Zappos is a company that has developed a unique atmosphere in its organization, and with continuous profits, it is important to understand how it works. Using the meaning-centered approach to understand Zappos will uncover how this organization is capitalizing on human interaction while developing its culture. The meaning-centered approach “asks what communication I do, not how and why it works” (Shockley-Zalabak, 2015, p. 38). When you look at what Zippo's communication consists of, it is clear that communication between the company and its customers is key. This human interaction is the driving force behind this company's goals. Positive communication between company employees and customers is creating the profitable Zappos culture. For example, to develop these shared realities they instilled core values in their employees by creating communication rules for the entire company. All of these core values promoted a positive and just culture. For example, one employee noted that she saw money in a cash register and could have taken it without being reprimanded. The reason he decided not to take this money is because doing so would go against the core values that have been developed at Zappos. These positive core values were shared by all employees interviewed in this company. This shows that the communication rules established by Zappos have created shared realities among employees, because they all share the same core values. Ultimately, employees who use the same core values that create shared realities also develop the Zappos culture. “The metaphor of culture promotes the understanding of communication as a process for generating shared realities and practices that we in turn call organizational culture” (Shockley-Zalabak, 2015, p. 47). Creating a positive culture was the foundation of the Zappos communications model. Proper use of communication rules by developing core values adapted from the employee base has created a positive culture in the Zappos community. Zappos has successfully shared this culture with the consumer as well
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