Upon establishment, Bezos considered it his task to create a corporate culture that was intense, yet friendly (Spector, 2000, p.110). It was to be comprised of people from an array of corporate backgrounds (Spector, 2000, p.110). Microsoft was a model culture for Bezos, however he visualised a more benign environment and a less internally competitive company (Spector, 2000, p.111).
Bezos, the entrepreneur, launched his company with an idea of the culture he envisaged, and the early employees displayed what that culture represented (Spector, 2000, p.112). Realistically, corporate culture is ‘a blend of 30 percent of what you set out for it to be, 30 percent who your early employees happen to be, and 40 percent random chance’ (Spector, 2000, p.112).
Amazon.com’s corporate culture today, reflects its innovative drive as well as its obsession with customers, and its continuing focus on them, rather than competitors (Jeff Bezos: "Blind-Alley" Explorer, 2004). Selection of employees has always played a significant role in the prosperity of Amazon.com’s corporate culture. Because the company is driven by customer satisfaction, Jeff Bezos only wants employees who can ‘put themselves right into the customer’s mind and body, to find out what they need’ (Spector 2000, p.107). Amazon.com continues to aim to change the world corporate culture and therefore employees are the brightest, smartest and most versatile people, who are also willing to share Bezos’ vision for the future of Amazon.com and work extremely to hard to achieve it (Spector, 2004, pp.107-108, 125). Through its corporate culture, Amazon.com provides these people with a voice and a responsibility for their actions (Spector, 2004, p.108).
At Amazon.com, Jeff Bezos ensures that that the company is never satisfied with the status quo and never too comfortable and he emphasizes: ‘I ask our people to wake up afraid and terrified every morning’ (Guglielmo, Warner, in Schlegelmilch, Diamantopoulos and Kreuz, 2003, pp.17-33). Amazon’s culture is clearly characterized by a deep sense of urgency (Hazleton, in Schlegelmilch, Diamantopoulos and Kreuz, 2003, pp.17-33). From this cultural urgency, a fast-paced, chaotic environment was established, bursting with camaraderie (Spector, 2000, p.112). Upon inspection by prospective employees, Amazon.com appears to be complete mayhem, with workers dashing everywhere, yet it is this environment and corporate culture that is so enticing and enthralling to employees.
As part of Amazon.com’s culture, Jeff Bezos never places himself on a pedestal, even though he is the company’s mastermind (Spector, 2000, p.113-114). He considers himself just one of the team, and is known to everyone as ‘Jeff’, not ‘Mr Bezos’ (Spector, 2000, p.113-114). Amazon.com’s original team of workers was a very young group, ‘a bunch of funky rock musicians and starving artists trying to make ends meet’ (Spector, 2000, p.114). They exerted a young energy that Bezos loved (Spector, 2000, p.113). As Amazon.com grew and became what it is today, it also became more corporate. The executives and managers of today, place him on the pedestal he deserves, yet he still refuses to place himself there (Spector, 2000, p.114).
"Jeff Bezos: 'Blind-Alley' Explorer" [Interview] (2004) Business Week Online , August 19, 2004, retrieved October 20, 2004, from http://search.epnet.com.gateway.library.qut.edu.au/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=cookie,ip,url,uid&db=afh&an=14226381
Schlegelmilch, B., Diamantopoulos, A, and Kreuz, P. (2003) “Strategic innovation: the construct, its drivers and its strategic outcomes,� Journal of Strategic Marketing, vol. 11, no.2, retrieved 31 August, 2004, from http://search.epnet.com.gateway.library.qut.edu.au/direct.asp?an=10779277&db=bsh.
Spector, R. (2000) Amazon.com: Get Big Fast, New York: Harper Collins, ISBN 073226796X.
Stephanie Spann 09:12, 9 Sep 2004 (EST)
