Title: BMW’s Dream Factory & Culture Course: Leadership and Organizational Behavior According to studies, the new workers in a company sharpen and adjust to the culture in an easy and quick manner. This happens as the employees working in an organization have the feeling of team working in a manner of family (Lawton, n. d). BMW has this type of working culture, which can be pronounced as an entrepreneurial work culture. Another instance that helps in knowing that BMW has an entrepreneurial culture is from the fact that, workers joining the organization have the feeling of their own place in the team.
They have a clear idea of the mission that has to be accomplished. This can be attained only if the employees in the organization work at the same level and understand each other. Thus, work culture that has been developed in a company allows and makes sure the employees work side by side and not in an extra professional hierarchy’s manner (BMW’s dream factory and culture, 2005). These are all the factors that together give surety that BMW has an entrepreneurial culture of work.
Creating an entrepreneurial work culture includes various factors to be considered. These are treating people with respect, employee’s health, and open doors for communication and maintaining camaraderie (Murray, Poole and Jones, 2006). The case clearly states that the staff in an organization if work side by side, can bring in the quality of open door communication in an organization. The company offers best salaries to the employees along with health benefits that make sure of employees motivation being always high at the work.
The case also narrates that every move that is decided in the company, is the result of organization’s informal networks that are formed in the company, along with many number of brain storming sessions. This states that employees in the organization have respect to each other while discussing ideas that are generated in their mind (BMW’s dream factory and culture, 2005). From the above discussion, it is also clear that the employees are given with the sense of being associates rather than just employees.
No member of the staff is seen from the perspective of cost, but an essential factor for the company’s successful performance. The company also believes in maintaining trust with and over the employees. Thus, it is clear that BMW has associate leadership model (Sense of Purpose, n. d). This type of leadership management followed in the company helps in maintaining cordial relationship and collaboration between the management and work force of the company. The associates in the organization are realized about the responsibility that has to be shared by all, along with other qualities such as flexibility and self-organization.
The main motive of the company is to maintain culture of trust that promotes cooperation and responsibility (Murray, Poole and Jones, 2006). This type of model of leadership which is followed by the company makes sure that employees themselves start believing in high performance and create flexibility in their way of working. This strategy helps in striking balance between the interest of employees and employers. BMW, at the same time, has the best payment packages in the market that makes the factor of management of labor quiet necessary which is possible with the help of this leadership model only.
Associate leadership model is one of the most effective models for management of expensive labor (BMW’s dream factory and culture, 2005). BMW has made it sure that free communication takes place in the company that allows movement of idea from one place to another that further takes places of brain storming. This ensures that there are best ideas selected in the company and best cars are made in company. Employees are considered as a family and part of the company thereby making them realize their importance to the company that is shared by them (Armstrong, 2003).
The case mentions that after the usage of these techniques in the company, there has been noticed around thirty-five percent of increase in the productivity and the turnover was measured about 90 percent in all the divisions that used this program. The job satisfaction in these branches also rose to ten percent. In addition, the team scores rose to 13 percent (BMW’s dream factory and culture, 2005). The company is a strict believer of creativity, which can be judged from the fact of brain storming sessions which takes place in the company before taking any decision for the company.
This is one of the factors that help in bringing the feeling of cooperation among the employees further helping in building better team. On the other hand, the company also follows open door communication which clearly states that there is a free passage for ideas within the organization. This proves the efficiency that that company can attain in the near future. The mentioned two factors help organizations in not only taking decisions, but also generate voluntary idea, where number of employees come to a point with excellent monetarily and creative uccessful solution for the organization, to face the market problems (Sharing the wealth, listening to even the lowest-ranking workers, and rewarding risk have paid off big time, 2006). BMW also gives its employees a flexibility regarding the time of work and way to keep follow-ups with the task given to them. Hence, the employees feel it easy to express their individuality by the ideas, workspaces and dresses that lets the unique attributes show. The company believes in recognizing that, everyone has different qualities and these differences spark new ideas to emerge.
The work culture and environment in the company emphasizes mainly on the communication factor between the employees themselves and with the management as well. The company builds the working place in such a way that, there is an optimum level of communication done within the line managers and best cars are produced in the market. The employees have the sense of freedom due to flexibility given to them at the work place, as they are free to work anywhere in the company at any time until the job gets completed successfully (BMW’s dream factory and culture, 2005).
References BMW’s dream factory and culture (2005). Organizational Behavior. Cengage Learning: US. Pp. 522. Geoff Armstrong. (2003). BMW Group Plant Oxford’s. ICMRINDIA. retrieved on November 1 2009 from http://www. icmrindia. org/casestudies/catalogue/Operations/BMW%20Group%20Plant%20Oxford-New%20Oxford%20Way-NOW%20Program. htm Jennifer Lawton (n. d) Creating an Entrepreneurial Culture. Entrepreneurship. retrieved on October 31 2009 from http://www. entrepreneurship. org/creating-an-entrepreneurial-culture. html Peter Murray, David Poole, Grant Jones. 2006). Contemporary issues in management and organizational behavior. Thomson Learning Nelson:US. Pp. 395-396. Sense of Purpose. (n. d) Pursuing common goals. BMW. retrieved on October 31 2009 from http://www. bmw. co. za/products/automobiles/bmw_insights/sense. asp Sharing the wealth, listening to even the lowest-ranking workers, and rewarding risk have paid off big time. (2006). BMW’s Dream Factory. BusinessWeek. Retrieved on October 31 2009 from http://www. businessweek. com/magazine/content/06_42/b4005072. htm? chan=innovati
