Ob project report org culture

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A PROJECT REPORT ON

ORGANIZATION CULTURE OF SPORTZINTERACTIVE

SUBMITTED BY

Kinnar Majithia

P1026

PGDBM 2010-2012

SYDENHAM INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES,

RESEARCH AND

ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION (SIMSREE)

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Acknowledgement

I would like to thank Prof. D.I. Cabral for giving me the opportunity to study the concept of Organization

Culture and understand the organization culture of the organization – Sportzinteractive.

I would also like to thank Mr. Karthik Iyer and the other 13 members of Sportzinteractive who helped

me in carrying out this project by sharing their valuable information which formed the content of this

project and the basis for the further analysis.

Lastly, I would also like to thank everyone else who helped me in carrying out this project.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Synopsis .................................................................................................................................................. 4

Objective ................................................................................................................................................. 5

Methodology. .......................................................................................................................................... 6

Company Information ............................................................................................................................. 7

Questionnaire ......................................................................................................................................... 8

Tabulated Data and Analyses ................................................................................................................ 11

Findings. ................................................................................................................................................ 25

Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................. 27

Recommendations ................................................................................................................................ 28

Bibliography .......................................................................................................................................... 29

Annexure ............................................................................................................................................... 29

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Synopsis The culture of any organization is like an iceberg. Just as an iceberg has a visible section above the

waterline and a larger, invisible section below the water line, so culture has some aspects that are

observable and others that can only be suspected, imagined, or intuited. Also like an iceberg, the part of

culture that is visible (observable behavior) is only a small part of a much bigger whole.

For any organization, its culture is its identity. It is that one unique thing that the organization possesses

and that differentiate it from other organizations which are in the same business or have the same set of

clients.

The culture is a broad umbrella and encompasses within it, a large number of characteristics which

together are responsible, in their own unique way, in giving a shape to the culture.

The aim of this project was to study and understand the underlying aspects of the culture and the

culture as a whole of a unique organization called SportzInteractive which is a pioneer in providing

Sports content and Live sports feed to clients. The business of the organization, itself is sports, and

hence one would expect its culture to be quite different from that of the other existing organizations.

For this study, a 20-question questionnaire was prepared and a few employees of the organization were

asked to answer them. The questions covered almost all the aspects that define the culture of any

organization, though not in detail but at the peripheral level so as to gauge an idea about the cultural

overview. The responses were then collected and analyzed. This was followed by presenting the findings

from the analyses and them by the conclusion about the general culture that exists in SportzInteractive.

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Objective The objective of the study was ‘Major shaping forces of the culture at SportzInteractive’.

Different aspects that are responsible in the development of the culture of an organization were

identified as:

Goal awareness, Task-Orientation, People orientation, Team-Orientation, Rewards and Recognition,

Handling Change, Flexibility and Miscellaneous

Each factor was to be analyzed individually based on the responses obtained from the participants of

the survey and then to determine which of them are the major contributors to shaping the culture at

SportzInteractive and what made its culture different from that of the other organizations.

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Methodology The methodology includes the following steps in order to understand the Organization Culture of

SportzInteractive:

1. Studied the concept of Organization culture and the different aspects that make up the culture

of any organization.

2. Prepared an exhaustive questionnaire of 20 questions which were designed in order to gauge

various parameters that determine the culture of the organization.

3. The questionnaire (online version) was shared with 14 members of SportzInteractive who

answered all the questions.

4. The responses were collected and analyzed. The findings were derived from the analysis and

also, a few recommendations were made so as to bring about a general improvement in the

culture of the organization.

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ORGANIZATION INFORMATION

Sportz Interactive is one of the world's fastest growing B2B sports content companies, headquartered in Mumbai and a key member of the STATS Global Network. Founded in 2002, Sportz Interactive boasts of an enviable list of clients and partnerships with companies, brands and sports organizations from across the world.

Sportz Interactive specialises in producing rich Internet and mobile products that have revolutionised the way sports data is consumed.

Clients: ICC, SET MAX, YAHOO, ESPN STAR, Times of India, Cricket Nirvana, IBIBO, Zapak, Zee etc.

Sports covered: Cricket, Football, Formula 1, Moto GP.

Websites: www.sportzinteractive.net, www.f1pulse.com

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QUESTIONNAIRE

Name: ___________________________

Age: __________

Team: __________

Designation: ______________________

Experience in the organization (Months): _________

Choose one from the two statements:

1.

[A] I am aware of my organization’s mission and the organization helps me to align my plans with its

plans.

[B] I am unable to relate my goals with the goals of my organization.

2.

[A] The management believes that ‘It is the final result that counts’

[B] My supervisor is equally concerned with the way I have done the task as the outcome of the task

itself

3. [A] How well I work with other people in the team, forms an important component of my performance evaluation

[B] My performance evaluation focuses only upon my individual contribution

4.

[A] In case of mistakes, the supervisor reprimands me in front of everyone.

[B] My supervisor discusses my mistakes in privacy.

5.

[A] There is a certain dress-code that is to be followed while working in the organization.

[B] We are free to wear any outfit which we are comfortable with.

6.

[A] Everyone in the team gets the same/similar rewards for any valuable contribution.

[B] Rewards are given out to suit the preference of the recipients.

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In the following Questions, indicate the frequency of the event by choosing appropriate option: 1 – Never 2 – Rarely 3 – Sometimes 4 – Frequently 5 - Always

1. The organization surprises us with non-monetary rewards as a token of appreciation for our

excellence - ___

2. Top executives in this company are innovative and approachable - ___

3. When problems emerge, there is a willingness to fix them - ___

4. We have team outings that enable us to spend some quality time together and know one-

another well. - ___

Select Yes or No in each of the following questions:

1. I feel hesitant while asking for help from other members of the organization Yes/No

2. The management ensures due recognition in the organization as a testimonial for our valuable contributions Yes/No

3. In my organization, change is viewed as a challenge and an opportunity

Yes/No

4. My supervisor is unmindful about my goals and is only concerned with the task at hand. Yes/No

5. We can and do make 'midway' corrections without much difficulty. Yes/No

6. Our HR department is creative in finding new ways to attract top talent among diverse groups. Yes/No

7. Client servicing is the top-most priority and I do not mind working at unusual hours to make an

on-time delivery Yes/No

8. "We've always done it that way" is a philosophy that describes my company's response to new ideas. Yes/No

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9. My organization shows respect for a diverse range of opinions, ideas, and people. Yes/No

10. I can talk to my supervisor about my personal problems. Yes/No

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TABULATED DATA AND ANALYSIS

1. EMPLOYEE DATA

Teams participated in the survey

The Data team and the Content team members were the major participants in the assessment.

Team

MembersFrequency

Content Team 6

Data Team 7

Admin 1

14

6

7

1 0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Content Team Data Team Admin

Team Members

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Age of the Participants

The participants were evenly distributed in the age-groups 20-24 years, 25-29 years, 30-34 years

Designation of the participants

Majority of the participants were associate members with a few of them in managerial positions

Employee Age Frequency

20-24 5

25-29 5

30-34 4

14

5 5

4

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

20-24 25-29 30-34

Employee Age

Designations Frequency

Associate -

Live Content4

Associate -

Data Team6

Associate -

Admin1

Team Lead -

Content Team1

Team Lead -

Data Team1

Team Manager -

Data Team1

14

4

6

1 1 1 1 0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Associate- Live

Content

Associate- DataTeam

Associate- Admin

TeamLead -

ContentTeam

TeamLead -DataTeam

TeamManager

- DataTeam

Designations

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Experience (in Years) of the participants

Almost of the number of participants had around 2 years’ experience in the organization while the remaining half had more than 2 years’ experience.

2. Goal awareness

Every participant is aware of the Organization’s goal and agrees that the organization helps him to align his personal goals with those of the organization.

Experience

(Years)Frequency

0 to 2 7

2 to 3 5

More than 3 2

14

7

5

2

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

0 to 2 2 to 3 More than 3

Experience(Years)

Awarenes of

Org. Goals and

alignment with

personal goals

Frequency

Yes 14

No 0

14

100%

0%

Awareness of organizational goals and alignment with

personal goals

Yes

No

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3. Task Orientation Manner of performing the task

More than 2/3rd of the participants agree that the supervisor is equally concerned with

the way I have done the task as the outcome of the task itself and is not just outcome-centric.

Willingness to fix the problem

There is a 50-50 opinion that whenever there is a problem there is willingness to fix it.

Manner of

performing Task

Frequency

Process-Oriented 11

Outcome-Oriented 3

14

Process-Oriented

79%

Outcome-Oriented

21%

Manner of performing task

Willingness to

fix problems

Frequency

Yes 7

No 7

14

Yes 50%

No 50%

Willingness to fix problems

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Client-servicing & extra working hours

All the participants have client-servicing as their top-most priority and are willing to work an extra-mile towards achieving the objective.

4. People Orientation

Top executives being innovative and approachable

86% of the participants are in the favor of the top executives being innovative and approachable.

Client servicing top-

most priority +

extended working

hours

Frequency

Yes 14

No 0

14

Yes 100%

No 0%

Client servicing top-most priority + Extended working hours

Top executives

innovative and

approachable

Frequency

Always 7

Frequently 5

Sometimes 2

Rarely 0

Never 0

14

Always 50% Frequently

36%

Sometimes 14%

Rarely 0% Never

0%

Top executives innovative and approachable

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Hesitation while asking for help

A vast majority do not feel the hesitation to ask for help while doing the tasks.

Supervisor being only Task-oriented and not employee-oriented

None of the participants feel that their supervisor is only task-oriented.

Feeling of

hesitance while

asking for help

Frequency

Yes 1

No 13

14

Yes 7%

No 93%

Feeling of hesitance while asking for help

Supervisor is

only task-

oriented

Frequency

Yes 0

No 14

14

Yes 0%

No 100%

Supervisor is only task-oriented

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Personal problem discussion with the Supervisor

A vast majority of them feel that they can discuss their personal problems with their

supervisor.

Personal problem

discussion with

supervisor

Frequency

Yes 13

No 1

14

Yes 93%

No 7%

Personal problem discussion with supervisor

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5. TEAM ORIENTATION

Team orientation consideration during performance evaluation

Everybody amongst the participants feels that his contribution as a team member plays

a vital role during his performance evaluation

Team Outings

A huge chunk of the participants are of the opinion that it is only sometimes or on rare

occasions that they have team outings.

Team

Orientation

consideration in

performance

evaluation

Frequency

Considered 14

Not considered 0

14

100%

0%

Team Orientation consideration in performance evaluation

Considered Not considered

Team Outings Frequency

Always 0

Frequently 1

Sometimes 6

Rarely 7

Never 0

14

Always 0%

Frequently 7%

Sometimes 43%

Rarely 50%

Never 0%

Team Outings

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6. REWARDS AND RECOGNITION

Customized rewards

A large majority of the participants feel that the rewards for excellence are not

customized to the liking of the receiver of the award.

Surprises in the form of non-monetary rewards

All the participants fell that receive surprises in the form of non-monetary benefits only

rarely or sometimes.

Rewards

customization Frequency

Customized 2

Same for all 12

14

Customized 14%

Same for all 86%

Rewards customization

Non-Monetary

Rewards Frequency

Always 0

Frequently 0

Sometimes 7

Rarely 7

Never 0

14

Always 0% Frequently

0%

Sometimes 50%

Rarely 50%

Never 0%

Non-monetary Rewards

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Recognition by management for excellence

A huge chunk of the participants feel that the management gives them the due

recognition for excellence at work.

Recognition for

Excellence Frequency

Yes 13

No 1

14

Yes 93%

No 7%

Recognition for Excellence

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7. HANDLING CHANGE

Viewing change as a challenge and an opportunity

All the participants feel that the organization views change as a challenge and takes it as

an opportunity to move forward.

Resistance to change – “We have always done it that way”

Except for 1 participant, the rest feel that the organization does not resist change.

Viewing Change

as a challenge and

an opportunity Frequency

Yes 14

No 0

14

Yes 100%

No 0%

Viewing Change as a challenge and an opportunity

Resistance to

Change - "We have

always done it that

way" Frequency

Yes 1

No 13

14

Yes 7%

No 93%

Resistance to Change - "We have always done it that way"

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8. FLEXIBILITY

Task Flexibility

A fraction less than 3/4th of the participants feel that it is not difficult to do mid-course

corrections while performing task.

Dress-Code

Majority participants say that they can wear clothes in which they are comfortable.

Midway

Corrections Frequency

Yes 10

No 4

14

Dress-Code Frequency

Dress-Code exists 1

No restrictions 13

14

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9. MISCELLANEOUS

HR Department being creative and spotting special talent

All the participants say that the HR department is create enough and at it is vigilant to

spot special talent.

Reprimanding

HR dept. creative

and spots talent Frequency

Yes 14

No 0

14

Reprimandation

Frequen

cy

Done in front of everyone 14

Discussion in private 0

14

Done in front of

everyone 0%

Discussion in

private 100%

Reprimandation

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All the participants are of the opinion that in case they commit mistakes, the supervisor

does not reprimand them in front of the others, instead chooses to have a private

discussion about the issue.

Respect for diverse range of opinions, ideas and people

Each and every participant agrees that the organization shows respect to diversity in the

form of opinions, ideas and people.

Respect for a

diverse range of

opinions, ideas and

people Frequency

Done in front of everyone 14

Discussion in private 0

14

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FINDINGS 100% of the participants are aware of the Organization’s goals and also feel that the

organization helps them in aligning their personal goals with those of the organization – This

means that they have faith in the organization that while they do well for the

organization, it will reciprocate them by taking them up with it.

21% of the participants feel that the management is only concerned with the outcome of

the task and not the process. This proportion is not too small to be ignored and if a few

more start feeling this way then the attitude might soon change to ‘By hook or by crook’.

50% of the participants feel that there is no willingness to fix a problem when one arises.

This again, is a discomforting sign and indicates that the organization does not believe in

quick-fix indicating that the responsiveness is slower that it should normally be.

100% of the participants say that client-servicing is their top-most priority and that they are

ready to put in extra efforts to meet the deadlines. Thus, the culture reflects dedication and

devotion to the mission of the organization and the acceptance of such a mission by the

employees.

86% of the participants feel that the top executives are approachable; 100% & 93%

respectively feel that their supervisor is not just task-oriented but also cares to listen to their

problems. This means that the culture of the organization is such that the employees are

not intimidated to discuss with the management people and there is a healthy level of

candidness existing.

100% of the participants feel that during their performance evaluation, their role as a team

member and their contributions to the development of the team play a vital role. This

means the organization is making it a point for the employees to be a team player.

Only 7% of the participants feel that they have frequent team outings. Thus, the

organization might not be doing enough to create the extra-special bond between the

players of the team. This again, is countered by the fact that 93% of the participants do not

feel the hesitation to ask for help from the others indicating that they have that comfort

level to ask for help when in need.

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86% of the participants say that the rewards they receive are the same for all the employees

without any customization to suit their preferences. Thus, the organization might not be

really caring about knowing whether its rewards are motivating the employees or not.

93% of the participants feel that the organization gives them the due recognition apart from

the rewards for excellence at work. Thus, the organization believes in giving true

satisfaction to its employees. However, this is done only rarely (50%) or sometimes (50%)

indicating that the organization does not stress much importance on the non-monetary

benefits.

93% of the participants feel that the organization does not believe in “We have always done

it this way” and 100% of them feel that the organization views change as a challenge and an

opportunity – This means that the organization’s resistance to change is minimal and it is

flexible to adapt to the environment indicating the maturity in the thinking of the

management of the organization.

71% of the participants say that it is not difficult to make ‘mid-course’ to the tasks in

progress which means that there is enough flexibility and room to make urgent

modifications without any adverse effects on the outcomes. This emphasizes the task-

structure which has been designed to be flexible.

93% of the participants say that there is no restriction on the dressing style in the

organization which means that they can wear whatever they like and whatever makes

them feel comfortable.

100% of the participants believe that that the HR department is creative enough and is

vigilant to spot special talent – This means that the personnel are being constantly

evaluated not only by their supervisors but also by the HR dept.

100% of the participants say that the supervisor discusses their mistakes in private and not

in front of everyone else – This means that while their successes receive due recognition in

front of all, their mistakes are not highlighted before everyone to avoid embarrassment and

humiliation.

100% of the participants feel that the organization respects diversity of opinions, ideas and

people – This means that they believe in the organizations ability of not discriminating and

treating all of them equally, on the same grounds.

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CONCLUSION From the analyses and the findings we can conclude that the major shaping factors for the culture at

SportzInteractive are:

1. Awareness of Goals

2. Client Servicing

3. People-orientation

4. Perception of the adaptation to change capabilities of the organization

5. Team-orientation

6. The inherent flexibility

7. Acknowledgement by the organization of the existence of diversity in different forms and

respecting it.

Not only are these the major contributing factors but also they are firmly in place and hence are there to

stay ensuring that the culture of the organization stays intact withstanding the test if time.

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RECOMMENDATIONS The organization might suffer badly on occasions if it maintains the attitude of slow response

and unwillingness to fix problems immediately. For this the management could assign additional

responsibilities to a few senior members of a team and ask them to work on fixing the

problems on priority by delegating their work to some other capable person.

Though, not alarming, the organization would be better off by putting in more efforts to

concentrate on the manner in which the task is carried out. This can be done by segregating the

task into parts and analyzing each part separately. This can improve the efficiency of individual

parts and improve the efficiency of the entire task as a whole.

The organization could do a bit more on the Team-outing front which can help in creating a

strong bond between the team members and then have a direct impact on the productivity.

Perhaps it could also organize office parties to get all the members together with the motive to

celebrate success.

A huge chunk of the employees believe that their rewards aren’t customized to suit their

preferences. This could lead to demotivation. The supervisors could get the information about

what rewards motivate the individual employees through a one-on-one session like

performance evaluation sessions and use this information while giving away rewards for

excellence.

In order to make ‘mid-course’ change easier, the organization could arrange for training

sessions for those who believe that it is not easy. They could be trained by the experienced

employees and this could bring in more flexibility as far as effective carrying out of tasks is

concerned.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Organizational Behavior by Stephen P. Robbins, Prentice Hall International

www.sportzinteractive.net

ANNEXURE

Response sheets of all the 14 participants