Organizational culture is termed as the combination of behaviors, beliefs and values that govern an organization and affect the manner in which individuals in an organization socialize among themselves and with other external participants within the organization such as stakeholders, partners and clients.
Vodafone is a British transnational telecom conglomerate that has gained recognition due to its customer-centered culture and its distinctive ability to expand progressively in a short period of time (Harlow, 2016). Vodafone is one of the most prevailing mobile network providers globally. I am interested to learn more about this organization due its accomplishments derived from the implementation of good organizational cultures and also the challenges encountered and how they were overcome to this point that the company is still flourishing.
Whent, who was the chairman of Racal Radio Group in 1982, convinced the Racal Electronics Group Board to propose the private sector cellular license that was being offered by the government at that time. Whent organized the successful proposal and went on to establish the Racal Telecommunications Division that was named Vodafone to reflect the stipulation of data services via mobile networks. It became an independent organization in 1991.
It operates in 26 nations and has partnered with over 55 mobile networks. Moreover, it serves approximately 444 million customers worldwide and almost 19.5 million in the UK. The first communication network was made in 1985 from London to Newbury HQ. Currently, the communication network offers employment to more than 13000 UK residents. The corporation promotes a good organizational culture that focuses on customers’ needs and motivates employees (Ang, 2016). Employee payments are tailored according to performance whilst the benefits depend on the staff needs.
The corporation’s mission is to connect and empower individuals within the society by building Telecommunications Centers of distinction as well as creating more employment opportunities. Vodafone envisions the transformation of societies and more reliable communication through the use of its goods and services. The company targets to be the most efficient communication provider globally. At Vodafone, ‘who we are and what we stand for’ is the core of the organization. The company engages in volunteering and fundraising activities in the neighboring communities; a vivid presentation of the concern they have for their external affiliates. The core values encompass: simplicity, trust and speed to guarantee fast delivery of services and transparency to their consumers. The main aim of the company is to connect people to promote better lives today and build a better tomorrow.
Vodafone logo evolution
The corporation redesigned its emblem in 1997 where all the previous elements contained in the logo were omitted with the exception of its colour. The red colour on the logo symbolizes passion, speech and communication. The emblem was designed in the form of a sim card with the inclusion of an apostrophe icon to act as a signature mark unique to the company. The latest improvements on the logo place much emphasis on Vodafone’s symbolic speech mark that is contained in all its products. Furthermore, the icon currently appears in 2D design replacing the prior 3D design.
Challenges
What are the challenges that affect Vodafone? As much as the corporation has many accomplishments, it still faces several challenges. The most notable challenge when implementing the organizational structure in Vodafone Company is learning to accommodate each individual and take into account their preferences. Individuals are unique and having to accommodate each one’s needs is difficult. To illustrate, customers’ requests differ constantly, some may insinuate that the costs are too high therefore they should be cut down, others may complain that the media content is not suitable for the young audience; hence, accommodating all their views and opinions becomes rather overwhelming. This is because essentially, it is impossible to meet everyone’s expectations. The best strategy to employ in this case is to conduct surveys on a regular basis to obtain feedback from the consumers (Engle & Zazzara, 2018). This will offer direction on the best measures to implement to meet the vast population’s needs. Moreover, it will offer an interactive platform between customer and supplier as the consumers will feel that their needs are looked into (Boateng, 2016). Additionally, the negative feedback will assist the company to upgrade its services as per customers’ demands.
The company can improve on its leadership style by implementing the following strategies: it should prioritize on resource allocation especially among its branches in under-developed areas such as in some parts of Africa (Lo and Kwan, 2017). More funds should be invested on these areas to develop the facilities hosting the company offices and improve the communication network services. Moreover, the company should consider expanding its market to new horizons to increase its revenue and the number of consumers. Employee motivation can further be intensified by offering promotions to employees who meet the company’s objectives in line with salary upgrades. Customers’ requests should be prioritized to boost company sales.
