Quantum Software
Analysis of
Case Studies
Titled:
TGIF
&
What’s Your Culture Worth?
Shenae Adams 0704671
Tutor: Myrtle Weir
BBA4 – HRM (D)
University of Technology, Jamaica
April 11, 2011
Summary of Case: TGIF
The case titled ‘TGIF’ speaks to a weekly beer bust held at Quantum’s Seattle Headquarters. The company, which was founded three (3) years ago by Stan Albright and Erin Barber, hosts these beer busts to allow the employees to relax as a reward for their extra efforts.
Quantum has grown to more than 200 employees and $95 million in sales over the past three (3) years. Bill Carter, the company’s corporate attorney, on attending one of the weekly beer busts received good reviews about working at Quantum. After a work day of 16 hours, six (6) days a week, the beer bust held every Friday afternoon seemed to be keeping employee morale at an enthusiastic level.
However, Bill Carter had some reservations or concerns about serving alcohol at a company sponsored party especially after observing a new employee’s behavior at the party after he had lost his balance and fell on the snack table. He believed that the beer bust parties were getting out of hand and could possibly result in an exposure to liability. There is now a dilemma between wanting to keep the team spirit and at the same time reduce Quantum’s liability exposure.
Review of the Case
The case, TGIF, presents an organization, Quantum Software that though it was founded three (3) years ago has managed to set for itself an organizational culture that can majorly be described as fun, relaxed and amicable yet hard-working. Organizational culture, according to Robbins & Barnwell (2002), is the pattern of basic assumptions that a given group has invented, discovered or developed in learning to cope with its problems of external adaptation and internal integration, to be taught to new members as the new way to perceive, think and feel in relation to those
Case Studies
Titled:
TGIF
&
What’s Your Culture Worth?
Shenae Adams 0704671
Tutor: Myrtle Weir
BBA4 – HRM (D)
University of Technology, Jamaica
April 11, 2011
Summary of Case: TGIF
The case titled ‘TGIF’ speaks to a weekly beer bust held at Quantum’s Seattle Headquarters. The company, which was founded three (3) years ago by Stan Albright and Erin Barber, hosts these beer busts to allow the employees to relax as a reward for their extra efforts.
Quantum has grown to more than 200 employees and $95 million in sales over the past three (3) years. Bill Carter, the company’s corporate attorney, on attending one of the weekly beer busts received good reviews about working at Quantum. After a work day of 16 hours, six (6) days a week, the beer bust held every Friday afternoon seemed to be keeping employee morale at an enthusiastic level.
However, Bill Carter had some reservations or concerns about serving alcohol at a company sponsored party especially after observing a new employee’s behavior at the party after he had lost his balance and fell on the snack table. He believed that the beer bust parties were getting out of hand and could possibly result in an exposure to liability. There is now a dilemma between wanting to keep the team spirit and at the same time reduce Quantum’s liability exposure.
Review of the Case
The case, TGIF, presents an organization, Quantum Software that though it was founded three (3) years ago has managed to set for itself an organizational culture that can majorly be described as fun, relaxed and amicable yet hard-working. Organizational culture, according to Robbins & Barnwell (2002), is the pattern of basic assumptions that a given group has invented, discovered or developed in learning to cope with its problems of external adaptation and internal integration, to be taught to new members as the new way to perceive, think and feel in relation to those
References: Brown D.R., & Harvey D. (2006). An experiential approach to organizational development (7th ed.) Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. French, W.L. & Bell, C.H. (1999). Organizational development: Behavioral science interventions for organization improvement, (6th ed.) Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Hellriegel, D. & Slocum, J.W. (2004). Organizational Behaviour (10th ed.) Mason, OH: South-Western. Robbins, S.P., & Barnwell, N. (2002). Organizational theory: Concepts and cases (4th ed.) French Forest, N.S.W.: Prentice Hall. Stahl, G.K., & Mendenhall, M. E. (2005). Mergers and acquisitions: Managing culture and human resources (1st ed) Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.