HR and Corporate Culture Questions

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1. Utilizing Office Depot's website in your own words explain Office Depot's HR policy, tactics, rewards, and employment practices. How a company's HR policy is instrumental in achieving and implementing their strategic plan? Please cite all your sources accordingly.

Human Resource management involves the development of organization systems and practices for the planning, acquisition, development and utilization of manpower. According to the corporate website of Office Depot, the HR policy seems to be fair, reasonable and employee friendly. Their policy is to attract best of the talent across the globe. They are committed towards diversity and the policies are framed accordingly.

They are providing comprehensive compensation package to its employees and providing lot of facilities and fringe benefits. (For details see Appendix-I) They are also focusing on
the balance life of the employees by laying emphasis on the flexi work, fitness membership and other aspects of the life. They are also laying emphasis on partnering with women in business by giving them equal opportunities.

Thus their HR policy is helping in developing a symbiotic relationship between the external, societal culture and internal culture of the organization. This will enable the upholding of the relevant external values, as well as contributing new values such as productivity, innovation etc through modeling by the organization. They have also the participatory process which is helping in cement the link between strategy and the HR practices.
They have further extended the policy to the communities immediately surrounding the operational location, through innovative programs of adult literacy, health, vocational training and career guidance to the youth so as to raise the quality of life.
They are reaching out to the shareholders and their families beyond dividends to create awareness of social environmental and other public environment issues.
Thus it is building a better image by maintaining high standards of responsibility in using shareholder, institutional and government funds.
(Source the corporate website)

2. What is corporate culture? How CEOs develop and change corporate culture? Is it possible to change a company's culture? Which company do you know of that the CEO has had an influence in developing / changing the company's corporate culture? Lastly, apply this answer to the above question to Office Depot? How consistent / different are they? Please cite all your sources accordingly.

The concept of "corporate culture" is particularly important when trying to make changes either in part or throughout the organization. Culture is comprised of the assumptions, presuppositions, values, norms and tangible signs of organization members and their behaviors. Culture is one of those terms that is difficult to express. However everyone knows it when they sense it. We can tell the culture of an organization by looking at the arrangement of furniture, what they brag about, what members wear, etc., similar to the information (either explicit or implicit) you use to get a feeling about someone's personality.

Organizational culture places certain restrictions and boundaries around behavior. We notice these restrictions more easily when, for example, we move to a new organization and have to change our ways of working and relating. Culture can also be witnessed when we encounter those people who are rebels. Their counter-behaviors tell us a great deal about approved behavior, which in turn teaches us the implicit norms of the culture. There is considerable overlap between culture and structure of the organization and they influence each other. But as personalities differ, so do organizations that share similar organizational structure
Organizational culture can be expressed in:
 Distribution and practice of the authority
 How people are and feel rewarded, organized and controlled
 The ...