Organizational Culture Paper

Taylor Corporation is an international marketing organization. Taylor Corporation has more than 80 locations and subsidiaries across the world. The leaders and associates within Taylor Corporation embody a culture that fosters growth and success both personally and professionally. Taylor Corporation advocates success on the personal level that will penetrate throughout the organization as a whole and filter into the community. Resource Dependency Theory led the foundation for the business model that Taylor Corporation follows. Taylor Corporation relies on its production facilities, marketing specialists, promotional companies and paper suppliers. With Taylor Corporations' dependency on internal and external resources per above connects them to Resource Dependency Theory. Without the ability to connect with other external resources, Taylor Corporation would not thrive the way it has been even throughout a pandemic.

Section 1: Description of Selected Theory

An organization’s ability to acquire external and environmental resources impacts its organizational behavior. The resource dependency theory requires that organizations interact with other organizations and sponsors to fully access and acquire the necessary resources. "Organizations engage in exchanges and transactions with other groups or -organizations. The exchanges may involve monetary or physical resources, information, or social legitimacy" (Pfeffer & Salancik, 1978, pg. 43). Resource dependency theory argues that although these resources can be used to an organization’s advantage, organizations often develop dependencies that hinder their likelihood of collaborating with outside organizations. To avoid these dependencies, organizations like Taylor Corporation diversify and create relationships with several external organizations that help provide success to Taylor and all the customers they have linked arms with. Taylor Corporation instead has 'preferred partners'; this is an agreement between multiple vendors and the organization, lessening their dependency on only one outside resource. In marketing, the market is constantly fluctuating, and it is Taylor Corporation’s goal to lead the marketing and printing industry. This directly correlates to the theory and the real success of the organization; our sales reps and managers must gain access to business partnership leads, and customer leads faster than competitors.

Section 2: Application of Selected Theory

Resource dependency theory applies to Taylor Corporation because its success comes from sharing its knowledge with all specialists and treating everyone as a person, not just a number. The organization has a structure for success and growth; the interdependent business model, meaning it depends on organizations/customers, supports maximizing sales reps, specialists, and customers by collaborating within the organization and with outside partners. This theory relates to Taylor Corporation because it is evident that we would not remain in business without outside resources. Taylor Corporation continues to expand in the marketing and printing industry. It is because the organization focuses on attracting the most business for their sales reps and specialists to continue to lead the way in the marketing and printing industry. Taylor Corporation focuses on exemplifying culture, education, personal growth, and reliability. Taylor Corporation’s culture results from its organizational goals that are positive and well-grounded core values.

Section 3, Concept 1: All Channel Network

As much as an organization needs external resources, it also needs to look internally. To be able to understand and state; “who it is, where it is, what it believes, and what it knows” (Wheatley & Kellner-Rogers, 1998, pg. 18). Taylor Corporation gains knowledge through modules that keep them ahead of the trends and allows them to advance in the industry that is marketing and printing. The sales reps and specialists share information with each other and other members in their organization; we are encouraged to link arms and work closely, which is rewarding as an individual and for our customers. Taylor Corporation specialists are reliable; their information is reliable and productive. Taylor Corporation creates winning situations: putting their customers and employees first, commitment to growth not just as a company but also personally and department wide, thriving on professional integrity and open communication across all sectors of the organization to maximize growth.

Section 4, Concept 2: Diversity

The resource dependence theory argues that diversity can be an instrument for accessing resources that are critical to the organizations success. Thankfully, within the Taylor Corporation they have a very broad spectrum of ages, race, demographic, personal status, and education background at the higher levels where the focus is on growth of the company and are those people who advocate as well as sell the offerings that Taylor Corporation has to offer to future customers as well as maintain the current customers. Where Taylor Corporation lacks and has room for growth is in the middle and entry level positions within the organization. They tend to have all the same common drive and background; women, around the same age, no college background but has promoted due to experience and married with children.

Section 5, Concept 3: Core Values and Shared Beliefs

Taylor Corporation’s organizational culture is upheld through core values and shared beliefs. The corporate office and the satellite offices are committed to living out these practices in all areas of their lives. Taylor Corporation has received several top rankings on Indeed for digital and printing and on the best places to work list, showing that the values are practical. Boleman and Deal explain that “over time, organizations develop distinctive beliefs, values, and customs" (pg. 258). Core Values and Beliefs is an essential concept of resource dependency. Taylor Corporation is constantly sending out emails, reminding others and has posted in our internal employee portal that we log into everyday of the core values or as Taylor Corporation calls them; The Four C’s – Customer Service, Communication, Cost Effective and Collaborate. They have a belief that everyone needs to think outside the box, while also giving us all the tools for success, and encourages the organization to maintain a balance between work and life. The organizations key players need to feel that “the organization is responsive to their needs and supportive of their personal goals” (Boleman and Deal, 2017, pg. 317). Taylor Corporation presents a unifying vision that reminds all specialists that customers always come first.

Section 6, Concept 4: Decision System – Collaborate & Mandate

Due to the large amount of partnerships that Taylor Corporation has with multiple vendors there is dictate and delegate decision style is not available. Thankfully, with the various vendors that Taylor Corporation has developed a rapport with they are able to collaborate together to figure out best practices for specific items and transactions and mandate those best practices for moving forward with other similar transactions or repeat jobs. "Organizations could not survive if they were not responsive to the demands from their environments" (Pfeffer & Salancik, 1978, pg. 43), meaning with the ever changing economy, it is vital that Taylor Corporation keeps those collaborations open with vendors as a means to be able to meet the newer demands. It also is essential that specialists and the sales reps collaborate together to ensure that they will work together in creating and executing the best campaign to present to the customer. Also in terms of mandating rules after collaboration it helps to document those rules and best practices especially for new persons to join the account in the ever changing economy. The organization’s system is proof that the company is committed to upholding its cultural status, and everyone accomplishes more when they link arms and work together towards the proposed goal.

Section 7, Concept 5: Dual Authority Structure

Taylor Corporation thrives on Dual Authority as their main structure for conducting business. With Taylor Corporation, Glenn Taylor remains the CEO, he is a self-made millionaire without a college degree just a lot of grit, under him he has his CFO, VP, CPO and each of those people have their own managers and teams. Glenn structured Taylor Corporation to allow for growth of the company and growth of products offered by separating the different entities that make up Taylor Corporation. There are various entities within Taylor Corporation: Promotional Marketing, Marketing Solutions, Forms Division, Accounts Payable, Wilmar, Healthcare Division to name a few, each of these divisions has their main manager who reports up to the VP and CEO but under that main manager are various managers for teams that are formed and created to support the customer of Taylor Corporation. This is the best practice for Taylor do to its various entities to maximize the support for all employees across the organization and to also give the higher up’s more free time to help grow and market the Taylor Corporation instead of having to handle day to day questions, concerns and needs.

Conclusion

Resource dependency theory requires that organizations interact with other organizations and sponsors to fully access and acquire the necessary resources. Taylor Corporation effectively carries out this theory every day, engaging in exchanges and transactions between other production facilities, marketing specialists, promotional companies, paper suppliers. Taylor Corporation continues to lead the way of other marketing and printing companies year after year due to the values and cultural standards they have set and by practicing what they preach with every customer they provide a service.

References

Bolman, L. G., & Deal, T. E. (2017). Reframing organizations (6th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Pfeffer, J., & Salancik, G. (2003). The External Control of Organizations. Stanford Business Books.

Wheatley, M. J., & Rogers, M. E. (1998). A simpler way. Oakland, CA Berrett-Koehler Publishers. - References - scientific research publishing. (n.d.). Retrieved February 20, 2022, from https://www.scirp.org/reference/ReferencesPapers.aspx?ReferenceID=2207811.