Organizational Strategy, Culture, and Pay: A Case Study Analysis

This assignment presents a case study analysis focusing on organizational strategy, culture, and compensation. It includes elevator pitches on managing strategies and shaping organizational culture, along with case discussions on Parivar's paternalistic culture and Renate Schmidt's dilemma regarding an expatriate's compensation. The analysis identifies conflicting values within the organizations, provides advice to key members, and highlights crucial management competencies needed in a VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous) world, such as conflict management, self-awareness, cross-cultural knowledge, and decision-making ability. The assignment uses references to support its analysis and recommendations.

Running head: ACTIVITIES
ACTIVITIES
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1ACTIVITIES
Table of Contents
Part A: Elevator Pitches...................................................................................................................2
Elevator Pitch for Topic 7 (Managing Strategies).......................................................................2
Elevator Pitch for Topic 8 (Shaping Organizational Culture).....................................................2
Part B: Case discussion Activity......................................................................................................3
Case discussion activity for Topic 8 (Shaping Organizational Culture).....................................3
Case discussion Activity for Topic 9 (In a world of pay)............................................................6
References........................................................................................................................................9

2ACTIVITIES
Part A: Elevator Pitches
Elevator Pitch for Topic 7 (Managing Strategies)
Question: What is your ‘killer idea’ to counter the drift from bricks-and-mortar retail to online?
My response. Posted on (Date)
As observed from the study, the e-commerce industry has taken over the business of the
retail organizations and with respect to this the retail is in a state of decline. Hence, in case the
business has to be restored, it is suggested that it needs to integrate the wellness of the e-
commerce as well as the retail stores. Taking up the e-commerce domain can be taken to be as a
good plan where using a competitive strategy, any business organization will be able to ensure
success in the long run. The electric retail store needs to make the best of both the worlds
whereby a strategy of competitive pricing at the e-commerce domain along with the
establishment of various components of augmented reality at the stores like kiosks, 4K envision
and others which will then lure the different customers to the stores along with ensuring higher
revenues along with the revenue earned from the online domain.
Elevator Pitch for Topic 8 (Shaping Organizational Culture)
Question: What would you say to Sam? You’d also like to recommend a few pieces of reading
for Sam to consider
My response. Posted on (Date)
After listening to Sam`s dilemma I would like to inform him that although it is true that
the culture of an organization tends to have a strong impact on the performance of the various

3ACTIVITIES
employees, it is important for Sam to note that he cannot solely blame the organizational culture
for the poor performance of his team and in order to ensure long term goal achievement, Sam
would be required to establish an innovative culture in his team. The establishment of the
innovative culture would assist Sam to engage effectively with the employees so as to ensure that
the group`s performance level increases and that there exists a good level of creativity in the
organization. This will also be possible when the employees will be appreciated for their
engagement and hence, Sam needs to involve the employees in the planning procedure to ensure
innovation and success.
The different readings as suggested for Sam are as follows:
 Waddell, D., Creed, A., Cummings, C., & Worley, C. (2016). Managing resistance and
organizational culture. Organizational change: Development and transformation (pp. 98-
116). Retrieved from https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au
 https://hbr.org/topic/organizational-culture
 https://www.fuseworkforce.com/blog/5-articles-on-corporate-culture-you-need-to-read-
today
Part B: Case discussion Activity
Case discussion activity for Topic 8 (Shaping Organizational Culture)
Case name: Can a strong culture be too strong?
My responses to the question (What management problems do you believe confront the
protagonists at Parivar?)
Posted on (date)

4ACTIVITIES
The given case is based on Parivar which is a Chennai based IT company with a
paternal culture which believes in treating the different employees in a manner such that they are
made to feel a part of the family (Craig, 2017). However, this kind of culture as exhibited by
Parivar is often not considered to be appropriate in nature and has resulted in the downfall of the
general workforce. The different problems as being faced by the organization are given:
 The love culture: The love culture of the organization whereby the different employees
are treated like children can be considered to be quite opposite to what actually should
exist in the IT sector.
 Pay: The pay of the company is also quite low as compared to the other companies as
present in the same domain (Garvin, Natarjan & Dowling, 2014).
 Mentor: The mentor program which is present in the organization can also be stated to be
quite claustrophobic in nature.
Case study Activity Questions
Answer to Question 1: The conflicting values
The different conflicting values as present in the case are as follows:
The costs involved: For the people program and other related initiatives which are
required to be taken by the organization, there are a large number of costs associated and hence,
these costs are often a burden to Parivar which is the reason why the firm often feels that they are
at a risk by investing the money into the specific investment.
The Paternalistic Culture: The business environment is very aggressive and hence, the
paternalistic culture tends to clash with it (YouTube. ,2018). With respect to this, the

5ACTIVITIES
paternalistic culture tends to come in the way of the competitive culture which then results in the
poor performance of the overall firm.
The poor turnover rate: The turnover rate of the organization can be considered to be
quite poor in nature. It is a dilemma and a point of conflict which states that if the culture of the
organization is so good in nature, then why is the turnover rate so high. For this reason, it can be
proved that the paternalistic culture is an issue.
Answer to Question 2: Advice to the members
As an advice to Sudhir and Indira it can be stated that Indira is required to take a
thorough research and that when Indira tends to take the exit interviews she is required to ensure
that the immediate reason for the poor performance of the organization is understood carefully
and that it becomes considerably important for her to figure out a reason why the employees are
leaving the organization. The conflict is between the poor culture of the organization and the
compensation rate. Once, one of the factors is identified, only then will the organization be able
to take a correct decision. With respect to Sudhir he needs to understand that the work culture
needs to be changed for the betterment of the firm.
Answer to Question 3: Crucial management competencies
The different management competencies as required to be present in the VUCA world is
as follows:
1. Conflict management: The leader needs to have the capability to manage different
conflicts which tend to take place.
2. Awareness of the self: The leaders need to be adequately aware of their own
shortcomings and strengths (Schermerhorn, 2016).

6ACTIVITIES
3. Cross management: The leaders must possess the idea with respect to the management of
cross generational and diverse workforce.
Case discussion Activity for Topic 9 (In a world of pay)
Case name: In a world of pay
My responses to the question. Posted on (date)
The case study discusses Renate Schmidt`s dilemma with respect to the appointment of
the new marketing head from America. Her pay structure is quite different from the pay structure
of the people present in the country, however, the CEO is persistent on hiring her.
Answer to Question 1: Conflicting values
The conflicting values are factors which tend to clash with each other and have an impact
on the performance of the firm at large. The different conflicting values as present in the case
study are as follows:
1. The cost of hiring Anne: The expatriate is a capable candidate and her tenure in the
previous firm has bought about greater welfare at large and hence, her appointment in the
firm will result in long term welfare, however, the pay system after the employment is
quite large and is believed to have a greater impact on the working of all the employees
hence, this is a conflicting value.
2. Management of current workforce: After the differentiation of the current employees
and their pays, it can be stated that the present workforce is visibly upset with the firm for
the differences in the pay (Samson & Daft, 2015). Hence, this difference acts as a de-
motivator which is incorrect.

7ACTIVITIES
3. Finances of the firm: The hiring of expatriates and management of the pay of the
current employees acts as a burden on the finances of the company at large.
Answer to Question 2: Advice
The given situation seems to be a very critical one for Renate and hence, the following
advice can be taken by her:
 Renate needs to undertake a detailed research procedure: With respect to hiring Anne,
Renate cannot make any decision without considering crucial factors like that of
compensation package in other countries, there value in UK and other related benefits at
large (Mohrman & Lawler, 2014).
 She needs to weight the pros and cons of hiring Anne: Before hiring Anne for the job, it
is important to understand the benefits that she will bring to the particular organization at
large. Only when these parameters have been calculated adequately that the costs
associated with her employment can be measured and decisions can be taken. This shall
assist in solving any dilemma (de Waal, 2016).
 Introduce a fair wage system: lastly, Renate needs to ensure that the CEO of the firm is
convinced to take decision with respect to fair wage system for the employees in order to
motivate and satisfy the existing employees.
Answer to Question 3- The critical management competencies
The management competencies which are crucial for a leader to possess in a VUCA
world can be stated to be as follows:
Legal knowledge: The leaders need to possess adequate legal knowledge which would
thereby go a long way in ensuring success in critical matters.

8ACTIVITIES
Cross cultural knowledge: The leaders in the VUCA world are also required to possess an
adequate knowledge of the cross cultural awareness which can assist them in managing
expatriates (YouTube. ,2018).
Decision making ability: Lastly possessing a decision making ability can be considered to
be good for the leader.

9ACTIVITIES
References
Craig, C. (2017). Uber ugliness unmasks silicon valley's bro culture. InfoWorld.Com. Retrieved
from https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/docview/1871789499?
accountid=10344
de Waal, A. (2016). Searching for effective change interventions for the transformation into a
high performance organization. Management Research Review, 39(9), 1080-1104.
Garvin, D.A., Natarjan, G. & Dowling, D (2014). Can a Strong Culture Be Too Strong? Harvard
Business Review. Jan/Feb2014, Vol. 92 Issue 1/2, p113-117. 5p. Available at :
http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/ehost/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=54de4b7b-
4a92-4e2b-b6af-09e877638494%40pdc-v-
sessmgr02&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=93302856&db=bth
Mohrman, S., & Lawler, E. E. (2014). Designing organizations for sustainable effectiveness: A
new paradigm for organizations and academic researchers. Journal of Organizational
Effectiveness: People and Performance, 1(1), 14-34.
Samson, D., & Daft, R. (2015). The internal environment: Corporate culture. Management (5th
Asia Pacific Ed.). South Melbourne: Cengage Learning. Retrieved from ProQuest Ebook
Central, https://ebookcentral-proquest-om.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/lib/CSUAU/detail.action?
docID=1991004.
Schermerhorn, J. R. (2016). Organising as a management function. Management (6th Asia-
Pacific ed., p. 279) [Wiley]. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral-
proquestcom.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/lib/CSUAU/detail.action?docID=4748100.

10ACTIVITIES
YouTube. (2018). 'Topic 8 Shaping organizational culture & Topic 10 Designing organizations’
(YouTube) | Available at: https://youtu.be/TcrwII6gbTU (Accessed on: 12 Oct. 2018).
Youtube.com. (2018). `Topic 9 Managing people [hands, hearts and minds] (YouTube) |
Available at: https://youtu.be/TcrwII6gbTU (Accessed on 12 Oct. 018)