Essay on Fostering Innovation and Social Responsibility: Exploring Microsoft's Exemplary Organizational Culture

Organizational culture is a key component of the success of any corporate entity. A robust culture defines the organization’s values and behaviors, which shape the social and psychological atmosphere in the internal environment of the company. The success of an organization is attributed to its structure and strategy, which includes the cultural framework. In most cases, the culture of the organization revolves around diversity and inclusion while at the same time establishing performance-related social integration at the workplace (Bertone and Abeynayake 86). One of the global companies with a remarkable organizational culture framework is Microsoft Corporation. At Microsoft Corporation, the organizational culture is centered around the employees, the customers, and the vision of the company as illustrated in this excerpt.

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Inclusion is an intervention that characterizes the organizational culture at Microsoft Corporation. In the business sector, inclusion entails the involvement of different partners and stakeholders in key processes and implementation (Colgan 720). At Microsoft Corporation, inclusion has contributed towards enhanced multifaceted perspectives as seen in the degree of innovation and competitiveness (Microsoft n.p). The company ascertains that its mission is ‘deeply inclusive’ to imply that the management is focused on empowering people by starting with its employees and customers and extending the practice across different global settings. The internal changes that are regularly undertaken in the company are geared towards enhancing the capacity of Microsoft Corporation to create a safe and diverse environment for partners, employees, and customers. The organization developed a framework called the Inclusion Index, which is used to measure the progress made each year in terms of inclusion using the diverse data acquired across different corporate and non-corporate programs (Microsoft n.p).

Microsoft Corporation also acknowledges the centricity of diversity as a component of organizational culture. Diversity in a corporate organization is a principle embedded in how the management addresses issues of age, sexuality, gender, professional qualification, race, and religion (Groschl 225). Microsoft Corporation has ensured that the workplace is safe for the hired personnel regardless of their background and affiliations. The company has a recruitment framework that is based on the competitiveness of candidates and the underpinning qualification merits (Microsoft n.p). Potential candidates are assured of the transparent approach to recruitment, which is a similar criterion used for internal promotion. The employees are also guaranteed of continuous professional development while working for the company. However, to accommodate the diverse needs across society, the organization adheres to set principles that ensure that women and minority groups are also accommodated as part of the workforce. Equal pay for men and women for the same job is a strategy that the company adopted to enhance the vitality of its culture (Microsoft n.p). Through professional development interventions, the company has nurtured thousands of talents from minority and marginalized groups across the globe.

By seeing the value in people, Microsoft Corporation has used its community programs to inspire progress. Corporate social responsibility links an organization and the community, which in turn bridges the gap between profit orientation and social support or change (Colgan 720). Supporting activism intervention to improve the environment, working with small-scale businesses, and reaching out to minority groups have been the norm of Microsoft Corporation. The company, through its global subsidiaries, has ensured that there is a link between the operations of the However, this starts with the employees since the company ensures that workers connect and build trust with the leadership of the organization (Microsoft n.p). Through community outreach, the firm has managed to pursue different groups of candidates to meet the company’s diversity and inclusion milestones. The management believes that by working with the community, the firm will not only build a brand reputation but it will also establish trust and social belonging (Microsoft n.p).

Additionally, organizational culture involves partnership and collaboration, which defines the extent to which a company is willing to work with different entities to achieve the primary objectives. At Microsoft Corporation, the partnership is a key consideration and central to the witnessed success. Microsoft Corporation works with minority and women-owned companies to support their growth while at the same time improving the company’s competitive advantage (Microsoft n.p). The company has managed to support these mushrooming companies to achieve their growth targets through professional support and transfer of expertise. Moreover, the firm allows employees to be part of the decision process to guarantee a diversity of ideas for long-term innovation sustainability. Microsoft Corporation esteems the employees, which is an avenue of guaranteeing effective customer relationships (Microsoft n.p). The employees also participate in inclusive thinking, which the company has pointed out to be one of the pillars that inspire innovation. Inclusive thinking through employee engagement is central to the success of the organization (Groschl 225). Technology-based firms depend on continuous innovation to improve their competitiveness and growth.

Furthermore, Microsoft Corporation is founded on the principle of equality when dealing with employees, partners, and customers (Microsoft n.p). The motivation of workers depends on how they are treated by the leadership of the organization. The use of intrinsic or extrinsic motivational interventions forms part of the internal culture of an organization. By adhering to equality in terms of employment and compensation for equal jobs and qualifications, Microsoft Corporation has positioned itself as a favorable employer for marginalized groups and women (Microsoft n.p). The firm is founded based on closing the existing gender gap in the corporate sector while at the same time allowing young talents to build their expertise. In 2019, Microsoft Corporation introduced a new metric in the diversity and inclusion index framework involving equal pay across all genders for the same work (Microsoft n.p). A significant number of organizations still lag and are unable to implement gender equality in terms of appointment and compensation across different departments.

Conclusion

In conclusion, organizational culture defines the values and principles that guide the internal operations of a company and how it relate to other parties. Microsoft Corporation has used its robust organizational culture to build a corporate reputation to support the mission and vision of the company. The company uses a merit-based recruitment framework to ensure equal opportunity for potential workers. Moreover, Microsoft Corporation adopted the inclusive thinking approach to inspire and enhance the capacity of the firm to continuously lead innovation in the sector. Through diverse communities, the company has established a connection with people across different backgrounds. Reaching out to people based on their needs has enabled Microsoft Corporation to build a social reputation as a leading tech company. Furthermore, the company has acknowledged the role of a multidimensional perspective through equality, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace and beyond. In this case, the management has invested in the empowerment of customers, partners, and employees as an essential part of the organizational culture.

Work Cited

Bertone, Santina. and Abeynayake, Sanjeev. Managing Diversity in Australia: A Viable Career Option, Social Change Agents, or Corporate Stepping Stone. Emerald Publishing Limited, pp. 85-101. 2019. Online. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1877-636120190000021005. Accessed 14 August 2020.

Colgan, Fiona. "Equality, diversity, and corporate responsibility: Sexual orientation and diversity management in the UK private sector." Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Vol. 30, No. 8, 2011, pp. 719-734. Online. https://doi.org/10.1108/02610151111183225. Accessed 14 August 2020.

Groschl, Stefan. “Diversity management strategies of global hotel groups: A corporate website-based exploration." International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Vol. 23 No. 2, 2011, pp. 224-240. Online. https://doi.org/10.1108/09596111111119347. Accessed 14 August 2020.

Microsoft. Diversity and Inclusion: Microsoft Corporation. Microsoft Corporation, 2020. Online. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/diversity/default.aspx. Accessed 14 August 2020.