Apple’s Organizational Structure and Policy – Zaytech Software and Media

When it comes to top-notch excellence, Apple’s organizational policy involves only hiring the best of the best workers. Steve jobs made mention that he didn’t hire smart people so he could tell them what to do, he hired smart people so they could tell him what to do. Jobs did not write code and almost all the technical aspects of his machines were available elsewhere. “The name ‘Steve Jobs’ may appear on 300 patents, but his gift wasn’t invention. It was seeing the promise in some early, clunky technology — and polishing it, refining it and simplifying it until it becomes a standard component. Like the mouse, menus, windows, the CD-Rom or wifi.” (Appleyard, 2011) This type of selective process allows Apple to hire employees based on their talent, allowing for a diverse organization. In one instance, to find the best talent, Jobs asked a small number of leading designers to enter a competition. When he finally hired the designer based on the outcome of the competition, the designers job was to make an instruction manual so gorgeous that after being read once the customer would want to keep it on their shelf because it looked so great (Cruikshank, 2006). Steve Jobs only wanted the best talent. He was known to fire employees who did not meet his standards of excellence. For example, if employees lacked the willpower to be their best or failed to meet his expectations after being offered the job, he would fire them to instill in the other employees that he only wanted the brightest minds.

Creativity was an important highlight of Apple’s operational and organizational process. When it comes to product design, Apple is very keen on only hiring the most creative talent. This characteristic helps Apple maintain the capacity to offer solutions to both business and consumer needs. Only a diverse group of employees can feed off each others creative endeavors. Jobs made mention that the environment attracted creative people. He said that Silicon Valley attracted a diverse workgroup that could not be replicated anywhere else in the world. He attributed this to the beautiful sunny weather, great restaurants nearby, and higher institutes of education such as Stanford and Berkeley.