This post focuses on the analysis of Universal Orlando’s organizational culture from a functionalist perspective. Specifically, we will establish a linkage between the visible artifacts and crucial happenings in the organization and subsequent results on their productivity and performance. Looking at these aspects and their influence on organizational performance will give insight into how the creation and maintenance of culture within Universal makes it a valid and established competitor in the market.
“Bringing Families Together” -Universal Orlando
To begin, we will take a look at the branding strategy that Universal Orlando employs to advertise and position their organization as a valuable competitor within the market. As seen by the Vacation Destination Brochure that is widely distributed as part of their marketing strategy, the organization places much emphasis on visual display in promoting one of their core values of “Bringing families together”. Their arguments are strategic in that appeals are made to both individual desires by using statements such as “where you can be courageous, be outrageous and be extraordinary” while emphasizing their ability to create ties and connections within families by being “the only place where you can turn spending time with your family into spending time as a family.” The entire organization is essentially focused on the core values of family and adventure by enabling you to go above and beyond the normal human experience found in everyday ‘mundane’ life. The effectiveness of branding their assumptions in this way is seen in our survey results, where mostly all respondents reflected these values. One respondent claimed the atmosphere to be “Adventurous…Exciting and electric” while another enjoyed the “Excitement, anticipation, [and] high energy”. Overall here we see the effectiveness of Universals marketing strategy in addition to living up to expectations that they set for their organizational performance.
In addition to successfully branding itself as a place for family and adventure, another crucial core value that Universal has demonstrated is marketing itself as an organization of innovation. Universal demonstrates a growing awareness of the need for innovation in an increasingly technology based society in order to keep up with its competitors. A prime example of the way Universal positions itself as an innovative competitor within this market is this Orlando Sentinel article, which focuses on the permanent closure of the well-known Jaws amusement ride in the Orlando park, one of the original exhibits in the parks 1990 opening. Spokesman Tom Schroder specifically states that “Jaws has been an… important part of our history… But we always have to look to the future and dedicate ourselves to providing new, innovative entertainment experiences for our guests.” This is an excellent example of Universal advertising itself as an organization that does not hesitate to adapt and change in order to keep up with demand in such a dynamic market.
Next, we will use our prior research to examine how these core values are communicated to its members at all levels of the organization. We have to keep in mind that the leadership plays a central role in communicating and also circulating the core assumptions and values to all members. Our data supports that managers in Universal do control the culture by the way they use communication, and that this directly reflects on organizational performance. Of course, we need to keep in mind that every organization must find a balance between the needs of the organization and the needs of its members. As stated in our textbook, “all organizations face at least one fundamental tension… a tension between individual members’ needs and the needs of their organizations (Conrad & Poole, 2005, p.11). The way in which Universal Orlando manages this fundamental paradox directly reflects in their organizational performance, discussed in the following.
“You Maintain the Fun”
In terms of corporate culture, it is crucial to understand how employees within Universal Orlando identify themselves with the values circulated by management. Taking this Forbes article of Comcast’s acquisition of Universal from General Electric as an example, we see an attempt of Universal’s parents company to forge stronger relationships between all members of the organization. For example, it states: “Comcast, with a conservative, low-profile culture, had clashed with the G.E. approach… Comcast moved NBCUniversal’s executive offices to the 51st floor — less opulent space that features smaller executive offices and a cozy communal coffee room instead of General Electric’s lavish executive dining room.” We see that Universal attempts to break up the strict traditional power structures by encouraging more communication, both formal and informal, between its members. This is crucial because it informs us about the vision that Universal has for the structure of its corporate culture.
While the steps taken to foster a community of members through encouraging more dialogue on a relational level is commendable, our survey results support that Universal could potentially put more effort into communication within all levels of the organization. Many comments on customer interaction with employees in the park gave a sense that more communication is needed, such as “They were helpful, but they really weren’t too cheerful about it” and “More into management to keep things moving, but very polite”. While employees were not perceived to be overly evasive or unhelpful, we can draw that the leadership could put more effort into immersing employees into the envisioned culture of the organization, instead of sufficing with their outward appearance of accepting it. After all, the performance of individual members directly reflects upon the performance of the organization as a whole, especially because “an organizational system is more than the sum of its individual members and units or their particular relationship to one another” (Conrad & Poole, 2005, p.35). In the traditional structure that Universal is attempting to break up, the members on the lower end of the hierarchy do play a crucial role. Management must be aware that all employees must become fully immersed in the vision they have for the organization in order to build a stronger corporate culture and performance as a whole.
Looking at these key elements of the organization from a functional approach uncovers a few distinct similarities and differences between Universal Orlando and Walt Disney World. We can conclude that both have distinct core values and a corporate culture that they circulate though uniquely different ways. While Disney embodies the core values of “making dreams come true” and being the “happiest place on earth”, Universal aims to “bring families together” through ultimate adventure. The difference in how members embody the values communicated by management are evident in their customer interactions. While Disney employees place emphasis on optimism and bonding with visitors on an emotional level, members of Universal tend to be slightly more distant and give visitors more space to discover the ‘adventure’ on their own. In addition, both Disney and Universal are organizations of innovation constantly adapting to market needs. While Disney does this by, for example, implementing tech-savvy bracelets for superior customer satisfaction; Universal applies innovative concepts by making room for new technologically advanced theme rides. Ultimately however, we cannot find that one style works better than another, which plays a crucial role in why both Universal and Disney can co-exist peacefully. Their slightly differing approaches ensure that both organizations can and do survive in such close proximity while constantly adapting to new challenges along the way.
Conrad, C., & Poole, M. S. (2005). Strategic organizational communication: in a global
economy (6th ed.).Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadworth.
Walt Disney World vs. Universal Resort 