Zalmon Gilbert Simmons was an entrepreneur whom purchased the rights from a mattress owner by the name of Marshall Burns Lloyd (Casciaro & Edmondson, 2007). In 1876 Simmons started a family mattress company with approximately nine employees. The company gradually increased its economic growth by expanding outside of the United States into several areas outside of the United States.
Theodore Greff took over the Simmons business in 1978. The Simmons mattress company founded its company ethics by introducing the Great Game of Life a change management program. The change management program was designed to assist employees in making better decisions and encourage positive communication between company individuals. The program was designed to help individuals meet their potential and help them to develop positive critical thinking skills that can be used within and outside of organizations.
Simmons had a very distinct set of values that dated back to 1870 (Casciaro & Caring employees make decisions that show they are concerned with the organization. Learning the past history from organizations will help to influence decisions that may occur in the future. Positive communication is encouraged throughout the organization.
Employees are given the “opportunity to explore new ideas” (Casciaro & Edmondson, 2007). They are encouraged to use critical thinking skills. Simmons focuses on customer satisfaction. When leaders feel empowered within the organization they are able to make sound decisions. Support was the last step of the core values. It is important for organizations to support the decision making process with support of the entire entity.
