Introduction

The occurrence of a change in most of the organizations has resulted to the increased need of changing process, structures as well as corporate culture to fit the new demands created as a result of the transformation process of the organization. This essay aims at comparing the results from the Gallup Survey with the academy, baseball team, fortress and club cultures that have been described by McNamara in the background reading and provide a personal view of whether the findings obtained from the comparison fit my general expectations or vary and an analysis of the degree to which the Gallup results and McNamara information provided evidence on similar and dissimilar things about the Army which is my organization. The paper will also describe how the Gallup results and McNamara information helps in improving my managerial skills and understanding in the army and also state my view on whether the two sources, that is, Gallup results and McNamara have assisted me in understanding the Army and coping with it.

Analysis of Whether Gallup Results Fit My General Expectations

In my view, the results obtained by the Gallup organization in its multi-year research study about what makes a great workplace certainly fit my general expectations. For instance, the Gallup company discovered that what defines success is not the company but the great workgroups in the company thus ruling out the prevailing notion that people have that there exist companies that are greater than others (Cameron & Green, 2009). I have always believed throughout leadership in the military that the best way the Army can only be considered significant if there exist excellent workgroups composed of individuals who are willing to work as a team towards improving the performance of the organization.

Moreover, the twelve dimensions discovered by the Gallup organization that consistently describe great workgroups are indeed. I have personally witnessed a dramatic improvement in the Army as a result of my practical application of most of these dimensions in the organization. For instance, I have managed to increase retention level of the members in the Army and improve their productivity and profitability in the organization through using dimensions such as clearly stating the roles of each individual in the organization and providing the workgroups with all the necessary materials and equipment to enable them do their work in the right way (Harter, Schmidt & Keyes, 2003).

Additionally, acts such as recognizing and appreciating those employees who exhibit exemplary performance, showing concern about the personal issues facing the employees, putting into place training programs to help the employees develop their careers and perfect their skills and involving the employees in the decision-making process (Pfeffer, 2014). Others include setting clear objectives and company mission and lastly promoting good workplace relationships amongst the employees are also part of the strategies that have enabled me to achieve the expected outcome variables in a successful organization such as increased productivity and high retention levels (Pfeffer, 2014).

These findings also support the club and academic cultures that have been discussed by McNamara categories (McNamara, 2000). However, the success of the Army as a result of the continued use of the use different dimensions which describe a successful workgroup as supported by the findings of Gallup Organization is in contrary to various cultures such as Fortress and Baseball team since these cultures do not encourage teamwork (McNamara, 2000).

Degree of Similarity or Differences about my Organization From Gallup Results and McNamara Information

Both the Gallup results and the McNamara information provide a general reflection of the current’s Army culture to promote teamwork and employee satisfaction through motivational ways such as employee recognition and promotion. However, the use of harmful and unfavorable cultures such as baseball team and fortress cultures is one of the dissimilar things about the Army that McNamara has discussed (McNamara, 2000). Moreover, the Army does not focus on dimensions such as ensuring that the employee has the opportunity to do his or her best every day at the workplace and providing all the associated remain committed to doing quality work as discovered in by the Gallup Company since the Army believes these dimensions eventually become fruitful as a result of the implemented of those dimensions that it has already embraced (Flamholtz & Randle, 2011).

Improvement of my Managerial Understanding and Skills

The findings obtained from both the McNamara categories of culture and the Gallup results significantly help me in learning new ways of improving my managerial skills and level of understanding about the administrative role. For instance, the discoveries made by Gallup Organization in its research project help me learn the importance of promoting teamwork at the workplace since it is as a result of great workgroups that a company achieves more success (Janicijevic, 2013). Secondly, the different categories of culture described by McNamara help me in understanding the importance of adopting the right lifestyle in the organization (McNamara, 2000).

McNamara also increases my understanding of how my organization fits in the club culture which has been described as one of the most common cultures commonly used in military organizations (McNamara, 2000). The most effective ways of increasing the effectiveness while interacting with this type of culture are through the use motivational methods such as recognition and promotion and creating excellent working relationships amongst the employees (Janicijevic, 2013). Such strategies help in ensuring that the employees collaborate and effectively fit into this culture of the Army.

Personal Opinion on the Importance of the Two Sources in Understanding the Organization

I highly appreciate the contributions of the two required readings that is the Gallup results and the McNamara categories of culture in increasing my awareness and understanding of my organization. The two sources provide information that I can use to enhance and cope with the organization. For instance, as described by McNamara, the use of the most appropriate culture can help in improving the performance company and facilitate a collaborative culture (Denison, Hooijberg & Lane, 2012). Moreover, the Gallup Results suggest the use of motivational strategies such as availing the required tools and equipment and recognizing employees who perform better than others (Cameron & Green, 2009). These two sources have successfully managed to accurately depict what is required to analyze the culture of a company effectively.

Conclusion

Conclusively, organizational structure and culture help in facilitating the success of a company. As indicated by McNamara, there are various types of cultures such as club, fortress, baseball team and academic which common in most of the organizations. It is essential for individuals holding leadership roles in the company to critically understand the cultures of their organization and ensure it is in line with the company mission and objectives. Moreover, the Gallup Results help a leader corr