BUSM4547: Spic and Span's Organizational Culture Report

This report analyzes the challenges faced by Spic and Span, a Singaporean corporation focused on social innovation, specifically addressing its competitive position in the market. The report emphasizes the importance of organizational culture in implementing business strategies, fostering continuous learning, and driving organizational development. The analysis includes literature review on organizational culture and strategy, learning, and development. The report identifies the problem statement as how Spic and Span can stand out from its competitors, continue gathering manpower, and improve its value. The solution proposed is improving the organizational culture to facilitate strategic changes and enhance the skills of the disadvantaged workers. The report concludes with a reflection section summarizing how feedback from a previous assignment was used for the completion of this report.

Running head: MANAGEMENT IN PRACTICE
MANAGEMENT IN PRACTICE: AN ANALYSIS OF THE ISSUES FACED BY SPIC
AND SPAN
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The purpose of this report is to propose a feasible solution for the issue related to
competition that the Singaporean corporation, Spic and Span, is presently facing. The
solution that this report offers for resolving this particular issue faced by the corporation
is the improvement of its organizational culture. This will help the corporation to
effectively implement as well as use the new business strategy which had been
formulated by it, to facilitate continuous learning within its workplace, to facilitate
organizational development and thereby to attain competitive within the business
landscape of the nation of Singapore It is in the light of these aspects that the
improvement of organizational culture is the measure which had been suggested for the
resolution of the issue faced by Spic and Span. Lastly, the report concludes with a
reflection section wherein I have summarized the manner in which the feedback which I
received from my last assignment had been used by me for the completion of this
report.

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Table of Contents
1.0 Introduction..................................................................................................................3
2.0 Problem Statement......................................................................................................4
3.0 Research Question......................................................................................................5
4.0 Literature Review.........................................................................................................5
4.1 Organizational Culture and Organizational Strategy...............................................5
4.2 Organizational Culture and Organizational Learning...............................................7
4.3 Organizational Culture and Organizational Development.......................................9
4.4 Organizational Culture and Competitive Advantage..............................................10
5.0 Conclusion.................................................................................................................11
6.0 Reflection...................................................................................................................11
References.......................................................................................................................14

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1.0 Introduction
As stated by Odor (2018), organizational culture of a corporation denotes the
amelioration of the values, beliefs, collective thought process of the workers, the views
and the ideas of the founding fathers of the corporation and others which in turn guide
the behavior of the workers within the concerned corporation. Byrne, Dwyer and Doyle
(2019) are of the viewpoint that the entity of organizational or workplace culture is
important from the perspective of the different corporations since it substantially guides
the manner in which the different tasks or the job roles which are being allocated to the
workers would be completed by them. More importantly, it had been seen that there are
various factors which affect the organizational or the workplace culture which is being
followed within the spectrum of any corporation. For instance, the leader approach,
management approach, the human resource management (HRM) approach, the
clientele of the corporation and others are some of the most important factors which
affect the overall organizational culture of a corporation (Silva et al. 2018).
Furthermore, a congenial organization culture while helping the corporations to
enhance the individual productivity of the workers also helps them to offer effective
services to their customers as well which in turn substantially enhances the overall
organizational productivity (Ali Taha, Sirkova and Ferencova 2016). Thus, it becomes
important for the corporations to have an effective organizational culture which help the
workers to perform as per their maximum potential and thereby offer the best quality
services to the customers of the corporation. The purpose of this report is to propose

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the manner in which the corporation, Spic and Span, can overcome the challenge that it
is presently facing by fostering a congenial organizational culture within its workplace.
2.0 Problem Statement
The corporation Spic and Span is based on the concept of social innovation and
thereby it tries to resolve the employment issues faced by the disadvantaged people of
the nation of Singapore (Spicnspan.com.sg 2020). For instance, it had been seen that
the majority of the Singaporean business corporations do not prefer to offer employment
to the disadvantaged people like the disabled people, ex-offenders, people from low-
economic backgrounds and others (Taiwannews.com.tw 2020). This in turn had
substantially enhanced the unemployment rate of the concerned nation while adversely
affecting the quality of life which is being led by the disadvantaged people of the nation
under discussion here as well (Yi 2020). Thus, the corporation Spic and Span by
offering employment services as well as empowerment services to these individuals is
making a significant contribution towards the resolution of this particular issue faced by
the disadvantaged people of the concerned nation and also for the improvement of the
quality of life which is being led by them as well.
However, the important issue arises since in order to offer the required training to
these individuals so as to make them capable of adequately performing as per the
expectations of the corporation, the operations cost of the corporation had enhanced
which in turn had substantially reduced the profitability of the corporation
(Taiwannews.com.tw 2020). Thus, the corporation had decided to shift from bring a
cleaning company to a cleaning tech company. This is likely to enhance the profitability

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of the corporation while offering numerous career opportunities to the disadvantaged
workers of the corporation as well. For the attainment of this particular end, the
corporation would have to substantially change its present organization while offering
the required training to its workers so as to be able to reap the desired benefits from this
strategic change. In the light of these aspects, it can be said that the specific problem
that the corporation Spic and Span is the manner in which it can stand out from its
competitors, continue gathering manpower and improve its value within the business
landscape of Singapore.
3.0 Research Question
The specific research question on which this particular report would focus upon is
outlined below-
1. How can Spic and Span stand out from its competitors, continue gathering
manpower and improve its value within the Singaporean business landscape?
4.0 Literature Review
4.1 Organizational Culture and Organizational Strategy
As discussed by Chatzoglou and Chatzoudes (2018), the organizational strategy
which is being used by the corporations greatly determines the outcomes of the different
organizational strategies which are being used by the corporations. Adding to this, Jalal
and Toulson (2018) have noted that an effective organizational culture ensures the fact
that the different workers of a corporation work in a collective or collaborative manner
for the adequate usage of the different strategies which are being used by the

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corporation. This becomes especially important since it had been seen that presently
the business environment or for that matter the business landscape in which the
corporations operate are more dynamic, volatile and fast-paced in nature in comparison
to that of the earlier times (Anitha 2016). Thus, it is seen that the corporations are
increasingly taking the help of different kinds of strategies for coping up with the
dynamicity, volatility and the fast-paced nature of the contemporary business world.
However, at the same time it needs to be said that the important issue arises since it
had been although the majority of the contemporary corporations are taking the help of
innovative business strategies yet they have failed to develop a congenial workplace
culture or for that matter an organizational culture which will support the strategies
which are being used by them (Anning-Dorson 2018). This in turn had given rise to the
situation wherein it is seen that the majority of the strategies used by the corporations
fail to offer the desired results or the expected results to the corporation.
Rafailidis, Trivellas and Polychroniou (2017) are of the viewpoint that the success
or the failure of the different strategies which are being used by the corporations is
reliant on the effectiveness with which they are being used by the workers of the
concerned corporations. Adding to this, Intezari and McKenna (2018) have noted that
the ability of the individuals to utilize the strategies is reliant on their skill sets, their
working style and others which in turn are substantially dependent on the organizational
culture that is prevalent within the corporation. Thus, it becomes important for the
corporations to foster a congenial workplace culture so as to effectively utilize the
different strategies. In the particular context of the corporation Spic and Span, it is seen
that the concerned corporation had decided to change its business strategy and thereby

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become a cleaning tech company. The problem arises since the different disadvantaged
workers of the concerned corporation had been used to working in an individualistic
manner which in turn does not facilitate the exchange of skill sets or knowledge among
them, collaborative completion of different projects and others. However, for the
effective implementation of the strategy under discussion here, the workers of the
corporation would have to work in a collaborative manner so as to help the corporation
to reap the desired benefits from the same and also be able to prolong their career
through its usage. Thus, it becomes important for the corporation under discussion here
to modify the organizational culture which it is presently following so as to facilitate the
implementation of the strategic change that it had undertaken.
4.2 Organizational Culture and Organizational Learning
Bae and Grant (2018) are of the viewpoint that the aspect of organizational
learning is substantially reliant on the organizational culture which is prevalent within the
spectrum of any corporation. Adding to this, Carvalho et al. (2019) have noted that in
order to adequately adjust to the dynamicity, volatility as well as the fast-paced nature of
the contemporary business world need to create the kind of organizational culture within
their workplace wherein the workers would be able to undertake continuous learning.
This is important since it helps the workers to acquire the skill sets as well as the
knowledge which will enable them to perform as per the performance standards of the
corporations or for that matter its expectations (Laforet 2016). More importantly, it had
also been seen that the usage of a continuous learning environment or culture within
the workplace, helps the workers of the same to use the constructs of creativity,
innovation, design thinking and others for the effective completion of the job roles that

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are being delegated to them within the organizations. However, at the same time it
needs to be said that for the development of a continuous learning environment, the
leaders and the managers are required to active initiatives and thereby encourage the
workers to take the help of the above mentioned concepts (Gao 2017). This in turn
helps the workers to improve both the quality as well as the quantity of work which is
being performed by them and thereby positively affects the growth or the development
of the corporations as well. This also facilitates the effective implementation of the
different strategies which are being used by the business corporations while ensuring
the fact that they are being able to derive the required or the expected results from the
usage of the same (Elsmore 2017).
In the particular context of the corporation Spic and Span, the concept of
continuous learning becomes especially important because of the new strategy that the
concerned corporation had decided to pursue so as to enhance the prospects of its
business while offering adequate career growth or development opportunities to its
disadvantaged workers. In this relation, it needs to be said that the usage of a
continuous learning environment or for that matter organizational culture would help the
workers of the concerned corporation to learn or enhance their skill sets or knowledge
which in turn would help them to take complete advantage of the strategic decision
which the corporation had made. More importantly, the usage of this particular kind of
organizational culture would also help the workers of the corporation under discussion
here to substantially improve the quality as well as the quantity of their performance and
thereby make a meaningful contribution towards the overall growth of the concerned
corporation as well. Thus, it becomes important for the leaders as well as the managers

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of the corporation Spic and Span to take the help of the required initiatives for fostering
a continuous learning environment or culture within the workplace of the concerned
corporation.
4.3 Organizational Culture and Organizational Development
Kuo and Tsai (2019) are of the viewpoint that the organizational culture which is
being followed within a particular corporation is an important determinant of the overall
growth or the development of the concerned corporation. Adding to this, Byrne, Dwyer
and Doyle (2019) have noted that organizational culture influences organizational
development by influencing the manner in which the workers would work within the
corporation, the leadership or the management approach followed by the corporation,
the manner in which learning is being undertaken within the corporations and others.
Furthermore, these aspects of the corporations are important since while impacting the
culture of the corporations they also impact the quality and the quantity of work which is
being performed by the workers. More importantly, the quality or for that matter the
quantity of work performed by the workers is important since they directly impact the
achievement of the overall goals or the objectives of the corporations, the milestones
outlined by them, the overall productivity as well as the profitability of the corporations
and others (Anning-Dorson 2016). Thus, it can be said that the corporations have the
opportunity to attain the required amount of growth or development through the usage
of an effective organizational culture.
This becomes important from the perspective of the corporation Spic and Span
since it had been seen that overall the years the concerned corporation had failed to
enhance its productivity, profitability and to achieve its overall business goals or

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objectives. Thus, it can be said that for the purpose of facilitating its overall
organizational development through the adequate usage of the new business strategy
that it had formulated the concerned corporation would have to improve its
organizational culture. This in turn would enable the disadvantaged workers of the
concerned corporation to improve both the quality and the quantity of work performed
by them, perform as per the performance standards or the expectations of the
corporation, make a positive contribution towards the achievement of the overall
organizational or the business goals and objectives of the corporation and others.
4.4 Organizational Culture and Competitive Advantage
As discussed by Gillespie and Reader (2017), the different corporations of the
world over the years for the purpose of attaining competitive advantage have focused
on the aspects of value proposition of the products or services offered by them and also
the effective utilization of the innovative technologies. Scheepers and Reddy (2019) are
of the viewpoint that this in turn had given rise to the situation wherein it is seen that the
different corporations over the years had disregard the element of organizational culture
which in turn had substantially affected their ability to attain competitive advantage.
More importantly, it had been seen that the value proposition of the products or the
services offered by the corporations and also their ability to use innovative technologies
substantially depends on the skill sets of the workers, their work approach or style, the
leadership or the management approach followed by the corporation and others (Silva
et al. 2018). These aspects are directly related to the organizational or the workplace
culture which is being followed within a particular corporation. Thus, the corporations
need to ardently focus on the aspect of organizational culture for the purpose of

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attaining competitive advantage within the business markets of their operation. This
even holds true within the particular context of the corporation Spic and Span since it
had been seen that the concerned corporation in the recent times is facing extensive
competition within the cleaning industry of Singapore which in turn had also propelled it
to change its business strategy. Thus, it is likely that by effectively focusing on the
attribute of organizational culture, the corporation under discussion here would be able
to mitigate the intense business competition which it is presently facing and also would
be able to attain competitive advantage as well.
5.0 Conclusion
To conclude, the corporations are required to effectively focus on the
organizational or the workplace culture which is being followed by them. This is likely to
help them to create the kind of workplace environment wherein the workers would be
able to maximize their workplace productivity. More importantly, by effectively focusing
on the attribute of organizational culture, the corporations also have the opportunity to
facilitate organizational development, attain competitive advantage, to create a
continuous learning environment, to adequately use their business strategies and
others. In the light of these aspects, it can be said that the corporation Spic and Span
has the opportunity to overcome intense business competition within the Singaporean
business industry, attain competitive advantage and thereby overcome the different
problems faced by it by effectively focusing on the attribute of organizational culture.