple are building their organisational culture by hiring talented
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and best workforce. They also praise and appreciate their talented workforce which led them to
gain excellent results and growth avenues.
These practices led Apple to bring innovations in their product design and development
procedures in a continual manner. Organisational culture of Apple also oversee to maintain
diverse needs as well as expectations of their customers in a strategic manner. Organisational
culture of Apple also supports secrecy which is considered as significant for minimising the theft
of their intellectual property. Through this, personnel are expected to keep confidential
information of company effectively. This type of cultural practices at workplace aid them in
protecting their business in regards with any corporate espionage as well as employee poaching.
Under the leadership of Steve Jobs, combative approach is followed in regards with
leadership whereby employees are challenged on a random basis which aid them to show their
problem solving and other related competencies. However, under Tim Cook leadership style is
changed towards to more sociable approach. In order to bring innovative practices in a constant
basis, managers of Apple are working in an organisational culture which supports inclusion and
diversity of their workforce in a significant manner. They are also giving an equal chance to
women to grow by having an increase of 89% of female employees on a global level (Apple Inc.,
2021). They are working on enhancing leadership skills of their employees in order to develop
them as a leader. They are committed to hire an increased number of personnel from under
represented communities which led to make a perfect blend of people coming from diverse
backgrounds and identities in order to ensure innovative practices. In order to enhance their
organisational culture more, managers of Apple are tend to develop new career development as
well as talent planning programmes for developing their future leaders in a significant manner.
Top management of Apple have adopted an organisational culture which builds personal
technology by considering vast human experiences. They follow sustainability in their operations
which leads them to develop more inclusive operations in an effective manner. They have also
adopted diversity in relation to build up their culture strategic on a global scale. They have also
hired a massive number of female employees in order to empower them in an effective manner.
They believe that inclusive workforce as well as dynamic workforce can be built on a clear
vision and accountability. They also provides professional training to their employees in order to
enhance and support their information technology (Harper, 2018). As demand for skill support as
well as technical staff within an organisations is expanding in a significant manner led to grow
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occupations in this sector. In order to keep their employees motivated and making a pace with
increasingly updating information technology, managers of Apple provides professional training
to them which aid in enhancing their productivity in an effective manner.
For having an in-depth understanding regarding organisational culture of Apple Inc.,
Handy cultural model is taken into consideration. Handy’s cultural model majorly focuses on
varied tasks and projects in an organisation whereby individuals can share their knowledge while
collaborating with other employees (Johnston, 2020). Varied types of cultural aspects of
Handy’s culture model in context to Apple Inc. are mentioned below:
Role culture- This type of culture can majorly be founded in formalised organisations
whereby employees are expected to strictly follow varied rules, obligations and procedures while
working in an organisation (Karpen, Gemser and Calabretta, 2017). Here, employees are
delegated their roles as well as responsibilities as per their qualifications and expertise. In this
type of culture, employees are aware of their role and are willing to accept changes in a strategic
manner. Managers of Apple follow this type of organisational culture by bifurcating the roles
and responsibilities to their employees which led to bring innovations on a constant basis.
Power culture- Under this type, power gets remained in the hands of few people who are
authorised to take decisions. These decision-makers bifurcates the tasks among their
subordinates whereby they are not asked about their suggestions. The just have to follow the
rules of their superiors without asking any question from them. This type of cultural practices are
not followed in Apple as it can greatly hamper innovation capabilities as well as productivity of
employees.
Task culture- These type of culture is majorly followed in those organisations whereby
varied teams are formed for achieving organisational objectives or solving critical problems in an
effective manner. Under this type of culture, teams are created on the basis of their specialisation
and expertise in a strategic manner. Managers of Apple follow this culture in order to develop
expert teams which help them to gain competitive advantage in all related aspects of bringing
innovation.
Person culture- Under this type of culture, employees felt that they are significant
persons in organisation. They are more concerned about achieving their own personal interests
rather than accomplishing organisational objectives. This type of culture is not practised at Apple
as they hire those individuals who are committed to work for them in a sincere manner.
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Influence of corporate culture on the ways of managing company
Organisational culture plays a significant role and impact on the ways in which an
organisation manages their operations in an effective manner (Martínez-Caro, Cegarra-Navarro
and Alfonso-Ruiz, 2020). It is imperative for organisations to build an effective corporate culture
as it aid in maintaining the flow of information through efficient communication channels.
Through this, decisions and practices can be adopted by employees which are formulated by
policy makers or officials related to top management.
In context to Apple Inc., they follow an organisational culture which supports innovation
and diversity at workplace. Their corporate culture essentially facilitates rapid innovative
practices which led them to secure a competitive edge in industry. Their practices related to rapid
innovation enhance their innovative practices as well as led them to target large number of
customers. At Apple Inc., a unique organisational culture is followed which led them to maintain
a positive relationship among human resources as well as creative innovative practices.
Employees at Apple Inc. are inspired to think out of their box in order to bring innovative
ideas for becoming a leader in rapidly moving innovative environment. Under the leadership of
Steve Jobs, internal competition is promoted among employees. However, under the leadership
of Tim Cook team collaboration and cohesiveness are greatly enhanced which led to reduce toxic
work environment from workplace. Their organisational culture impact employees mindset to
embrace changes as when required as well as bring innovative ideas (Salt, 2018). Their practices
in relations with team work led them to enhance their productivity as well as securing
competitive edge in a strategic manner.
Influence of organisational culture on employee motivation which aid them in accomplishing
corporate objectives
Organisational culture is considered as important for motivating the employees and also
help them in attaining organisational objectives (Topa and Karyda, 2019). It has been assessed
that positive work culture essentially aids in enhancing productivity, employee engagement and
improvise their experience in an effective manner. It is imperative for organisations to develop
an organisational culture which supports and acknowledge efforts of employees in a strategic
manner in order to enhance their motivation. In relevance with Apple Inc., managers listen to
feedbacks given by employees in order to take timely actions while meeting the needs of varied
teams in a strategic manner. Managers at Apple are offered expert-led courses for supporting
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their education regarding dealing with topics related to race and justice which led them to keep
motivated at workplace. Top management of Apple Inc. are essentially committed to develop
internal inclusion, racial equality and product innovations. They follow a corporate culture which
essentially follows diversity by hiring candidates having diverse backgrounds and cultural
practices.
Managers of Apple has achieved as well as maintained gender pay for their employees on
a global scale. They do not ask for past salaries of their employees at the time of recruitment.
They also enhance compensation of their employees on a timely manner which led them to
motivate their employees in an effective manner (Waddell and Et. Al., 2019). These practices
help managers of Apple to motivate their employees as well as enhance their productivity in an
effective manner.
Recommendations for making improvements in company
Organisational structure
It has been recommended to managers of Apple to make their organisational structure a
static one which can be changed with rapid innovative practices in regards artificial intelligence
and other related aspects in a strategic manner. Main purpose of Apple is to develop and enrich
their products for enhancing the lives of the people in a strategic manner. This practice can be
fulfilled through making their functional structure an effective one which leads them to bring
innovations in a constant manner (Wagire and Et. Al., 2021). It is imperative for managers of
Apple to adopt practices which led to enhance team cohesiveness as well as cooperation which
led them to increase productivity of their employees.
Organisational culture
Organisational culture at Apple is apt for people who are creative and have varied ideas
for bring successful innovations. It is recommended to managers of Apple to minimize the
atmosphere of secrecy as this can adversely impact on rapport among employees in a significant
manner. It is also advisable to reduce some sort of combativeness which can aid them in
retaining their employees for a longer period of time. As this combativeness can led to reduce
morale of employees in case of their failure. They can also integrate new cultural traits for
enhancing their business operations in a significant manner.
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CONCLUSION
From the above mentioned information, it has been assessed that organisational culture is
concerned with underlying beliefs, values and guidelines which governs the behaviour of
employees while working in an organisation. Organisational structure is considered as important
as it led to development of proper flow of information through effective communication channels
in order to bifurcate the roles and responsibilities among employees in a strategic manner. These
two plays an important role in impacting the ways through which an organisation run their
operations as well as in motivating employees for attaining objectives. Handy's cultural model is
considered as helpful as it described varied type of cultures and their characteristics that are to be
followed at workplace in a strategic manner. Varied types of culture that are described in this
model are task, power, role and person which aid in gaining insights regarding organisational
culture in an effective manner. It is imperative for organisations to adopt practices which led
them to build their organisational culture effective as it aid in managing varied operations of an
establishment in an effective manner. Organisational culture is considered as beneficial for
organisations as it outlines varied responsibilities of employees which led them to increase their
productivity level.
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REFERENCES
Books & Journals:
Bourne, M., Melnyk, S. and Bititci, U. S., 2018. Performance measurement and management:
theory and practice. International journal of operations & production management.
Burke, T., Genn-Bash, A. and Haines, B., 2018. Competition in Theory and Practice: Revised
and updated. Routledge.
Carey, M., 2017. Qualitative research skills for social work: Theory and practice. Routledge.
Dupont, B., Whelan, C. and Manning, P.K. eds., 2020. Policing Across Organisational
Boundaries: Developments in Theory and Practice. Routledge.
Elsmore, P., 2017. Organisational Culture: Organisational Change?: Organisational Change?.
Routledge.
Franceschini, F., Galetto, M. and Maisano, D., 2018. Designing performance measurement
systems: theory and practice of key performance indicators. Springer.
Hargie, O., 2021. Skilled interpersonal communication: Research, theory and practice.
Routledge.
Harper, H., 2018. Management in Further Education: theory and practice. Routledge.
Johnston, J. ed., 2020. Public relations: Theory and practice. Routledge.
Karpen, I.O., Gemser, G. and Calabretta, G., 2017. A multilevel consideration of service design
conditions: Towards a portfolio of organisational capabilities, interactive practices and
individual abilities. Journal of Service Theory and Practice.
Martínez-Caro, E., Cegarra-Navarro, J. G. and Alfonso-Ruiz, F. J., 2020. Digital technologies
and firm performance: The role of digital organisational culture. Technological
Forecasting and Social Change. 154. p.119962.
Salt, J., 2018. Organisational labour migration: theory and practice in the United Kingdom.
In Labour migration (pp. 53-69). Routledge.
Topa, I. and Karyda, M., 2019. From theory to practice: guidelines for enhancing information
security management. Information & Computer Security.
Waddell, D. and Et. Al., 2019. Organisational change: Development and transformation.
Cengage AU.
Wagire, A.A. and Et. Al., 2021. Development of maturity model for assessing the
implementation of Industry 4.0: learning from theory and practice. Production Planning
& Control. 32(8). pp.603-622.
Online:
Apple Inc., 2021. [Online]. Available through: < https://www.apple.com/diversity/>
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