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Organizational Change Against Discrimination: The Case of Amazon
Introduction
Organizational change can become a necessary process for any organization. As the company develops and enters the global market, it is bound to encounter specific events and requirements demanding that the current procedures are altered. In this regard, ascertaining the external factors influencing the corporation, possible barriers, the readiness to change, as well as the current vision, mission, and corporate culture is especially valuable for creating an appropriate change strategy (Bierema, 2020). A case necessitating organizational change is the Amazon employees lawsuit, where numerous workers reported discrimination from the company (Rey, 2021). The present paper discusses the Amazon lawsuits, examining the external and internal factors prompting the need for change, organizational issues, vision, and mission, suggesting a leadership style to incorporate the necessary changes effectively.
Case Overview: Multiple Discrimination Lawsuits Targeting Amazon
Recently, the Amazon enterprise has been reported to consistently demonstrate patterns of racial, gender, and ethnicity discrimination towards its employees. According to the claims of several former workers, all female, who occupied various positions during their employment, managers continuously harassed the victims due to their race and gender (Rey, 2021). Each employee discusses multiple instances of verbal discrimination from their bosses, highlighting the striking disparity between the payments and benefits received by female and male laborers (Rey, 2021). As a result, the offended employees filed several lawsuits against Amazon, claiming that the internal corporate culture supports discriminatory behavior, and the executives do not take any action to eliminate such practices (Rey, 2021). From this perspective, there is a tremendous need for change present in the current corporate environment of Amazon that requires adjusting the organizational culture vision and mission statements.
External and Internal Influences Driving Change
The need for change evident in the discussed case is primarily supported by external and internal factors that highlight the organizational issues. First of all, Amazon experiences a significant amount of pressure from external forces, namely legal, social, and business institutions, concerned with the emerging discrimination pattern. Racial, ethnic, and gender harassment is a remarkable issue, and it is expected that the corporation will properly address such occurrences internally (Bierema, 2020). However, when such complications become public, the corporations image and its perception change dramatically, resulting in the emergence of negative attitudes from existing and potential shareholders (Schulz-Knappe et al., 2019). Furthermore, discrimination against employees and inequality is also legally prosecuted, meaning that the company might face legal charges (Kartolo & Kwantes, 2019). Therefore, Amazon is required to alter its organizational practices if the company is to continue its business endeavors and remain profitable.
It is also essential to consider the internal pressure for altering the current organizational processes. Consistent complaints from the employees and the presence of a corporate culture that discriminates against people of particular race, ethnicity, and gender have been shown to negatively impact the performance of the workforce (Kartolo & Kwantes, 2019). Laborers that are continuously experiencing instances of discrimination and harassment no not only demonstrate lower performance levels but are more likely to leave their occupation (Wingfield & Chavez, 2020). It is the dissatisfaction with the corporate culture and the breach of basic ethical principles that drive the offended individuals, leading to decreased productivity, numerous complaints, quitting, and subsequent lawsuits (Wingfield & Chavez, 2020). In this regard, Amazon must address the workers concerns and establish a comfortable non-discriminatory working environment.
Organizational Issues and Statements
Establishing an ethical and supportive corporate culture is crucial for ensuring that instances of discrimination and harassment are prevented. Nevertheless, the environment created by Amazon appears to negate this consideration, rather promoting unacceptable behavior and ignorance towards it. For instance, complaints connected to inappropriate actions and harassment statements are reported to be ignored by the human resources department and other executives (Rey, 2021). In addition, the overall tendency to discriminate against the representatives of different races is evident in the working conditions established by Amazon, where African-American employees do not receive a bare minimum demanded by the law (Guynn, 2021). From this perspective, unethical behavior can do observed not only in individual instances but also in the overall working processes occurring throughout the company.
This pattern hints that corporate culture in Amazon is drastically different from what the enterprise claims it to be, uncovering a crucial barrier that might impede change. Amazon claims they are passionate about seeking employees from different backgrounds and building a corporate culture that includes representatives of various communities (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, n.d.). However, the employees statements differ significantly from these suggestions, with workers from ethnic and racial minorities reporting that the working conditions at Amazon do not support diversity (Rey, 2021). Even though Amazon currently possesses a workforce with the largest numbers of African American and Hispanic employees, the executive positions are filled predominantly by white individuals (Guynn, 2021). The recent lawsuits support these ideas, demonstrating that Amazons corporate culture is not aimed at promoting the professional capacities of employees from various ethnicities.
Of particular concern are Amazons vision and mission statements, where the mission appears to be focused specifically on customer service. As such, Amazons mission is to continually raise the bar of the customer experience by using the internet and technology to help consumers find, discover and buy anything, and empower businesses and content creators to maximize their success (Who We Are, n.d.). After that, the corporations vision is to be Earths most customer-centric company, Earths best employer, and Earths safest place to work (Who We Are, n.d.). Although these statements are quite strong, delineating the companys overall focus and the aims to be achieved, the mission chosen by the enterprise does not incorporate the idea of best employment. Therefore, consumers, businesses, and content creators play a bigger role in Amazons mission, while the employees remain a part of a future vision.
Leadership Style to Lead the Change: Implementing Participative Leadership Model
To resolve the highlighted issues and alter the current organizational culture, Amazon executives could utilize the participative leadership style. This approach is focused on the theoretical framework of participative leadership, which suggests that encouraging group and individual engagement can positively affect the employees trust towards their supervisors and promote loyalty (Chan, 2019). In this method, leaders are expected to involve their team members in the organizational processes, inspiring them to make decisions and contribute to resolving emerging problems. This model has been shown to increase overall motivation and job satisfaction, allowing the workforce to feel valued by the enterprise (Chan, 2019). Considering that Amazon faces numerous issues connected to discrimination and diversity, demonstrating that the leaders cherish the input of their employees regardless of their race, ethnicity, and gender is crucial for future success.
Lack of cooperation between the workers and the negative attitudes towards others can originate from the absence of unity between the team members, further dividing the workforce into distinct groups. However, participating in group activities and searching for solutions is especially beneficial for establishing an atmosphere of acceptance (Chan, 2019). Therefore, the leaders could create working groups, prompting the members to work together. For example, a common strategy involves a leader establishing a certain task, which the group is expected to complete by relying on each others competencies and knowledge (Chan, 2019). The leaders must enforce communication and teamwork, ensuring that all suggestions are included. In addition, leaders should make sure that bias and discriminatory practices are being eliminated. In the long-term, participative leadership might improve the workers retention rates and ensure that all employees are equally involved in the activities.
Possible Changes to Eliminate Discriminatory Actions
To resolve the presented issue, Amazon should initiate a series of changes to improve the companys corporate culture. Firstly, it would be advantageous to rethink the organizational structure, reshaping the method currently utilized to conduct certain practices. For instance, as discrimination concerns from employees are often dismissed, it could be beneficial to introduce a novel system for handling such complaints, demanding that an investigation be conducted by the HR specialist. Furthermore, the issue of being hired to a lower position is also often recognized (Rey, 2021). To address it, an occupation evaluation strategy could be introduced, where the discrepancies between payments and benefits secured by employees of the same position are delegated to the executives and must be amended. These guidelines could aid the disadvantaged workers to report discrimination and harassment, with the responsible individuals receiving necessary penalties.
Finally, the companys mission could also be amended to improve the current working conditions. As such, the Earths best employer aspiration could be incorporated into the mission, stating that Amazon aims to create a comfortable and accepting working environment for all employees (Who We Are, n.d.). Admitting that the workforce is also highly valued by the corporation could tremendously enhance the workers loyalty. In addition, such phrasing depicts Amazon as an enterprise that is already creating the best workplace rather than delaying this endeavor for the future.
The suggested changes could be communicated to the involved parties through company statements and media releases. For example, organizational structure amendments could be transmitted internally, acknowledging the existing problem and offering new methods to solve it. After that, vision and mission statements should be adjusted on the company website, with press releases following the changes and the basis for introducing them. These actions will convey the knowledge to multiple shareholders, making the information public.
Conclusion
To conclude, the discrimination lawsuits against Amazon and the aspects of organizational change were discussed in this paper, highlighting the factors driving change, possible barriers, and proposing participative leadership for leading the change. Prior to introducing the adjustments, it is essential to consider the surrounding conditions and understand how the organizational change process should be implemented to achieve the needed results. In Amazons case, establishing a strong connection between employees and prompting them to coordinate their activities is essential for overcoming discrimination and creating a working atmosphere where each employees efforts are equally valued. Therefore, through participative leadership, the executives could promote an accepting corporate culture, diminishing the occurrence of discriminatory practices. After that, the changes to the mission statement might further strengthen the new position, and the organizational structure amendments may ensure the workers that their safety from harassment is a priority.
References
Bierema, L. L. (2020). Organization development: An action research approach (2nd ed.). Bridgepoint Education.
Chan, S. C. H. (2019). Participative leadership and job satisfaction: The mediating role of work engagement and the moderating role of fun experienced at work. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 40(3), 319333. Web.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion. (n.d.). About Amazon. Web.
Guynn, J. F. (2021). Amazon has more Black and Hispanic employees than ever, but most people in top jobs are still white and male. USA Today. Web.
Kartolo, A. B., & Kwantes, C. T. (2019). Organizational culture, perceived societal and organizational discrimination. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, 38(6), 602618. Web.
Rey, J. D. (2021). Amazon hit by 5 more lawsuits from employees who allege race and gender discrimination. Vox. Web.
Schulz-Knappe, C., Koch, T., & Beckert, J. (2019). The importance of communicating change: Identifying predictors for support and resistance toward organizational change processes. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 24(4), 670685. Web.
Who we are. (n.d.). About Amazon. Web.
Wingfield, A. H., & Chavez, K. (2020). Getting in, getting hired, getting sideways looks: Organizational hierarchy and perceptions of racial discrimination. American Sociological Review, 85(1), 3157. Web.
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