The Soul of Dell Case Study

Philosophy (or mission) statements are used to guide individual, team, and corporate behavior and decisions, and to convey the organization’s culture (Ask the manager, 1995). In May of 2001, Dell Computer Corporation was experiencing decreasing PC Margins, frequent layoffs, and a lack of motivation from their employees. This resulted in a meeting between Michael Dell, the founder and CEO of Dell Computer Corporation, and Kevin Rollins, the President and COO of Dell Computer Corporation. Dell and Rollins determined that Dell needed to “find their soul,” by articulating the basic values and beliefs of the company, and creating a set of guidelines for employees became a top priority. The Soul of Dell was developed the following September and communicated to Dell employees in March of 2002. The communication of these principles was poorly executed and resulted in a lack of understanding and commitment to these new company values. This paper will present an analysis on The Soul of Dell case study and present a solution for the above stated situation. A copy of my letter addressed to Ms. Elizabeth Allen, the Vice President of Corporate Communications at Dell Computer Corporation, providing advice on the issue is included in Appendix A.

Ethical Standards and Management Communication

An Economic Point of View

Many companies fail to achieve ethical business practice due to increased levels of global competition, financial pressures, lack of communication throughout the organization, and the absence of moral leadership at top levels (O’Rourke, 2010). In May of 2001, Dell was employing a strictly economic point of view when it came to making decisions and managing their employees. An economic point of view demands that the structure of th...

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...ystems are developed and upper management lives the values they are working to communicate, employees will gain an appreciation and compliance for these standards, thereby conforming to the values their organization is working to promote. With employees who are engaged and passionate for the values their company promotes, a winning attitude will be developed. Dell’s efforts in creating The Soul of Dell were well grounded, but did not have the proper support and communication strategy to make them a success.

Works Cited

Ask the manager. (1995). Design News, 51(12), 165.

O’Rourke, J.s. (2010). Management communication: A case-analysis approach (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Pearce, II, J.A., & David, F. (1987). Corporate Mission Statements: The Bottom Line. Academy of Management Executive (08963789), 1(2), 109-115. doi: 10.5465/AME.1987.4275821.