Shaping Organizational Culture as a Source of Competitive Advantage for an Organization– A Case Study of Zonson Sports Corporation in China

Abstract

無中文摘要In a highly competitive and fast–changing world, corporations are facing great challenges in business success. How can firms remain in the market and maintain long term success under extreme competitive pressure? Research into sustainable competitive strategies and advantages has received significant attention. According to Barney (1991), organizational culture can be a resource for competitive advantage. Thus, the aim of the study is to explore how a firm builds its culture and how its culture contributes to its success through a case study of Zonson Sports Corporation in China. This study adopted mixed methods, including both qualitative and quantitative approaches. In-depth interviews and questionnaires were utilized for data collection. Prolonged engagement, observation, and triangulation techniques were applied to support the credibility of the study. Excel was the statistic software used to analyze the quantitative data in this study. Opening coding and axial coding were employed for the qualitative data analysis. The results of this study are as follows: (1) Establishing or defining the core values of the organization is the primary step for culture creation and shaping because values are the foundation of any corporate culture. (2) The strategies or networks for transmitting the values and shaping the culture of an organization include leadership, rites and rituals, heroes and stories, rewards and promotion etc. (3) The organizational culture such as reputation and cultural characteristics can be sources of competitive advantage for a firm.