Zappos: Leadership, Organizational Culture, and Competitive Advantage

Business Marketing 1
Business Marketing
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Business marketing 2
Question 1.
Zappos, a renown online shoe retailer, holds various characteristics that challenge most
corporate environments in terms of leadership and management. To begin with, we have open
communication. Tony Hsieh, the CEO, understands the essentialness of transparency since it
plays a crucial role in performance (Goldstein, 2017). Open communication has helped the
company reengage the teams focus as well as revamp productivity since there are no
communication barriers between the management and employees.
Secondly, we have continual learning and improvement. As a leader, Tony Hsieh
encourages employees to improve themselves further. This has promoted innovation and growth
in Zappos. Lastly, we have embracing change. Originally, Zappos mainly dealt with shoes as a
primary source of revenue, but with time, they had to modify their brand identity by introducing
clothing so as to survive (Goldstein, 2017). By adapting to market demands, Zappos has
remained profitable and a competitive brand.
Question 2.
Zappos has built its organizational culture around its ten core values. This has placed
Zappos among the best places to work. Besides, by clearly defining the organizational culture in
the company, every employee understands the vision of the company. Employees are also able to
incorporate the organizational culture in their daily work activities hence having the right
motivation and skill set (Lessons from Zappos, 2019). Therefore, aligning organizational culture
to business objectives allows Zappos to be successful hence driving great results.